Does Ward need to change his mauling style of fighting
June 22nd, 2010
By Jim Dower: In the two fights that WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO’s) has taken part in for the Super Six tournament, he’s been less than exciting in either of them despite winning both fights. It isn’t that Ward isn’t a good fighter. He’s certainly an excellent fighter with good overall skills. However, he has a way of fighting that is less than pleasing to watch because of all the clinching, smothering and infighting Ward tends to do.
But it was incredibly dull to watch and made it hard for fans to see him as an interesting fighter to watch and rally behind. The punch and grab technique is never a popular one with boxing fans, and neither are fighters that like to smother and mug their opponents on the inside.
Those styles are often ones that put boxing fans to sleep and turn them off completely. Ward, naturally, would like to not only win the Super Six tournament but he’d also like to emerge as a mega star by the time it’s over.
However, the chances of Ward becoming a huge mega star won’t be nearly as good unless Ward learns how to fight in a more people pleasing style that boxing fans want to see. I’m sure Ward badly wants to earn the huge paydays that fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao regularly enjoy.
But he’s probably not going to be able to become a star like them unless he makes some small changes with his fighting style. Of course, Ward can stick with what works for him and continue to use his punch and clinch and smothering style of fighting. But if he keeps on fighting in this manner, he needs to realize that it won’t likely lead to him becoming the huge star that he wants to be.
The holding, the leaning, and the punch and grab style just doesn’t win over boxing fans and probably never will. To be sure, there are a few fighters that have used that style for a long time and found mostly success with it. However, those same fighters have not become huge stars that well-liked by large segments of the boxing public and who are able to get a lot of pay per view buys.
Ward didn’t use to fight in a smothering way before he started the Super Six tournament. He used to move a lot, throwing nice counters and put his punches together in an exciting way. But since the fight with Kessler, Ward has changed his style of fighting completely and looks like a whole different fighter now. He’s still winning, but he’s not looking exciting in winning.
This is the worst possible time that Ward could choose to start tinkering with his style to adopt the boring punch and grab technique and to become a smothering fighter. Ward needs to go back to what he was before if he wants to win over new fans in the Super Six tournament and move forward in trying to become a mega star in the sport.
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Ward need to change his SOG and post fight speel.Whats he going to say when he gets beat?GOD MUST OF BEEN WATCHING CAGE FIGHTING CAUSE HE FORGOT ABOUT ME TONIGHT.This will be a good fight.Booth fighters have mastered their styles.If Ward can catch and tie up Dirrell he can win.If Dirrell can bang and move like he did against AA he can hurt Ward and may KO him.I dont see this fight as being boring at all.
you dont switch your still because people dont like it, stay true to who you are and dont mess with whats doin the job. people didnt like bhops style or mayweathers style but it worked for them and its done them very well especially floyd. he is quote borin but makin 20 million and up a match. stay true to who you are mose people with issue with styles are people who want to see bar type matches two people hammerin each other. that has you doin the shakes when you are older and ends your carear early. ala cotto,taylor,. stay true to who you are and all will work out.
