I was wrong, but i'm stunned by the reactin to last nights fight

[HattonTheHammer]

still in shock

kess totally froze in the US, ward is a LOT better than i originally assumed

Its between froch or AA now

[hitmanhatton]

still in shock

kess totally froze in the US, ward is a LOT better than i originally assumed

Its between froch or AA now

lol

[JazMerkin]

Well, I'm stunned by the reaction. I've just read through Kel & Miles' comments & talk about over the top. Although at the other end of the spectrum there's more than one or two people going over the top about Ward's performance (cough Amat cough), but I can understand it when you're a big fan of a fighter (watch me if Andrade beats Bute).

I mean it was a very good dominant performance & it's certainly raised my estimation of Ward, he has a lot more power than I thought & he's making sure that no questions can be asked of his chin. However, there were still too many technical mistakes that a faster fighter would deal with & I'll say now that whilst he's a more skilled boxer than Dirrell, I think Dirrell might just get him because he's got superior handspeed.

The key reason for this is how Ward lunges in. Everyone thinks that those headbutts were an intentional, I think they were more a bad habit that hasn't been corrected properly, I noticed him doing it early he would duck low, but charge in to clinch & I think this is what led to the numerous headbutts (yeah I said numerous!!).

The clinching is hopefully just a tactic to take advantage of Kessler's ineffectiveness on the inside & if he keeps it to the ribs when punching in it, I have no problem, but there were a few times he was trying to turn Kessler to hit him in the back & that isn't legal.

The thing that really frustrates me (which pretty much everyone else ignored) is how he holds his left arm out as a measuring stick. He's got a nice little jab when he uses it, so if he keeps it legal, all the better. Again it was a very good performance, but not quite a masterclass, there were too many errors for that. Still much credit to him for the win & I think it's fair to say he's the best Super-Middleweight in the world right now.

He's going to have to do a lot to win me over as a fan after last night, despite being the type of boxer I enjoy watching, but I think a lot of that is also down to the preachy talk & the fact he looks like the lovechild of Ludacris & a potato.

Don't believe me??



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I rest my case

[amat]

Actually Jaz if you think I've gone over the top it's probably just because all I've heard about since is the headbutts and holding. I didn't even think Ward performed to his full capability and felt he made a lot of those amateur mistakes that have plagued him, and I especially thought he went one handed far to often. Early he in the fight he was letting Kessler walk him straight back, later in the fight he decided to stand right in front of Kessler, probably not the best idea. Like I've pointed out, it was a bit sloppy and a bit ugly but he won every round (or should have at least) against the guy who people have considered the best in the division since Calzaghe left. That is a pretty big deal.

[JazMerkin]

Actually Jaz if you think I've gone over the top it's probably just because all I've heard about since is the headbutts and holding. I didn't even think Ward performed to his full capability and felt he made a lot of those amateur mistakes that have plagued him, and I especially thought he went one handed far to often. Early he in the fight he was letting Kessler walk him straight back, later in the fight he decided to stand right in front of Kessler, probably not the best idea. Like I've pointed out, it was a bit sloppy and a bit ugly but he won every round (or should have at least) against the guy who people have considered the best in the division since Calzaghe left. That is a pretty big deal.

I didn't think he won every round, I think the commentator & crowd played a part, you have to bear in mind press row & 2 of the judges all had Kessler winning 2 rounds, which I think was fair, I believe I had the 5th & 9th.

I thought LudaSpud did well & can do better but there were WAY too many mistakes for it to be called a PBF or RJJ like performance. That is going overboard in my mind.

[amat]

Actually Jaz if you think I've gone over the top it's probably just because all I've heard about since is the headbutts and holding. I didn't even think Ward performed to his full capability and felt he made a lot of those amateur mistakes that have plagued him, and I especially thought he went one handed far to often. Early he in the fight he was letting Kessler walk him straight back, later in the fight he decided to stand right in front of Kessler, probably not the best idea. Like I've pointed out, it was a bit sloppy and a bit ugly but he won every round (or should have at least) against the guy who people have considered the best in the division since Calzaghe left. That is a pretty big deal.

