Andre Ward is one UGLY fighter to watch

2 Things...

1. REED HASN'T "Dreamt Up" Shit...REED's Got Anywhere from 10-20 of Ward's Ammy Fights (INCLUDING the 2004 Olympics) On TAPE...He was Typically ALOT more MOBILE than he Ever even TRIED to B vs. Bika...Considering Bika's Complete LACK of Footwork OR Balance, it WOULDN'T have Been Hard for Ward to STAYthehellAWAY from him for 12 Rounds...

2. So JMM Is THE ONLY Fighter Out There that Would make a CONCIOUS Effort to Engage More??...

Yeah, OK...


REED:boohoo:

 

If Ward runs the s6 tournament with wins over aa and froch, then his resume will compare quite nicely to Hopkins' and he'll have several years of prime left.

 

That's amateur fights though REED.

Either Ward has changed, or has slowed down a bit, or has found that amateur style simply doesn't work as well as his current style does in the pro ranks.

A lot of fighters tend to be very different stylistically between the amateurs and pros.

 

His resume will WHAT?

The performances Hopkins turned in LOSING to guys like prime Jones, Calzaghe, Taylor, probably trump a lot of Wards wins, especially anything he manages over the now rather more properly appraised, and twice beaten, Abraham.

Hopkins wins over guys like Winky, Eastman, Joppy, Echols are worth as much as any win over Bika.

When Ward gets the fuck out of Oakland and demolishes guys like Kelly Pavlik and Tito Trinidad and Tarver then come back to me.

When Ward is fighting the consensus #1 175lbr in the world at the age of 45 then let me know.

Ward can do it. Him and Bernard already share the same supplements coach.

 

REED is SPECIFICALLY Talking about FOOTWORK & MOBILITY in the Ring, MWS...It's NOT Exactly Difficult to Do, Especially Against Foes who Pale in Comparison, as Bika Does...

@ 26, Ward is in the PRIME of his Athletic Life...There's NOfuckingWAY he's "Slowed Down" or is Somehow DIMINISHED, in Terms of his WHEELS...



REED:mj:

 

1. Ammys ^= Pros

2. I'm not saying that at all. What I'm saying is, you're wrong to assume that Ward fights the way he does in order to be more exciting. If he cared about being exciting, trust me, he wouldn't fight in the style he does.

 

Hate to pile on REED, but you're making a lot of assumptions in your arguments and it just seems you're being way too closed minded about Ward. It's almost like he's taking RJJ's place in your heart or something (or maybe Green's ). It's okay to assume from time to time but not okay to argue it as if it's a fact.

Assumption 1.) You assume that Ward can still move the way he did in the ammy's.

Assumption 2.) You assume that Ward could have outboxed Bika by moving the way he did in the ammy's but he chose not to.

 

Seriously, Ward's fights are getting down to John Ruiz levels. I have to give him credit though, he's one crafty SOB that does what it takes to win. More like Bernard than Jones in that department. At least he comes to the ring with a fight plan.

 

Just wait till DeGale faces Ward, he will smash him up. You heard it here first

 

The Bika fight wasn't part of the tournament.

For fairness, Ward's next fight will hopefully be in another country.

 

He already said that he´ll make a concession. He´ll accept that Abraham comes to Vegas.

 

REED, I know why you like Ward, now that Roy is shot to pieces and Floyd is borderline retired, he seems like the natural successor to those crowns.

Young, fast, athletic, and evidently the boy can fight.

But I don't think he's as close to being as talented as Jones, or as skilled and talented as Floyd, or just as good and skilled as Hopkins.

He IS good, no one can deny that.

But to put it simply, if he was able to potshot guys with ease and win easy decisions like a prime Jones, he would do. Or if he was able to just control a guy for 12 rounds with solid boxing like Floyd and barely get hit, he would do.

The thing is, he can't. He can fight at the elite level, but not in the style you're suggesting.

I guarantee you this style of his is not a concerted effort to be exciting or macho, it's simply what he does best now as a pro fighter. And it's basically his best chance of winning.

To his credit, he HAS been dominating guys with this style. Clearly, the dirty, mauling style is not easy to beat if done well.

But would someone really fight like a cross between Hopkins and John Ruiz in an effort to be exciting? The style is downright ugly and frustrating to watch.

Even prime Roy's "exhibitions" where he would just pot shot the shit out of a guy for 12 rounds were far, far more watchable and aesthetically pleasing than Ward's style.

 

This is my beef. If the commentators said "what we have here is a mix of Marciano and Hopkins" then I would be Okay with it.

I am impressed with Wards fitness and his inside skills. Is he on the Conte juice? I don't know. His gloves are also fucking huge.

It's not that Ward is a dirty fighter. It's that Ward is a stinkpot that people make out to be this Roy Jones/SRL blend.

 

Funny thing is, that when he actually tried fighting like Jones and use his speed and look cool in the process, he got knocked down a couple of times. That was during his first few fights. I guess he worries more about prolonging his career rather than looking stylish and banking a couple of millions before getting his career cut short.

 

And hey.....I have NO BEEF with that. Wlad did the same, thought he could mill everyone out with this all-action style, but he realized he had to make adjustments to suit his own stamina and chin issues.

Same with Barrera.....after the McKinney fight he became progressively flat-footed {in fact you could say he became regressively flat-footed} until he got done by Junior Jones.

He made some adjustments too.

Ward, as I said, figures he will never get a DQ against him in Oakland, so he washes rinses and repeats to his little hugging hearts content, and has people praising him for it like he was SLR. :scratcher:

 

I agree with Reed that Bika is a rough fighter. You can't go in there and try to finness a UD! you have to get rough with the guy.

what I don't agree with most is that even is he has an ugly style he doesn't cheat his way to victory that's bullshit.

He still outboxes and outworks fighters. You also have to look at what his oponents are not doing or better yet what Ward doens't allow them to do.