Ward V Barrera

[palmerq]

nice ... ward knocks him down with a short punch there. I like it

[Spicoli]

That was some awkward power shot off the top of head, solid. He's free swinging inside but is eating some stiff jabs himself. Good scrap

[Spicoli]

Never seen a ref order a fighter to apologize

[palmerq]

looks like ward is settling into this now

[TitoFan]

Can't see giving any round to Sullivan just yet.

(I hate agreeing with Lederman).

[Spicoli]

Ward just boiling it down and showing some master class last few rounds. Barrera beginning to wonder more about what time the rental limo is coming.

[Spicoli]

Oh shit man? Ward with the low blow

[p4pking]

I'd have to see that again, didn't look intentional, kinda funny the ref just calls it "vicious". Has been pretty clean for a Ward fight so far, if the fight were closer that coulda been huge.

[IamInuit]

Boring but impressive. Ward totally shut him down. FFS Barrera was still trying to go to the body the last half of the 12th round down by 8 rounds

[Freedom]

Lol. You had no problem calling Barrera a good fighter with a chance to beat Ward, why must you be such a nancy after the fact? It's just boxing, try and be less emotionally attached

No, I said I was 100% sure Ward would win.

100% certain Ward will be awarded the win.

Not certain how, possibly Ward by UD.

Or, Barrera may be cut by a deliberate head butt & Ward's shady home ref calls it "accidental" and Ward wins by TD (or says it was caused by a punch, then Ward wins by TKO).

"Everyone has a plan until they get clinched, clamped, held and headbutted" - Andre Ward

I was wrong about just one thing: turns out they had an HONEST ref who stopped Ward from using deliberate head butts and deducted him a point for his low blow.

[Freedom]

Ward gave dude a master class. A fucking shout out and all you say was a accidental low blow, one punch after the bell, and holding (which they both did).

Fuck outta here. Ward took dude to school.

The HBO commentators praised Andre Ward for edging rounds for a 12 round UD...

... yet they bashed and ridiculed Dmitry Mikhaylenko for dominating all rounds for a 10 round UD against Karim Mayfield, an elusive opponent who had never been stopped. They were disappointed and said "he should have made a statement with a KO".

They shower praise, hype and unconditional love on the boring prima donna Ward for some reason, why do you think they do this?

[powerpuncher]

Getting a KO doesn't mean a better win. Ward has never had much power and just doesn't knock out opponents. Blowing someone out in two rounds usually means that the opponent was terrible. I don't think Brook would have KO'd someone of barerras caliber in two rounds.

[p4pking]

Ward gave dude a master class. A fucking shout out and all you say was a accidental low blow, one punch after the bell, and holding (which they both did).

Fuck outta here. Ward took dude to school.

The HBO commentators praised Andre Ward for edging rounds for a 12 round UD...

... yet they bashed and ridiculed Dmitry Mikhaylenko for dominating all rounds for a 10 round UD against Karim Mayfield, an elusive opponent who had never been stopped. They were disappointed and said "he should have made a statement with a KO".

They shower praise, hype and unconditional love on the boring prima donna Ward for some reason, why do you think they do this?

I have a pretty good idea why it bothers you

[J_Undisputed]

Well wards a potential earner for HBO, they wont bash him on a performance regardless because he's on their banner. They did mention the time out of the ring for various reasons. Whether that was a slight or setting up for possible underperformance or the contrast of an over achieving.... they did mention it.

I didn't really rank Barrera high. As I said there was a reason he was chosen for Ward. Ward definitely had the opportunity to run away with it if barrera started slowly. Barrera seemed really stiff to me also. As for the foul, the hitting on the break and blind side Hopkins tactics, its par for the course with Ward, so I didn't expect it to highlighted. To my surprise he got called and the ref gave barrera a gimme because Ward was pitching the shutout. If it was a close fight, that's a warning at best.

That being said, ward did a good job of controlling distance on Barrera. I didn't see too many significant shots from barrera land, no matter what Abel Sanchez said. I can see Kovalev having fits with Wards, technique of staying outside, trying to counter, bridging the distance and clinching and trying to shoulder and then waiting his opponent out and throwing flurries when he tries to free his arms or steps backs to regain his leverage. and then repeating to stifle offense and create opportunities for himself.

Now more than ever, part of me is begging for Kovalev to stop this "I want to beat him in Oakland" nonsense. Not that I think the scoring for this fight was swayed by the overplayed cheering at every blocked punch or flurry by Ward, but could be... and just for the sake of acting more like a pretty much unified Champ and not like a challenger in accommodating a primadonna off a long layoff who never fights out of his home town. Ward isn't on house arrest and is perfectly capable of leaving the vicinity to prove himself. The fight doesn't have to be in russia or Florida? (is that where kovalev planted himself) Just not Oakland.

[Freedom]

I have a pretty good idea why it bothers you

Because it's a double standard, and I believe all boxers should be judged by the same standard, regardless of where they are from.

Nationalistic commentating is a blemish on the sport. The love for Ward blinded the HBO commentators to Barrera's punches. I'm not saying Sullivan won, but Ward wasn't dominating as much as they were saying (his face was more marked up than Barrera's after the fight).

Some commentators and journalists (writers) RISE ABOVE IT and are fair and objective (such as Raul Marquez, Hopkins, Tarver, Rafael, etc.)

Kellerman, Gilfoid, Sheridan, BJ Flores and a few others are truly awful for it.