I didn't think he won every round, I think the commentator & crowd played a part, you have to bear in mind press row & 2 of the judges all had Kessler winning 2 rounds, which I think was fair, I believe I had the 5th & 9th.

I thought LudaSpud did well & can do better but there were WAY too many mistakes for it to be called a PBF or RJJ like performance. That is going overboard in my mind.

I've compared him to Hopkins all along and this performance was much more inline with a Hopkins-esque performance rather then Jones or Mayweather. At times yes, overall no.

I will rewatch the 9th but the 5th? I did a doubletake in realtime and upon rewatching thought it was Ward's again. I don't get that one but I will rewatch it a 3rd time and take notes to see what I think.

[JazMerkin]

Actually Jaz if you think I've gone over the top it's probably just because all I've heard about since is the headbutts and holding. I didn't even think Ward performed to his full capability and felt he made a lot of those amateur mistakes that have plagued him, and I especially thought he went one handed far to often. Early he in the fight he was letting Kessler walk him straight back, later in the fight he decided to stand right in front of Kessler, probably not the best idea. Like I've pointed out, it was a bit sloppy and a bit ugly but he won every round (or should have at least) against the guy who people have considered the best in the division since Calzaghe left. That is a pretty big deal.

I didn't think he won every round, I think the commentator & crowd played a part, you have to bear in mind press row & 2 of the judges all had Kessler winning 2 rounds, which I think was fair, I believe I had the 5th & 9th.

I thought LudaSpud did well & can do better but there were WAY too many mistakes for it to be called a PBF or RJJ like performance. That is going overboard in my mind.

I've compared him to Hopkins all along and this performance was much more inline with a Hopkins-esque performance rather then Jones or Mayweather. At times yes, overall no.

I will rewatch the 9th but the 5th? I did a doubletake in realtime and upon rewatching thought it was Ward's again. I don't get that one but I will rewatch it a 3rd time and take notes to see what I think.

I was quite surprised when they Gus Johnson said that was a Ward round & relieved when press row agreed with me. I just thought Kessler controlled that round, not decisively in the way Ward did earlier & after, but I felt he did the better work there. I think it was the 9th, I only watched up the 7th on the afternoon replay as there was a football match starting I wanted to watch. So the 9th is blurry, but twice I saw the 5th for Kessler.

[sumkalambay]

Actually Jaz if you think I've gone over the top it's probably just because all I've heard about since is the headbutts and holding. I didn't even think Ward performed to his full capability and felt he made a lot of those amateur mistakes that have plagued him, and I especially thought he went one handed far to often. Early he in the fight he was letting Kessler walk him straight back, later in the fight he decided to stand right in front of Kessler, probably not the best idea. Like I've pointed out, it was a bit sloppy and a bit ugly but he won every round (or should have at least) against the guy who people have considered the best in the division since Calzaghe left. That is a pretty big deal.

I didn't think he won every round, I think the commentator & crowd played a part, you have to bear in mind press row & 2 of the judges all had Kessler winning 2 rounds, which I think was fair, I believe I had the 5th & 9th.

I thought LudaSpud did well & can do better but there were WAY too many mistakes for it to be called a PBF or RJJ like performance. That is going overboard in my mind.

I've compared him to Hopkins all along and this performance was much more inline with a Hopkins-esque performance rather then Jones or Mayweather. At times yes, overall no.

I will rewatch the 9th but the 5th? I did a doubletake in realtime and upon rewatching thought it was Ward's again. I don't get that one but I will rewatch it a 3rd time and take notes to see what I think.

no way this was a hopkins-esque performance. prime hopkins loved to fight on the inside and he had every cutie counter shots in his arsenal. i saw ward trying to slip shots and do some damage on the inside but he did it so sloppily. it was like watching RJJ against Tarver in their second fight when he got knocked out. such sloppy footwork. but i think ward had a lotta nervous energy.

but ward can only learn from this fight. i think ward beats taylor and abraham in his current form.