Despite being plagued by postponements and fighter departures, the Showtime network’s Super Six World Boxing Classic will reach its conclusion Saturday night.

Andre Ward and Carl Froch outlasted the group stage and elimination phases and will fight for the championship of the super-middleweight tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

“The reaction we’ve gotten as we head into this final has been overwhelming,” Chris DeBlasio, Showtime vice president of sports communication, said in a conference call last week. “And considering the endeavor we’ve taken here with the Super Six World Boxing Classic, the very first of its kind, it’s been a wild, wild ride for the fighters and we hope for the fans.”

With the notable absence of Lucian Bute, considered the top fighter in the division, the tournament’s concept had a Champions League look. The participants fought three group-stage bouts, and the top four finishers advanced to the elimination rounds.

But original entrants Jermain Taylor and Mikkel Kessler withdrew early after sustaining injuries during the group stage. Miami’s Glen Johnson and Allen Green were added as replacements, and Johnson advanced to the semifinals before losing to Froch.

Saturday’s final also was delayed from its original date in October after Ward (24-0, 13 KOs) sustained a cut to his eye during training. Ward, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team and the last American boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, said the division and his career have benefitted from the Super Six event.

“I think before the Super Six, the super middleweights were really a sleeper division,” Ward said. “They talked more about the light-heavyweight division. And now people are talking about us, and even after the tournament, they are looking at the possible matchups with the fighters.

“I don’t think I would have gotten this much visibility, or the division wouldn’t have either, if it wasn’t for the Super Six tournament.”

A native of England, Froch (28-1, 20 KOs) also has valued his experience in the tournament.

“I’ve really gotten some great matchups since the tournament started,” Froch said. “I don’t think those fights would have happened if it wasn’t for the tournament. It’s been great for Andre, and it’s been great for myself.”

•  Lamont Peterson won two 140-pound titles after his controversial split-decision win over defending champion Amir Khan late Saturday in Washington.

Peterson (30-1-1) overcame a first-round knockdown and was effective at landing from short distance. Khan (26-2) scored with solid rights to the head that partially shut Peterson’s right eye. The bout’s result swung after referee Joseph Cooper deducted points from Khan for the rarely called infraction of pushing in the seventh and 12th rounds. Judges Valerie Dorsett and George Hill scored the fight for Peterson 113-112, and judge Nelson Vasquez had Khan winning 114-111.

With the win, Peterson is now the recognized titleholder by the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation.

• Miami resident Luis Franco remained unbeaten after his second-round technical knockout victory over Leopoldo Gonzalez on Friday night in Kissimmee.

Franco (11-0, 7 KOs) outclassed Gonzalez with speed and punching power in the brief featherweight bout.

Adeptly combining shots to the head and body, Franco wore down the slower Gonzalez (11-5-1).

The punch buildup finally forced Gonzalez’s cornermen to instruct referee Frank Santore to stop the fight at 1:29 of the second.

•  Roy Jones Jr. won a unanimous decision over Max Alexander in a cruiserweight bout Saturday in Atlanta. Once considered the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter, the Jones, 42, snapped a three-fight losing streak and is now 55-8.