i was watching some of this kids fights and he's got talent, i personally think he's the next b hop of boxing, i would love to see him in a fight against bute eventually. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by Boxer4life

i was watching some of this kids fights and he's got talent, i personally think he's the next b hop of boxing, i would love to see him in a fight against bute eventually. Thoughts?

Ward is very good and he has a solid fanbase in Oakland. The problem I see with him though is that his style doesn't appeal to the average fight fan because it is a very Bhopesque, hit and hold, grapple, kind of style. Not always good viewing. Although Ward always wins, he isn't stopping people with flashy knockdowns ever. He also fights dirty.

Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

Originally Posted by Boxer4life

i was watching some of this kids fights and he's got talent, i personally think he's the next b hop of boxing, i would love to see him in a fight against bute eventually. Thoughts?

Ward is very good and he has a solid fanbase in Oakland. The problem I see with him though is that his style doesn't appeal to the average fight fan because it is a very Bhopesque, hit and hold, grapple, kind of style. Not always good viewing. Although Ward always wins, he isn't stopping people with flashy knockdowns ever. He also fights dirty.

I agree completely. He's very talented, but his style is not the most fun to watch for the casual boxing fan. He's also not a trash talker, so he can't sell fights with his mouth either. Very talented, but his style and lack of trash talk is what i think will keep him from being a superstar like Floyd, Manny, Sergio Martinez etc.

i agree with both of you, not very exciting, but i feel it has a lot to do with his opponents, the reason i named bute is because i feel if Ward is put in a losing situation he will put on a show, maybe not everytime, but i see him in some barn burners in the future.

we should see the 2 best supermiddleweights in the world fight in the super six final

my money is on froch, then the winner v bute fight would probably follow

i dont think bute would go the distance with either man

To be a "superstar", he still need to prove his supremacy over the super-middleweight division. And he haven't done that yet.

Originally Posted by Eloking

To be a "superstar", he still need to prove his supremacy over the super-middleweight division. And he haven't done that yet.

interesting statement, so who is a superstar at supermiddleweight then?

I hope so, I wish him all the best tbh. I'm really impressed with him as a human being, very humble indeed. As for his fighting style I don't think he'll get to mannys or mayweathers level in terms of popularity. But I can see him remaining unbeaten for a very long time and an unbeaten record is always an attractive selling point in a fight. I think he'll do very well in his career all the same and can see some big fights for him in the near future.

Originally Posted by killersheep

Originally Posted by Eloking

To be a "superstar", he still need to prove his supremacy over the super-middleweight division. And he haven't done that yet.

interesting statement, so who is a superstar at supermiddleweight then?

My point exactly, in my opinion there's no superstar in the super-middleweight division...yet.

Until the super-six end, and until we know if Bute's ability is for real, I'll stand on my position.

Wards switch hitting and jumping in head first is going to catch up to him.

Originally Posted by Eloking

Originally Posted by killersheep

Originally Posted by Eloking

To be a "superstar", he still need to prove his supremacy over the super-middleweight division. And he haven't done that yet.

interesting statement, so who is a superstar at supermiddleweight then?

My point exactly, in my opinion there's no superstar in the super-middleweight division...yet.

Until the super-six end, and until we know if Bute's ability is for real, I'll stand on my position.

I think the super six is full of talent, which is why who ever is able to reign at the top will imo be a star, and i got a feeling that andre ward will be the one, i would also love to see him eventually mix it up with dawson, pascale, and cloud

He is a very talented fighter who certainly could be a big attraction but like many others here stated he just does not have a fan friendly style. He will be a fighter that takes a long time for viewers to warm up in wanting to see. If he has one loss inside the next 2 years people will lose any interest that has been built up since the super six except for those in Oakland.

I am a fan but I certainly do not wait with anticipation to see his bouts and if another big name is fighting that same night on another card I will watch the Ward fight on a replay.

Originally Posted by Boxer4life

i was watching some of this kids fights and he's got talent, i personally think he's the next b hop of boxing, i would love to see him in a fight against bute eventually. Thoughts?

Why would he want to follow bhop rather than making his own way. If the boy continues to win he can unify the belts, Yea he can be a superstar of boxing. The problem he has is the same every other champion boxer has and only thing bringing any attention to him is the super-six. The whole Balco think could bring back a life of its own which could gain him some attention in the news but that's not the kind of notoriety he wants. He's got to milk the tournament for everything it has.Or grow some kind of attention grabbing character. If he had one it would have carried over from his Gold medal win.

Originally Posted by Eloking

Originally Posted by killersheep

Originally Posted by Eloking

To be a "superstar", he still need to prove his supremacy over the super-middleweight division. And he haven't done that yet.

interesting statement, so who is a superstar at supermiddleweight then?

My point exactly, in my opinion there's no superstar in the super-middleweight division...yet.

Until the super-six end, and until we know if Bute's ability is for real, I'll stand on my position.

I guess I disagree with your definition of superstar, although I agree there isn't one at 168 right now.
To me a superstar is simply someone that sells a lot of PPV and puts a lot of butts in the seats. Talent, resume, and trinkets are helpful, but not a requirement.

Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

Originally Posted by Boxer4life

i was watching some of this kids fights and he's got talent, i personally think he's the next b hop of boxing, i would love to see him in a fight against bute eventually. Thoughts?

Ward is very good and he has a solid fanbase in Oakland. The problem I see with him though is that his style doesn't appeal to the average fight fan because it is a very Bhopesque, hit and hold, grapple, kind of style. Not always good viewing. Although Ward always wins, he isn't stopping people with flashy knockdowns ever. He also fights dirty.

Very spot on analysis. I watched him fight live in Oakland against Bika, and fans there go crazy over everything the man does, if he lands a jab they jump outta their seats lol

B-hop has had a boring style in many fights these last few years, but he's in his 40's, Ward is in his late 20's and he's fighting like this !

It is not terribly impressive or exciting to watch, but it is effective. And yes he is very dirty and gets away with murder in his hometown.

Talented, fast, smart boxer, but his style does not lend itself to making him a superstar.