If this son of god shows up against the russian he'll get stomped!
If this son of god shows up against the russian he'll get stomped!
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
The fight was a little shallow on output but Wards D was phenomenal dare I say Floyd like. Did the same thing to Barrera that Floyd did to 95% of his opponents. People that routinely throw 400 punches a fight or more get reduced to a third which they miss with. I think Barrera hit him in the face semi-clean twice in 36 minutes.Barrera was gun shy the last 4 rounds and the hesitance started back at the kd with Ward coming off the ropes. Never saw Barrera have to fight going backward before. Hope I never have to again. Ward fought a very intelligent fight and it was probably the most important win of his career given the circumstances. Ward showed no skill erosion at all. Put on a clinic really.
Who was more impressive today: Kell Brook or Andre Ward?
Ward beat a fringe contender IBF mandatory by UD.
Brook beat a fringe contender IBF mandatory by KO 2.
Sullivan Barrera: Boxrec #23 at 175 going into the fight.
Kevin Bizier: Boxrec #20 at 147 going into the fight.
Barrera is not on ANY credible top ten 175 list I've seen (Ring, Transnational, etc), but many are hyping him as a big win for Ward.
Bizier age 31 has faced slightly better competition as a pro and is younger than Barrera, who is 34.
Also take into consideration Ward resorted to illegal tactics (hitting after the bell, holding, and a deliberate low blow thrown with bad intentions). Brook did not need to foul.
Right, so now Ward has won and I'm pleased. But PLEASE announce your next fight quickly and get back in the ring. I have no problem him taking another fight with Kovalev, but please keep active.
Ward was more impressive and by a long shot. What do you use rankings for? They don't prove anything factual most of the time. Look I dont like Ward anymore then you do but at least try to appear objective if you find it impossible where he is concerned.
Ranking are thrown around like like ribbons and trophies at a grade 6 track meet. You dont need some random number to tell the difference in quality between Bizier and Barrera. The eye test is sufficient. Bizier would never make it out of the British domestic scene. Barrera would most likely dominate it. Brook has not faced anyone near Barreras pedigree. He does not have the same as Rigo or Loma because he did lose about 25 in close to 300 fights as an amateur but he's miles ahead of Bizier.
I'd love to somehow blame Ward for this now phantom bad showing but the trouble is I watched the fight and did so with preconceived beliefs that I'd find something. When I learned Caiz was the ref I damn near expected something but he got on Wards case more then he did Barrera's. Ward walked Barrera like a leash trained dog. Barrera could not get to him. We can put the fight up in this thread and count the number of times Barrera makes contact above the shoulders.
I cant remember who said it in the BN studio but he referred to Ward as having a "clock face"
I paused for a sec and pondered and figured it was a brilliant way to describe part of what Ward does. Ward also used that shoulder roll as good as Floyd. Showed incredible foot work and had the pressure fighter on his back foot for a good portion of the fight. Barrera also looked about 20 pounds heavier and fought about 60 pounds slower. The speed difference was almost palatable.
He fought a controlled almost stoic like fight and what many find boring these days I find fascinating. That is, pugilism skills on full display. He made quite a statement in my mind completely shutting out a guy like Barrera after really doing nothing for 5 years.
No, I said I was 100% sure Ward would win.
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.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
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?
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.
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