@ DON & ROADKILL U GUYS ARE PROBLY THE ONLY TWO INTELLIGENT PEOPLE ON HERE ,AND U CAN TELL THAT 90% OF THESE PEOPLE ARE SORRY ASS EUROPEANS THAT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TRUE BOXING ..WARD IS GOING TO WIN THIS AND IT DOSENT MATTER WERE KESSLER FIGHTS WARD, WARD WOULD STILL WHOOP HIS ASS UNLESS THE REFF STOPS WARDS KNOCK OUT LIKE THEY DID FOR SORRY ASS BOOTY BUT EVEN THEN HE’D STILL BE AHEAD IN THE CARDS
@iloo BOOTY? R U SERIOUS ? BOOTY IS GARBAGE !! THERE IS NO WAY THAT SLOW OPEN STANCED OVERATED GARBAGE OF A FIGHTER WOULD EVER LAST AGAINST WARD !! WARDS TOO SMART AND TOO FAST FOR BOOTY . UR ALL THE SAME HATERS THAT DOUBTED FLOYED THROUGH OUT HIS CAREER ..AND TRUST ME NO ONE HATE FLOYED MORE THAN ME , BUT DAMN SORRY BUT NO SOORY EUROPEAN OR CANADIAN FIGHTER GOTS S*#T ON WARD SO GET OVER IT . IF ANY OF U REALLY KNEW BOXING THAN U’D KNOW THAT WHAT WARD DID AGAINST GREEN WAS GREAT STRATAGY BUT U GUYS ONLY WATCHED IT IN A HATERS POINT OF VIEW !! SO GRAB ON TO UR BUTS CUZ ITS GONNA BE A LONG RIDE WITH THIS KID AND NO ONE STANDS A CHANCE ……..
It’s all about what one fighter let’s the other fighter get away with. If he is a superb fighter, he should be able to keep him off. That’s what jabs and sliding are used for. Evidently their skills are lacking and their trainers are no good.
He uses his head too much for my liking and that needs to stop. The holding will only work for so long before someone who works well inside destroys him. I think he fought an unprepared Kessler and a stoned Allan Green. The Kessler win showed some skill but why was he holding against Green who clearly had no fight in him? If he was anything like the superstar he’s built up to be, he would have put punches together against Green. People know Ward’s style now, his little tricks – he hit Kessler alot coming out of the clinch, he jabs and holds – he’s nothing special but then this supersix group are looking distinctly past their best or over-inflated. Benn and Eubank would have gone through these guys like a hot knife through butter.
anybody can see Ward has an ugly style. It doesnt have to be that way but thats the way it is. That will prevent mega-star status even though hes now the fighter to beat in this deteriorating event.
fans of Kessler make ten times more excuses for his losses than Green does… Ward beats Kessler any day of the week and twice on sunday… if you watch the fights…. Kessler and Green did a majority of the holding to slow Ward down.
I think you are all underestimating Ward’s boxing skills and speed. Perhaps he needs a few warnings and points deducted to get him back into form, but until then why stop what is working? He is hitting and NOT getting hit. This dude has got the speed and skills to do it right when necessary.
Watch for it all to come out against Dirrel. This will be one of the best fights in the Super 6 tournament. I’m going with Dirrel though, based on his speed and reach advantage. I seriously do not think potshotting is going to be a successful tactic against Dirrel because the number one thing you need for this is a slower, stationary target that you have a very high percentage chance of landing a straight lead. Dirrel will hold him off with the stiff jab and beat Ward with a decision. This all assuming Dirrel goes to Oz and comes back with a heart..?
sorry…but he doesn’t generally fight like that. you guys are acting like you’re experts cos you’ve seen a couple of fights? r*t*rd*d.
@TRELG
Yeah Andre does has great skills but when he goes into Hatton mode they’re wasted.
Tom Britt.agree 100 percent ward can’t grab what he can’t catch.dirrel. Is goin to jab ward will go to clinch.dirrel will elude and counter with the left hand.as well as when ward lunges to punch.dirrel might even mix up some combination together.hell he might even score a roy jones-montell griffin counter left knockout.
richard hatton punched and grabbed and had more pay per views than better fighters
Ward is going to get his ass seriously beaten up if he ever fights Kessler in Europe – Were this “fight-destroying” clinching will not be allowed
Ward didn’t clinch as much as Mosley did versus Cotto. Having said that, I agree with the others that feel its the ref’s fault. A fighter will do anything you let him get away with. Not to take away from Ward. He’s a crafty fighter and is very smart.
Good analysis and comment of writer above. Ward is boring in his last two fights. Fights like Mayweather, indeed. Lacks excitement and sleep-inducer. Notwithstanding, Ward is still my pick to win the tournament – because of his adaptability in the ring.
