NEW YORK, July 15, 2010 (AFP) – Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham will fight on neutral ground in Monaco in the third stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, tournament backer Showtime said Thursday.

The bout, in which both fighters will be seeking a spot in the tournament semi-finals, is scheduled for October 2 at the Chapiteau de l'Espace Fontvieille in Monaco.

Froch had wanted the fight in his native England, Abraham wanted it in Germany and Showtime discussed holding it in Montreal.

"The intensity of the selection process for this venue speaks to the enormity of the moment," Showtime vice president Ken Hershman said in a statement.

"All the fighters in the tournament have set out to prove that they are the world's best at 168 pounds by fighting their peers - the most dangerous men in the division - fight after fight.

"Any perceived advantage or disadvantage has been calculated."

The tournament awards points based on three guaranteed bouts in the opening stages. Knockouts are worth three points, a win by decision is two points and a draw is one point.

Andre Ward is the only fighter to win his first two bouts and leads the tournament with four points. Abraham has the only knockout and is second with three points, while Froch is tied with Mikkel Kessler and Andre Dirrell with two points each. Late substitution Allan Green has zero.

The four with the most points after their third fights will advance to seeded semi-finals. A championship showdown is tentatively scheduled for next year.

Froch lost his World Boxing Council version of the super middleweight title in his previous bout with a narrow defeat to Kessler on April 24.

Abraham lost by disqualification in his last bout in March after hitting Dirrell on the chin while Dirrell, who had dominated the fight, was down.