ANDRE WARD vs. EDISON MIRANDA...Final Predictions...

Of course Tarver's a tougher out then Miranda.

I'm actually a big fan of Dawson, not so much of Ward.

I think the point being made is it seems to be easier and easier to tear a fighter down nowadays.

I didn't see Ward afraid of getting hit. I saw a guy who exploited Miranda's weaknesses, whether it being just out of range or burying him on the inside. Ward was guilty of holding but not on the level of a Hatton or a Ruiz.

I think you mentioned Hopkins, that may be correct. Then again I don't have a problem with Hopkins fighting style. Fighting dirty or not he's still trying to move his hands..............even if he has the other guys hands pinned to his sides. ::

I also don't think Ward is "e-light" quite yet and may never be, but I think he is finally showing progress and seems to be a smart fighter in the ring.

 

Have U Seen Any UNJUSTIFIED Criticisms Levied Against Ward, AZ???:dunno:...Personally, REED WANTED to Like Ward, but it just AIN'T Happening...He had a CORPSE in Front of him Saturday Night, a Guy who's Been KO'ed in his PRIME, yet Ward NEVER Even Hurt him, Really...Ward hit Miranda MORE than Pavlik & Abraham COMBINED & Did NATHAN to Him...& for a "Boxer", Ward's Defense WASN'T All that Great Either...

Of the "3 Dre's", REED Rates DIRRELL the Highest, N Terms of What he SHOULD Accomplish in his Career...


REED:mj:

 

Ward doesn't impress you, but Dirrell does?:bangh:

Andre Ward doesn't punch hard...fine.

Once you get past that, he's a solid fighter who has championship pedigree. Sometimes I don't understand you faggots, Ward will be a legit champion at 168, hell he could beat Bute tomorrow.

 

Seriously Dude, your Act is Fucking TIRED...It's NOfuckingWONDER NOBODY Wants YOU to B a Part of the New Era of Fightbeat...U're a PIMPLY Faced, ANOREXIC, NO Pussy Getting DORK who DOESN'T Know even 1/8th of what he THINKS he Does, so SPARE REED your LAME Ass Insults, Dude...

REED CLEARLY Said he "Rates Dirrell the Highest", but that DOESN'T Mean REED has Given him GLOWING Reviews...Dirrell Would've KO'ed Miranda's CHINNY, SHOPWORN Ass, that's for Sure...

If U're THAT Put Off by REED's Boxing Opinions OR those of Others @ Fightbeat, then Kindly LEAVE Fightbeat...NOBODY is Gonna Miss your Sorry, IMMATURE Ass....


REED:mj:

 

REED mentioned Dirrell...I'm not a fan of Dirrell and see him getting KO'd before Ward

"HOWEVER"

After the Stevens fight Dirrell seemed to have learned his lesson and throws shots as if he intends to knock you out. More importantly, they have the desired effect...he hurts guys.

Getting back to Hopkins...the Hopkins of NOW is what I'm comparing Ward to and I'm not refering to the Pavlik fight...more along the lines of the Winky Wright fight.

I encourage folks to go back and watch Hopkins vs Joppy or Keith Holmes. Those were muggings. Those fights I enjoyed. That's how you smother a guy, in an entertaining way, and beat the fight out of them.

 

Yeah, Dirrell's got more pop then Ward but he is sloppy as shit for a supposed "Boxer" type. It's like watching an Octopus shadow-boxing sometimes.

 

I´m amazed that a lot of people would favour Ward over Bute, Froch or Andrade right now. If Ward´s handlers are smart, they´ll go for the winner of the WBO title fight between Balszay/Stieglitz. That´s a solid next step and a belt. Make 4-5 title defenses in the Bay area to build and solidify his fanbase and then you go for a unification fight against Kessler, Froch, Bute, Andrade, Abraham, Pavlik, Taylor, Dirrell or whoever holds a belt by then. I don´t think his defense or championship experience is at a point, where he´ll be able to handle the top guys yet.

 

That's Certainly POSSIBLE, Because Dirrell Puts More of an INVESTMENT Into his Shots that Ward Does...Like U Said, the Stevens Fight was the Turning Point for Dirrell...REED COULDN'T Stand him Prior to that Fight, but SINCE Then, he's Pleasantly SURPRISED REED...

They'll BOTH Get KO'ed @ Some Point, but Dirrell Seems to B LESS Concerned w/Getting Hurt (Or MORE Concerned w/HURTING His Opponent, How Ever U Wanna Look @ It) than Ward is...

