Boxing Preview: Andre Ward vs. Shelby Pudwill

For those who have witnessed the rise of Oakland’s super middleweight Andre Ward, 19-0 (12), from Olympic Gold Medallist to world class contender, it is easy to envision greatness and the possibility of world titles.

By gradually stepping up his level of competition with each bout, Ward has managed to build both a solid reputation and fan base.

In a division as stacked as the super middleweights, Ward has managed to garner enough acclaim from ringside observers to become the youngest of the top ten fighters at 168.

However, in order to continue this rise, he must once again take the next step up the ladder.

After his most recent bout, a defeat of the rugged Edison Miranda, Ward found himself in the middle of the unprecedented Six Six tournament that will solidify the true ruler of the division.

In his first bout of the tournament, Ward will face off against the hard punching WBA champion Mikkel Kessler, by far his toughest opponent to date.

However, before that can occur, the Oakland native will fight what can best be described as a stay busy tune up bout tonight against Shelby Pudwill, 22-3 (9), at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

Pudwill won his most recent bout in December of last year by unanimous decision against journeyman Anthony Osbourne, but was inactive for all of 2007 after suffering a first round KO against celebrated Irish prospect John Duddy.

Tonight’s bout will be aired on Showtime’s Boxing After Dark series following the telecast of Kessler’s defense of his WBA Title against Gusmyr Perdomo in Denmark.

It could be a dangerous night for both Ward and Pudwill in many respects.

For Ward to continue to garner the attention and accolades he has received so far in his young career, he needs to provide fight fans with an impressive performance. However, he must first focus on the fighter in front of him on Saturday night and not look forward to the Kessler bout.

The co-feature of the evening will witness the future hall of famer James “Lights Out” Toney, 71-6 (43), in a ten round heavyweight bout against Matthew Greer, 12-5 (11).

Toney’s last outing was a close split decision victory over Fres Oquendo in a hard fought twelve round bout that many ringside observers felt could have went either way.

Greer is coming off two straight losses and appears to be prime picking for Toney to score an impressive victory. For Toney to remain in contention for any future big money bouts, he must stay busy and step up frequently in the coming months.

Also on the card, junior middleweight prospect Francisco Santana, 10-1 (5), takes on Tony Hirsch, 9-2 (5), in an eight round bout.

The undercard also features the exciting unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Mike Dallas Jr, 9-0 (2), against the veteran Freddie Norwood, 43-3 (23) in a six round bout. It will be a huge leap forward in level of competition for the local Dallas Jr. and is shaping up to be an interesting match of styles.

The event is promoted by Goossen-Tutor.