SONAHR: June 21, 2015 – If Andre Ward accumulated much rust on his fistic machinery during the 19 months that have passed since his last fight, it certainly didn?t show during his return to the ring on Saturday, as he stopped Britain?s Paul Smith in the ninth round. Smith, who came into the bout with a 35-5 record, is not a Top 10 contender in a super-middleweight division that Ward has ruled by default even as former victim Carl Froch provided the excitement during Ward?s prolonged absence from the squared circle.
But Smith isn?t a soft touch, either. In his two points losses to WBO champion Arthur Abraham, Smith showed plenty of grit. The first decision was disputed; the second was not. So, if Ward?s superlative skills had diminished while he spent more than two years trying to get out of his promotional contract with the late Dan Goosen, Smith was the type of opponent who could expose such a decline.
However, the only thing exposed during the fight was the yawning chasm in talent between Ward and his foil. Over the course of the contest, Ward more or less did as he pleased, turning Smith into such a bloody mess that Smith?s corner threw in the towel in the ninth round to spare their fighter from further punishment. It was the right thing to do; Smith was simply out of his depth. That?s no disgrace; so is everyone else in the 168-lb division.
Everyone except ? perhaps ? Smith?s fellow Briton Froch. Ever since losing a decision to Ward in the final bout of the Super Six super-middleweight tournament six years ago, Froch has exhibited an obsessive desire to get another crack at his conqueror. The decision was wide on one scorecard, but narrow on two others, leading Froch to believe that he could beat Ward if he got another chance to do so.
In the absence of that coveted rematch, Froch has gone undefeated and more than taken up the slack Ward left during his legal battles. But Froch?s fixation on Ward has been a distraction that almost proved his undoing in his first fight with George Groves, which ended in a controversial stoppage win for Froch but not before Groves decked him in the first round. Froch scored a clean knockout in the rematch.
The only opponent that matters to Froch now is Ward. And Froch is the only super-middleweight who could give Ward problems. If he doesn?t fight Froch again, Ward will likely move up to light-heavyweight, where perhaps the biggest test of his career awaits ? the formidable multiple title-holder, Sergey Kovalev.
Welcome back, Andre. You?ve been gone too long.
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For one round in his battle of the ex-welterweight champions with Shawn ?Showtime? Porter on Saturday, Adrien ?The Problem? Broner showed why he was once considered a rising star and the heir-apparent to pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. A fusillade of punches sent Porter to the canvas, and almost closed Showtime?s show.
Unfortunately for Broner, that flash of his former brilliance occurred in the 12th and final round of the contest. During the previous eleven stanzas, Broner fought like a miniature version of former heavyweight champion John Ruiz: jab and grab, then grab some more. Porter, at least, tried to make a fight of it with his constant, if not always effective, aggression.
A skillful counter-puncher would have taken full advantage of Porter?s lack of defense, as did Kell Brook last year when he relieved Porter of his IBF welterweight belt. Broner used to be a skillful counter-puncher. On Saturday, however, he was little more than a boring counter-clutcher ? at least until that 12th round, when he did what he should have done earlier in the bout.
Despite that last-round scare, Porter has re-established himself as a major player among the 147-pounders in the post-Mayweather era. Of course, that?s assuming Floyd sticks to his plan to retire after one more fight later this year. And it?s doubtful that Mayweather will choose Porter as his foil for his swan song.
As for Broner, his poor performance against Porter proves beyond a doubt that ?The Problem? never fully recovered from his loss to Marcos Maidana two years ago. The crude Maidana appeared tailor-made for a fighter of Broner?s skills. But Maidana simply walked through Broner en route to a decisive points win. And Broner hasn?t been the same since.
The future looks bright for Porter. For Broner ? not so much.
