OLYMPIC KING COULD SLAY GODZILLA & BE CRITICIZED
San Francisco, CA– The last time a fighter came along with the ability and guile of Andre Ward, were the Olympics of 1976 and “Sugar Ray” Leonard. Not as flashy as Ray, but ever so competent is the unbeaten Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, CA. Some of you complained about his 12-round stifling of Allan Green a fortnight ago. Green, a big puncher with the left hook, didn’t land a meaningful shot in 36 minutes, and yet Ward gets knocked.
CHAMP’S NUMBERS ARE QUITE IMPRESSIVE
In his last three fights against true world class competition, Ward has lost only three rounds officially. One in the Edison Miranda (33-5, 28 KOs) fight last spring, two, (although I didn’t see ‘em) against Mikkel Kessler in November, this before waxing Allan Green (29-2, 20 KOs) for 12 frames. Now 22-0, 13 KOs, Andre has become the betting favorite after opening a 4 ½ to 1 favorite to win it all.
SENT MIRANDA TO THE TRASH HEAP!
Against Miranda, Ward extracted so much of what the Colombian had left as a fighter, this by his beating an iron-willed foe sans mercy for 36 turns of the clock, Edison Miranda left Oakland damaged goods. Kessler, the “top dog” in this “Super Six” tourney put on by Showtime prior to his fighting Ward last November, fellow Scandinavian or not, Kessler (43-2, 32 KOs) was looking for a way out against Ward who had owned him. to that point.
KESSLER OPTS OUT OF HOPELESS FIGHT TO DEPRIVE WARD
This is what brought about them calling the fight in the 11th round, thus the unanimous “technical” decision Ward was awarded, this instead of Kessler being stopped on cuts, and Ward getting an extra “Super Six” tourney point for the stop. At the time of the stop, Team Ward knew they had broken down Kessler both mentally and physically.
DANE & TRAINER CAUGHT TRYING “TO LOAD HANDS”
And while I mentioned it on the radio, Kessler was caught “stacking” his hand wraps in the dressing room. That means a little hand wrap gauze, then some tape over the knuckle, and the process is repeated five or six times creating granite-like wraps that accentuate punching power. Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter caught this and Kessler had to remove and then restart the wrap process. So, if you’re wondering why he’s been killing guys over in Europe, you might want to consider the opposition and the possibility of stacked hand wraps.
BUTE EXCELLENT GUY TO FIGHT AFTER TOURNEY!
If Lucian Bute of Canada, unbeaten (26-0, 21 KOs) holder of the IBF 168 lb. diadem, should he remain unblemished at the tourney’s end, I could see him as an “additional” super money fight for Ward. Recent highlights or not, the best thing Bute ever did was NOT TO enter the “Super Six” tournament.
BOXREC.COM ‘P4P’ TOP TEN
1. Floyd Mayweather, 2. Manny Pacquiao, 3. Wladamir Klitschko, 4. Bernard Hopkins, 5. Vitali Klitschko, 6. Chad Dawson, 7. Paul Williams, 8. Shane Mosley, 9. Juan Manuel Marquez, 10. Lucien Bute.
TAKE ISSUE WITH DIRRELL BEING #12 AND WARD #22?
All due respect to the great BoxRec.com, but these names do not reflect boxing’s current crop of talent. To have Hopkins at #4, or to even have Shane Mosley on the list at all, this borders on the insane. You need not make excuses for Mosley is still 38 and like Tupac, he’s shot! Once beaten fellow 168 lber. Andre Dirrell is rated #12, Amir Khan 19, while Ward, the true super middleweight champion of the world is ranked 22nd! I can go on and on, but with the exception of the two top spots, this list is based on nostalgia as a prime Andre Ward is clearly better than the rest!
WHAT PLACE ON THE MYTHICAL LIST?
Back to the question of the week, where do you pundits think Andre Ward belongs on the top ten ‘pound for pound’ list?
Pedro Fernandez