Even Against Mediocre Opposition, Ward has YET to Look as Impressive as Dirrell Did Against Hanshaw...
REED:mj:

 

Dirrell has "Boxer" TALENT but he LACKS the "Boxer" INTELLECT...Ward Definitely has a CLEARER Picture of what he's Trying to Do During a Fight...

But Dirrell is More TALENTED (Slightly FASTER, HARDER Puncher) & Slightly BIGGER...



REED:hammert:

 

I think some of the criticism of Ward has gone overboard, but I agree with you about being surprised at who some are picking Ward to beat at this point.

Miranda was by far his best opponent to-date, even taking into consideration the fact that he's diminished, but he's just poor in enough areas to where speed and skill should beat him.

The fight proved Ward's not as bad as some of the doubters thought, but this fight was more about disproving negatives than proving positives, to me at least.

Ward took Miranda's punch, a number of times in the fight - perhaps too many times to feel good about that aspect of his performance - but I thought going Miranda, and his power, were over-rated...especially at 168.

I do disagree with the notion he just looked to hold when he got tagged, there were times when he got hit clean and his first reaction was to punch back, not to grab, though he certainly did do a lot of holding...good for him, he'll need to, but not good for those watching (at least not those from Oakland).

I think Ward's biggest problem, still, is his power. He's primarily a one-handed fighter, but he doesn't even have much power in his left. And it may not be like he doesn't "one punch knockout power", he may not even have have "accumulation knockout power".

I don't think Ward is china-chinned, but it may still not be great, and it can be reached and it can be dented...and it may not be the kind that can hold up if it gets hit repeatedly by better, accurate punchers (and one's whose punches are less telegraphed)...and without power he's going to have to go twelve a lot to win - it may be Winky Wright-like predictable that he goes 12 - and given that even Miranda landed some real flush shots, it's raises doubts about whether he can against higher classes of opponents.

But leaving projections aside, for right now, good win for him, and a great event for Oakland...the event was handled pretty well...they had an open workout just outside at the Arena/Coliseum just before an A's game early in the week, had the press conference and weigh-in open to the public, recieved very good local press coverage and brought in a solid crowd.

 

Dirrell has some of the worst footwork in the sport, and his chin doesn't look great, either.

Ward looks more skilled and to have more ring-intelligence, Dirrell probalby more athletically gifted and significantly better puncher.

Neither are perfect prospects or appear to be the goods.

Results for both might be a mixed bag as they move up.

 

I really liked Ward last Saturday night. The only think he lacks is power. But he is is a solid boxer and a smart boxer.

I understand that Miranda is wild puncher and makes good boxers loook better because of it. But this was the best oponent on Ward's resume so far and he schooled him.

I can definately see Ward winning a tittle at 168, he just won't do it by KO.

 

Ward is a much better fighter than Dirrell, he just doesn't punch hard.

He's physically strong, he's got solid skills and a decent activity level.

Dirrell is garbage.

 

I think the Gold Medal has brought on a warped set of expectations for Ward. The whole "when is Andre Ward going to fight someone" thing has been out there in internet boxing circles for the better part of three years.

Now when you look at a 25 year old fighter with 19 pro fights, its hard to take issue with the kid's resume. Navigating a fighter up through the ranks is a difficult task as we all know... recent history is littered with guys who were brought on too fast because they were the next big thing: Vargas, Reid, Lacy (although he turned pro much older), etc.

Andre Dirrell is one year older and has had one less fight than Ward. Say what you want about Miranda, but he beat Green, gave Abraham hell in their first fight, and went toe to toe with Pavlik.... that makes Ward's win far better than anything Dirrell has done.

Even with the naked eye test, I think Ward is a better fighter right now than Dirrell is. And even if you disagree, it is difficult to make the argument that Dirrell has accomplished more thus far. That being the case, the criticism levied against Ward seems unfair given his age and progression. Dirrell has been criticized for being boring or lacking focus, but he hasn't had a mounting campaign of fans calling him babied or protected... and why not? What top 10 guys has he fought? He's a year older and (according to some) more talented, so shouldn't he be the one shaking up the division after 20 or so fights?

I don't really hold it against him that he didn't knock out Miranda. His punches looked sharp if not devestating. Plenty of top level fighters have been taken the distance by lesser fighters who had been knocked out in their prime (Sosa vs. PBF, John Brown vs. Chico, plenty of guys vs. JM Marquez, etc).

 

I agree to the fullest...:bears: