Who's the fastest guy Ward's fought? When I think about it I don't know if he's fought a legitimately fast guy. Kessler and especially Dawson had quick hands at some point, but not when they fought Ward.
Ward would win this confortably. Different class of fighters and seeing how Calzaghe struggled and arguably lost to an old hopkins, it is difficult to see him having a stylistic advantage over Ward.
What evidence is their that they're a different class of fighter. I think people get a lil carried away with Wards resume to be honest.
it's pretty obvious Ward is a much better fighter. He beat much much better opposition, more easily, and never needed a gift to beat an ordinary fighter like Robin Reid.
What "much much better opposition"? Froch and Kessler? They weren't any better than Reid, who Calzaghe beat. Callaghan ran Hopkins out of the ring and the same could happen to Ward except he's not proven as tough or as resilient as Hopkins. If Ward had actually been fighting instead of staying a legend in the minds of the dozen or so people who still remember him who's to say he wouldn't have had some off nights or close fights? He had some solid wins years ago but they aren't great enough to carry his whole career as some seem to make out. Stylistically he's never dealt with anything like Calzaghes speed, movement, stamina and overall skills. We've never seen Ward really have to respond in a tough close fight. Calzaghe may stop him.
Lol, Froch and Kessler were a lot better than Reid, and even if Ward is inactive, Joe career was pretty much based on feasting on bums, so pretty much the same thing apply to him as to Ward.. And it's absurd to claim that Calzagher ran Hopkins out of the ring. Most media at ringside had Bhop winning, even if for some weird reason you refuse to acknowledge it, even though I gave you the proof a thousand times.
Slappy beat Kessler convincingly, and that was a better Kessler than Ward or Froch fought. The Reid that fought Slappy and Ottke is at the very least as good as anyone Ward beat when he beat them. Slappy ran Hopkins out of the ring. The story coming in was Joe was the protected euro and Hopkins was the wise negro janitor boxer that was going teach him a lesson. People tried to see it that way, but that's clearly not what happened. Wards super duper elite status is based on out boxing Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler and then not fighting for 3 years. I'm not saying he's a bad fighter or that Slappy is leagues above him but you're going way overboard with what Ward has proven.
You have to not know a lot about boxing to think calzaghe clearly beat hopkins. At the very best, he narrowly outpointed him. Bhop was less active but he clearly landed the better punches. But even then, who care about what i and you both think. Fact is that most media at ringside had bhop winning.
You are very confused. Calzaghe was the favorite against Hopkins, so i dont know where you got this little narrative. And id like to know why on earth the kessler that ward beat was worse than the one JC beat? Dude was more highly regarded than ever and was by far the favorite to win the super six. Seems like another case of revisionism on your part
Whatever a handful of writers saw at ringside the world saw Calzaghe win clearly. No one talks about how "Hopkins beat Calazaghe". Kessler got dramatically slower and stiffer after his layoff after the Slappy fight. The guy that fought Ward and Froch wasn't quite the same guy who fought Calzaghe. Either way he beat him easier than Froch.
It doesn't explicitely says that most media at ringside scored it for Bhop. but that a lot of them did. I'll check if I can see the poll I found once http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Bernard_Hopkins_vs._Joe_Calzaghe Even if you think Hopkins won, and plenty of us at ringside thought he eked out a one-point decision http://gulfnews.com/sport/boxing/calzaghe-wins-split-decision-over-hopkins-in-vegas-1.98726 Judge Ted Gimza scored it 115-112 for Calzaghe, and Chuck Giampa favored Calzaghe 116-111. Judge Adelaide Byrd gave it 114-113 to Hopkins, as did many reporters at ringside, who also favoured Hopkins despite Calzaghe's dominance in the final five rounds.
you have to be either very biased ot ignorant (boxing wise) to think that Joe won that fight clearly. Is there an arguement for him winning? Sure, if you prefer activity over clean punches. But there was nothing clear or decisive in that fight. But then, this whole Fightbeat myth is pretty much the creation of our residents brits, and of a few white guys who were offended by bhop declaration that he would never lose to a whiteboy.
Nah the only offensive thing about that fight was when Calz fucked Bhop in the ass in the middle of the fight and there was nothing tgat Bhop could do about it.
The funny part is that Bhop clearly won this round. Guess it make sense that you think Calzaghe won that fight easily if your main judging criterias are butt fundling and dry humping
I think Ward woulda beaten Calz. It'd be the most competitive fight of Ward's career, but I think he's plain and simple a higher class fighter than Sloppy Joe ever was and would win it in the end. 7-5 win, but a 7-5 win that no one would dispute, save for Calz groupies.
For all the talk of Ward being a different class of fighter we don't know how he'd respond in a tough close fight because he's never been in one and he's never fought a real pound for pound level fighter. I could see Ward starting well and falling apart when Slappy turns it up down the stretch.
A lot of people either forget or give Ward a pass for losing at least four of the last five rounds in his fight with Froch. His apologists claim he coasted when he'd won the first part of the fight big and that's a convenient narrative but what I saw was someone who was starting to struggle with the pace the farmer was setting as he always does late on. He won the fight, no question, but it wasn't the one-sided beatdown people remember from the first seven rounds (which were a one-sided beatdown). Slappy had a real 12-round engine, perhaps more so that even Froch. If Ward does have stamina issues, Calzaghe would be an ideal suspect to take advantage. Also, Ward would be fighting someone with comparable handspeed for once and a proper fighting brain. It would be a close fight either way, truly horrible to watch. MTF
Plus beither guy has the power to trouble the other. Ward may appear to be better, but I think the intangibles might just favor the Slap Master.
