i bet if ward were from across the pond then you brits would be singing his praises instead of hating on him for easily beating froch with one hand.
i bet if ward were from across the pond then you brits would be singing his praises instead of hating on him for easily beating froch with one hand.
Indeed and this is comical. I think Wards Ozzie and Harriet routine is hurl worthy. I think he's a smug, self absorbed momma's boy who thinks boxing should be lining up at his door. I think he's been milking the S6 and needs to purchase a personality and he's the kind of guy I'd probably take a swing at if I had to spend time around him.
He's also one of if not the most technically savvy boxers on the planet and I have no desire to see him go full on Jake Lamotta to satisfy the dumb ass ppv public. Nor should he have to. That idea is as dumb as that stupid blue light FOX put on the puck so dumb hockey fans could follow the damn game.
Oh yeah and I'd also like to see Ward doing an impression of plywood flooring. Laid out. I'd like to see him knocked out more then any other fighter. That is not relevant to the subject matter.
Americans are so pro "USA, USA, USA" they think that every other country automatically supports all their fellow countrymen but thats not true.
I don't like Froch, I respect him as a fighter but I'm no fan. I supported Kessler in the bouts against Froch.
Calzaghe was supported because he was unbeatable and was a wonder to watch him figure out and outwork his opponents.
We don't like Ward because he's boring and cheats, not because he's American. If he was British, he still wouldn't by any more liked.
...which is boxing and winning fights.
I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.
Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.
In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.
So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.
Officially the only saddo who has had a girlfriend
mind you watching the first game of the world cup last night, that was a massive fix
Officially the only saddo who has had a girlfriend
Yeah I think beanflicker is missing the point on boxing being a show.
Titles and such are secondary now as they always have been.
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I'm not a Brit and I cant stand watching Ward. I'd feel the same if i lived in Oakland. Hell i'd feel the same if i was living in his basement. I've been a boxing fan for decades. It's not his wooden persona or his reluctance to be as d0uchey as mayweather. There are plenty of guys like that all across fight sports...no personality, no interesting quotes, no smacktalk. Hell some of them can't even speak the English language, so they really aren't given the opportunity. However when they get in the ring noone cares, because they make their statements there.
The issue with Ward, is that once upon a time he tried to be the next roy jones jr. He didn't have the reflexes or the athleticism for it and got dropped a couple of times. I applaud him on adjusting his style to fix those kind of errors, however rather than sure up his defense or sharpen his punches or speed up his footwork, he decided he just didnt want to risk any of it and adapted a spoilers style. I didnt have as many objections when he fought Dawson and ko'd him. It was a more open style and he threw counters and punched in combos. So why not fight everyone like that? Because Dawson was ripe, possibly drained and carried his hands low and couldn't take the punches.Everyone else represents too much risk. Now if we consider him a master technician for exploiting the rules and the refs presence with the punch grab smother and hit on the break, doesn't that also make John Ruiz a master Tactician for doing the same?
They want your @$$ beat because upsets make news. News brings about excitement, excitement brings about ratings. The objective is to bring you up to the tower and tear your @$$ down. And if you don't believe that, you're crazy.
Roy Jones, Jr. "What I've Learned," Esquire 2003
I take issue with that my friend. You cant compare a 15 belt per division world to a one belt world or even a 2 belt world. You are right though that the belts are secondary to the "show" today but the title meant much more in eras past.
That is also the problem. Its been watered down to the point of root rot, with little exposure opportunities and broadcasters more worried about the quantity of knockouts then the quality of the fighters. Its like a slow and steady crawl back to its grappling days.
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