It was in that tournament that Ward would earn the right to have his name etched amongst boxing’s cream of the crop, as he not only defeated some of the best super middleweights the world has to offer, but he would cap things off beautifully with what looked to be a breakout performance against Carl “The Cobra” Froch, a man from whom he would wrest the WBC title on his way to claiming the Super Six Trophy Cup.
And if you ask Andre why he’s facing Chad Dawson when the challenger isn’t risking anything tangible, to include his own Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight hardware by virtue of Dawson venturing down to 168 pounds, Andre will simply say, “well why not Chad Dawson? I’ve evolved a lot, and I’ve grown a lot, and this is the right time for this fight.” Indeed why not, if like the aspiring “S.O.G.” Ward your intention is to be one of the all time greats who will one day land a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
With that said, on the other side of the fence you have Chad Dawson, a man who is coming off somewhat of a career defining performance in his own right after decisively dethroning the legendary ageless warrior that is Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. And where many believe Andre Ward is on his way to becoming the next pound-for-pound superstar in the sport in place of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, Dawson thinks otherwise. “I’m looking to interrupt all that and be the one who does that,” as Chad in effect looks to thwart any such notion while seizing the moment to rise towards the top himself at the expense of his upcoming foe.
That is to say Chad appears to be head and shoulders above the rest of the 175 pounders, despite his lone loss to Jean Pascal, and precisely the reason he chose Andre Ward as his next opponent, against whom he believes he has an edge. “I’m looking for the biggest fights in the world and the biggest fight in the world right now is Chad Dawson-Andre Ward. Boxing should be about the best fighting the best. That’s what real fighters do, fight the best.”
Dawson would continue. “And what they don’t know is that I coming here to win, I’m not coming to lose. I’ve fought bigger and better guys. Don’t get me wrong, [Andre] Ward is a great fighter, but he makes a lot of mistakes too. He is very flawed. He’s never been in there with a fighter like me,” and, “on September 8th he’s going to see something different in there, something he’s never seen before.”
And make no mistake, for all of Chad’ previous endeavors where he feels he has fought the better opposition over a longer period, Andre Ward has himself ascended to another plateau, gaining confidence and developing into a more polished fighter as a result of his most recent ring exploits in confronting back to back top opposition. From that perspective, what’s most incisive is not what Andre Ward has accomplished over the past couple of years, but the way he went about matters.
In the beginning of the Super Six Tournament, a tournament that Andre coincidentally didn’t even pick himself to win, he would carve out a less than visibly appealing victory over the formidable Mikkel Kessler, a man who at the time had more knockouts than Ward had fights, so that Andre would garner his first major world title. However spectacular an achievement that was, there were pockets where the newly crowned champion left some things to be desired, and understandably so at this stage in his career as he himself would unhesitatingly admit.
Along those lines, and subsequent and/or prior to the Kessler contest, there were other not so aesthetically pleasing fights to include bouts with Sakio Bika, Allan Green, and Edison Miranda amongst others, where consistent mugging, clutching, and grabbing would be par for the course, so that Andre would garner those all important wins in ugly fashion. These tactics have not been lost on the challenging Dawson who would chime in on the matter. “He [Andre Ward] gets on the inside and hits and holds, just like Bernard [Hopkins]. I like to call him “Young Bernard.”
But then the worm seemed to have turned for the super middleweight champion, as “S.O.G.” Ward would noticeably mature in the midst of his latest outing by way of handling Carl Froch every which way. For as the Showtime sponsored tournament drew to a close, it was at this juncture against the reach advantaged English fighter and Nottingham resident, who himself has proven he’s no fluke of fighter, that Andre would uncharacteristically exhibit near total dominance at close quarters. Not only was he able to beat “The Cobra” to the punch repeatedly with superior hand speed in tight, but he would emerge mostly unscathed in that bout by using equally impressive head movement and footwork.
Quite a seeming transformation in that although Ward from a distance has been masterfully able to control opponents to no end as he has done throughout his entire career whether amateur or pro, he’s been reluctant to at times previous let his hands fully go on the inside, rather whacking away with a free hand while grasping on with the other as indicated. For if he continues to in-fight with regularity, he will no doubt come to exercise the same control and dominance he so eloquently demonstrates at range, already possessing the required attributes.
All the more puzzling as these very talents seemed quite underutilized for one reason or another beforehand. Whether Ward’ capacity to in-fight effectively was previously unknown to him, or whether he lacked confidence in this area, or if in fact not deployed out of a desire to play it safe by holding and hitting as has been customary, it’s not clear. What is clear is that up until this point, not letting loose on the inside would prove to be a detriment by virtue of the fact that Andre been the better man all along. I can’t help but imagine if Ward had fought Kessler as he did Froch. For if he did, I believe the Dane would have been a much more thoroughly defeated fighter.
All in all, Ward’ masterful coming out party against Froch this past December I surmise was due in part to a predetermined game plan to get inside of the lengthier Brit and work things out, with perhaps referee Steve Smoger playing more of a role than one would suspect. From the get go Smoger would set the tone, staying on Ward to punch out of clinches which rather prevented him from latching on to Froch where he would attempt to belt him with a free hand. This is the very tactic that previous referees have let the Oakland based pugilist somewhat excessively utilize in fights past.
Quite aware of Andre’ tendencies, Smoger through his commands would in no uncertain terms indicate that instead of a wrestling match, Ward versus Froch was to be a contest of boxing. In effect Mr. Smoger may have helped to usher in sooner rather than later an eventual expansion of Ward’s game in that fight, as well as in his career to date, that being unbridled infighting. For a man who lives a Christian lifestyle, S.O.G. Ward had perhaps experienced somewhat of a revelation in that he could get things done in any manner he chooses, all the more important as he prepares to battle the most formidable opponent he has yet to face.
