There's a possibility G-man could bang Ward out there early-to-mid rounds. That possibility increases if Manny Steward was in his corner. However, I think Ward outboxing him is the more likely scenario.
REED's NEVER Trusted Ward's Chin...He's Done a FANTASTIC Job of Protecting it, but Against a Guy like McClellan, Ward's GOING to Get Hit @ Some Point... & When he Does, it's his Ass... Ward Wins More ROUNDS, but Ultimately LOSES by KO...McClellan hit THAT Hard & Had just Enough Technical Wherewithal to CATCH Ward, Eventually... REED:shadow:
I'm confused bruh. I remember you once saying you'd pick Ward over Saad Muhammed. Yet you think he gets KO'd by the lightskinned Michael Vick? Saad had more pop than G-man.
Saad was Heavyhanded as Hell, but REED Isn't Soooo Sure he Had More POP than McClellan...Not Lb for Lb...Saad Didn't Register Many Early Doors KO's, from REED's Recollection & his Stoppages were More a Result of ATTRITION than SINGLE SHOT Damage...Whereas McClellan was just a Shade BELOW the Best of the BEST Punchers Ever...Not Quite Julian Jackson or Mugabi, but CLOSER than Saad was, in REED's Opinion... Beyond that, McClellan was More Technically SOUND than Saad...Not Saying McClellan was the Consummate Boxer or Anything, but Compared to Saad, he Was... Saad was Arguably THE Bravest Fighter who Ever Lived & Perhaps the Most FAN FRIENDLY Fighter Ever...But Let's Keep his Skills & Talents in Proper Perspective...Gerald McClellan was More POLISHED & Had Superior SINGLE SHOT Power... REED:kidcool:
I've usually been somewhat harsh of Cdogg's Saad love in the past, but you're underrating him here and overrating the dog killer. Saad was a bigger puncher than G-man. I guess it's debatable in a P4P sense, but in an absolute sense Saad DEFINITELY carried more power. Let's be VERY BLUNT about McClellan's power; it was devastating at 160. AND his two best wins at 160 came against Jackson and Mugabi, both past their primes (Mugabi totally shot), and both whom had their best days at 154. Still, despite that fact I believe G-man's power was VERY REAL....... at 160. At 168, he still showed pop against Benn, but let's be honest, in Ward he'd be facing a FAR more elusive target and better technician than Benn. Also, whilst Ward wasn't as powerful as Benn, he IS physically stronger than Benn and a naturally bigger man. G-man WOULD have a puncher's chance of course, but the more likely scenario is Ward outboxing him. McClellan had technical ability, but IMO his ring IQ wasn't extremely high. Ward's is, I'll give Ward that much.
I'd say that G-man vs Froch is a more intriguing matchup than G-man vs Ward. Actually, on second thought, I'd clearly favor G-man in that one. Froch never met a right hand he could avoid, and was a bit too straight up for Gerald.
The Brevity of McClellan's Career Obviously COMPROMISED his Resume, but even w/That, he was Still a BETTER Puncher than Saad Muhammad, in REED's Opinion... Strip the "Names" from Saad's Resume...Mustafa Muhammad, Jerry the Bull, Murray Sutherland, Conteh, Vonzell Johnson, Marvin Johnson, etc...Strip ALL the Names Away & McClellan STILL Disposed of MORE Guys, in FEWER Rounds... He was the BETTER Puncher, Bro... Most Gauge KO% by Overall Fights...REED Thinks a Better Way to Gauge is by WINS...On that Note, McClellan Stopped 29 of 31 (94%) Opponents he Defeated, Saad 35 of 49 (71%)...2 of the 31 Guys McClellan Beat, Went the Distance...2! REED:up:
In a P4P sense a case can be made for G-man. In an absolute sense as it relates to Ward, Saad was a stronger and more powerful man than G-man.
There is a strange historical lineage of murderous punching middles who went up to 168 and 'lost' their punch for some reason. Benn was a classic example of a helluva puncher at 160 who at 168 stopped far fewer opponents. Pavlik and Abraham are two more modern examples. G-man is harder to analyse because he only really had one fight at the higher weight but he hit Benn, a guy with an average chin who got stopped by a jab in a middleweight fight earlier in his career, with the kitchen sink and couldn't quite get him out of there. People defend McClellan with the 'shit ref' thing but even in the 8th he dropped Benn hard and failed to clean him up in the remainder of that round. At 168 McClellan had very good power but he wasn't as murderous. That is what the evidence showed (little though it is). MTF
