Was anyone else impressed by Ward's holding and hitting? I thought he did a good job of lunging in with his head, holding Kessler with one arm, and hitting him with the other.
I wasn't impressed. Holding was a non-issue in the fight. I was imprssed by Ward's speed, sharpness and accuracy though
Really? I thought he did a nice job of neutralizing Kessler's offense by holding him everytime Kessler tried to get off. Whenever Kessler threw a right hand, Ward didn't bother with defense or movement. Instead, he just lunged in and grabbed him and then started hitting him while he was still holding him.
Double L, did you like the fact that Ward never loaded his gloves, like some of your favorite fighters have done?
Has Ward been ADDED to the List of Hippety Hop Fighters???...Inquiring Minds Want to Know... REED:hammert:
no. but he does qualify as a slop-fighter whose best defense is to hold. he's a stink fighter. plain and simple.
U May NOT Know this, but Ward Actually FIGHTS on the INSIDE TOO, Doub...In the Clinches, Kessler's Head was SNAPPING BACK for a REASON... REED:hammert:
yeah. because Kessler couldn't move because Ward was holding and hitting him. Ward did what he had to do.
Why COULDN'T he Move???...It IS Possible to PREVENT a Guy from Clinching U, U Know...Particularly when the Clincher is BANGING U w/his FREE Hand... So w/ONE Arm, Ward had a VICE like Grip on BOTH of Kessler's Arms???... REED:shit:
I agree. Kessler didn't do a good job of dealing with the clinch. There were tons of times that Ward had him with both arms and Kessler couldn't break out of it in order to give himself space to punch.
There were also "Tons of Times" Where Ward Clinched w/1 Arm & WORKED w/his Free Arm (Banging the Side of Kessler's Head & NAILING him w/Uppercuts)...Kessler COULD have Done LIKESWISE or @ Least PREVENTED a Single Arm Clinch... REED:hammert:
There is a such thing as infighting. I hate guys who clinch and hold and do nothing until the referee breaks them up so they can reset themselves again. I don't mind fighters who still work in the clinches and doesn't just wait for the ref. Hopkins has always done this. Call it dirty or whatever.........fighting in close quarters like that has always been a a big part of boxing until fairly recently. If you're doing something in there, I'm sure as hell not going to bitch about it.
Wards style is mad ugly. Ward holds alot and leans in with his head alot. He does have good effensive skills when he lets his hands go but he is scared to death to be hit.
Kessler's terrible in the clinch, he just does nothing. Ward was a little excessive with the holding, he should've got a stern warning or two...it would have made the fight better. I thought the first cut was an unfortunate accidental butt that we see all the time. The second, and ultimately fight ending (although i stress i don't see this affecting the outcome) cut was caused by Ward's recklessness...he charged in with the head like a bull....it is unclear whether or not this was intentional (winning the fight comfortably, why would he?) but it was dangerous play.
Ward did hold a lot and at times it detracted from the fight. He was right to do it though, because Kessler stopped EVERY-THING when Ward got close. The biggest issue I had was the referee's reluctance to break them up quickly. He allowed the fight to stall at times and that really grinds my gears. Sometimes he would yell "Stop, stop! Break!" and they would....yet as soon as they were disengaged, Ward would jump right back in and clock Kessler before Mikkel was set. It was bordering on illegal at times, yet again, Ward was right to do it because the ref didn't seem interested in enforcing that rule. Kessler was just uncomfortable with almost everything that was going on. He clearly isn't used to being pushed around and not have the time to think in there.
some of you go overboard. You describe Ward like you do Ruiz that's just silly! The main reason Ward won was because he was faster and more skilled. He beat him to the punch in everything.