Ward is in for a beating.Dirrell hits hard and fast as he moves even faster.Ward cant grab what he cant catch.He cant hold while hes on the canvas.However if things dont jell for our man Direll dive out of the ring befor the bell.YOU HAVENT USED THAT ONE YET.This will leave the fans in boxing hell:but youll booth get a payday and all will be well–for two good friends.
I’ve said before, it would be EXCELLENT if Ward lost a point IMMEDIATELY after the first head butt or grab n hold. Let’s see him be magnificent then. Fat chance. The guy is just barely ordinary without all the dirty fighting crutches. Can’t punch, has limited boxing skills without the dirty tactics. What’s left? A shell.
And I agree with others, Goosen is a snake of the nth degree. I could handle a fight negotiation with that weasel, but I doubt many could. he’s promoting a boring cash machine to line his pockets. Nothing more.
why can’t you just see it as Ward executing a perfect gameplan against Green? Green is a power puncher with greater reach, so obviously he generates the most power when he extends his punches, its called leverage, Ward knows this so he stood in close where he eliminated that threat, Ward with the shorter reach would generate more power up close, its called “the sweet science” for a reason people, props to Ward!
I think people are getting carried away with Ward’s first fight in the super six against Kessler, the victory was blown out of proportion Kessler’s looked terrible since calzaghe schooled him even against Froch he looked like sh1t, before the Calzaghe fight Froch would’nt have lasted 6 rounds with him. I think if Dirrell can toughen up and show a lot more heart in his next fight he can beat Ward with his speed and slick boxing skills but he really has to grow a set…
@Tommy
100% iN agreement with yu. FROCH isnt a solid champ(ex-champ) He has so many flaws iN his nasty Lookin styLe
@Scotty1
Nigga WARD has skiLL and HATTON was juss an offensive fighter with no Defense at aLL. Cannot compare the two at aLL
Being from Oakland myself I love the fact that we have our own champion finally.With that said He will need to tweak his style if he wants to be a main draw in boxing.Luckily,with his pedigree he might be able to.Usually fighters with alot of olympic style experience have to be able to adapt.Say what you want about boring styles.Fighters like Ward and Dirrel can always slug,fighters like Froch will never box.
@RoadkiLL Pacquiao needs rehab
Yea ii was thiNkin the same thing if WARD(Ma Fav fighter) was to fight ABRAHAM(iN the FiNaLs) he wud stay close to AA and have AA frustrated and hittin his body and touching his face with hard lefts. AA cant fight on the inside and i never seen hiM do it so tht’ll be hard for AA
He changes what he needs to change in a fight,He is an intuative style fighterwho will adapt accordingly.I dont think he will stay inside so long withAbraham.He did so well inside with Green,why would he change what works.The answer is only if he has to.
It is down to Refs. Too much holding is allowed in Professional Boxing but no one clamps down. They should do the same as K1 and yellow card fighters for persistent holding and then dock 10% of their purse, if they continue – this should also include deducting points. It would soon stop it. People want to see good inside-fighting, which in my view is boxing at it most exciting.
Boxing has a lot of cleaning-up to do in many areas or it will continue to lose ground to MMA, and rightly so,
WELL DONE to JIM DOWER because it is not fair that WARD gets all his fights at HOME in OAKLAND his HEADBUTTING and GRABBING and clinching is HORRIBLE to watch and i would go so far as to say he has the REFEREE IN HIS POCKET cause he breaks the rules and nothing is said !!!
yes he does…he looked rubbish
i think that wards promoter and trainer were very smart in the rise of ward … fighting all of his fights at home with local-ish judges and local ref + his anti boxing style = he is almost unbeatable
i was very very suprised ward didnt get points deducted against kessler for headbutts, and thinking back consistent holding should get points deducted ….. but not in oakland,
same anti boxing tactics of punching then holding against green
… same tactics will be employed against dirrel = ward win
froch or abraham may be different (not sure if they will fight in america … neither want to walk into a fixed fight again)
plus wards lack of defense would be exploited by these two big hitters
It’s not about “boring”, it’s about ILLEGAL. Wards “style” is plain illegal, launching in with his head first, pushing with his head, excessive holding, hitting while holding, holding & then suddenly pushing away, landing a 1-2, and holding again. Without the ref in his pocket he gets DQed anywhere if he doesn’t stop that after being warned.
