What can I say about Andre Ward? Well, with every fight, I am becoming a huge fan and one of his biggest supporters. On Saturday night, Ward retained his WBA title by putting on a boxing clinic over the course of 12 rounds against new tournament entrant, the allegedly hard-hitting Allan Green. Ward took the fight right to Green from round one, beating him to the punch time and time again and controlling the entire fight.
When this tournament started, Ward was coming in undefeated, usually winning his fights in a style that wasn’t very fan-friendly. I wondered just how he would be able to adjust when fighting some of the bigger boxers/punchers in the division. Well, it seems Ward stepped up his game and put it in another gear, showing that he can stand on the inside, trade shots and still control the fight while doing so. With his performance against Green, he stamped his way into the semi-finals and I feel he is definitely the man to beat.
What’s next for Ward? The fast, slick Andre Dirrell will be waiting for him in a fight that I feel will come down to who closes the show in the championship rounds. I see a close fight with Ward winning via close decision. What about Green? Well, what about him? Yeah, I said it! I just don’t feel he will be able to be any kind of threat against anyone as the tournament moves forward. He had no answer for Ward; he couldn’t make any adjustments. He is in with the best, all top fighters at 168 pounds, and I just think he will continue to struggle with the remaining opposition. Mikkel Kessler, who was the favorite to win this thing before losing to Ward, awaits Green in the next stage. I feel Kessler’s loss to Ward was an eye-opener and he seemed to regain his form in his last fight. Kessler will prove to be too much for Green and likely win just like Ward, via unanimous decision.
Heavyweight watch…
Saturday’s telecast of the Super Six tournament finished up with the words of the nevery shy Antonio Tarver, who revealed that he is throwing his name into the heavyweight mix, calling out champions Vitali Klitchko, Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye. Say what? Hold up a moment! I understand the heavyweight division is a mess, but does that mean this is the perfect time for Tarver to wind down his career with the big boys? Not to mention, Tarver is approaching the ripe old age of 42.
Although he’s certainly game and has never been knocked out, I wouldn’t push the envelope if I were Tarver. He should definitely steer clear of those three guys. My suggestion is that he should first test the heavyweight waters against Tomasz Adamek, who also moved up in weight and is a smaller heavyweight, although my preference would be for him to fight James Toney. As vocal as Tarver and Toney are, you would be able to charge admission to the press conference. It would most surely be a hot sell. TNT anyone?