Jim Dower made a good job. good article.
i hobe abraham makes it to the next round and can fight ward. it would be fun to watch. one fighter going for the KO, the other fighter going for the hug the hole fight.
Ward’s style is very boring to watch. I’m looking forward to when he fights outside Oakland with a referee that will be on his case for constant use of the head and constant holding. It might make him change his style.
I see Dirrell beating him anyway. He’s very fast with a good reach. I dont see Ward being able to get in and fight on the inside as he did against Kessler and Green.
Goosen is a rat he will find a loophole and pull Ward out the super-six – becuase Ward is a name now – Dirrell is a dangerous fight and so is King Arthur
Gooosen will find a way out and take Ward to HBO
I like Ward but his style… I can’t decide whether what he’s doing is smart or whether it’s just dirty. He reminds me a little of Bernard Hopkins at times.
Basically, he has this habit of over-launching in and throwing a punch, then waiting for his opponent’s reaction. If the opponent fires back, Ward will generally hold (smothering the opponent’s offense) and then look to fire his way out of the clinch… if the opponent on the other hand expects a clinch and drops his guard, Ward won’t hold but will instead fire off a combo.
I noticed this tactic work wonders on both Green and Kessler. It was like they were damned if they threw a punch and damned if they didn’t.
And Ward does lead with his head a lot but I don’t necessarily know whether to call him a cheat for that because I honestly don’t think he’s intentionally trying to headbutt. After all, against Green it most often resulted in the top of Green’s head hitting Ward’s face which is the exact opposite of what you’d want if you were actually trying to use your head.
But it’s hard to say how it will effect his popularity. It certainly won’t do him favours. But Bernard Hopkins became a star based on a less than exciting (and very similar) fighting style, so I guess it’s possible.
I’m just hoping a Ward vs Abraham fight plays out in this tournament. I think Ward’s tactics will smother any other fighter in the tournament (it just works well against tall-ish fighters), but I’d be interested to see if the same tactic works against the shorter-armed German powerhouse.
I’d expect to see Ward start the fight as a counter puncher while Abraham is in his usual slow-mode, then slowly revert to smothering as the fight progresses.
Dirrel vs Ward I’m not expecting an exciting match. I figure Dirrel’s only way of winning is to jab on the outside and clench whenever it gets in close. Ward on the other hand will be looking to fight a similar plan to what he used on Green (though he’ll have to use his feet far more) because I can’t see Ward’s old style working against Dirrel.
Either way it won’t bring the house down.
Agreed with belowthebelt on this one… Dirrel may well quit (his ridiculous acting in the Abraham fight kinda proved in my mind that Dirrel is an athlete more than a fighter).
Sorry, forgot to also mention that Ward is one hell of a ‘dirty fighter’ … I honestly lost count of the number of times Ward used his forehead as a third fist in that fight ! What was even more disgraceful was the Ref’s deliberate failure to stop it happening !!
Punch n grab, head butts, all that and more equals a fighter who has probably reached a wall and isn’t going to improve any more. I know I’m not alone in being bored silly with his style. And he probably isn’t able to win at this level now, with anything other than this boring style. So be it. Plenty of other fighters I’m a fan of. Don’t need to watch this clown.
Ward is very effective at what he does, but incredibly boring to watch !
I have backed Ward to go all the way in the Super-6, but I think he will have a tougher time against either Abraham or Froch. Dirrel will get smothered and shock up to the point of quitting against Ward.