Andre Ward: Edwin Rodriguez thinks he’s catching me at the right time

By Boxing News - 10/25/2013 - Comments

ward765By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s) has his mind made up that #1 WBC, #3 WBA, Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KO’s) thinks that he’s getting Ward at a weak point in his career when they face each other next month on November 16th at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. Ward feels that Rodriguez believes that his year-long layoff following his shoulder surgery will make Ward beatable for their fight. Ward wants to count and prove to Rodriguez and all the doubters out there that he’s still the same talented fighter he’s always been.

Ward said “They think they’re catching me at the right time. I’ve been off for a year, 14 months by the time the fight comes around. He’s coming off a major injury so this is the right time to get Ward. They are going to be in for a rude awakening come November 16.”

I totally agree with Ward. Rodriguez must smell weakness in Ward after his injury, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have even have bothered agreeing to fight him. But with Ward coming off of major shoulder surgery, there’s an unknown there that he might not be the same fighter he once was and that he could be ready to be beaten. I’m just surprised that some of the fighters in the division like Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler didn’t come sniffing around looking to get a piece of Ward in his first fight back. I mean, what better way for them to avenge their one-sided losses then to get War when he’s less than 100 percent. Having Ward’s scalp on your resume is a big deal, and boxing fans would never know that Ward was rusty as heck from a year layoff and coming off of surgery on his power shoulder.

Rodriguez is a good puncher. I’ve been impressed with his power and boxing skills in his recent wins over Denis Grachev and Ezequel Maderna. Rodriguez looked sensational in both fights. However, there’s a huge difference between whipping Grachev and trying to do the same thing against a talent like Ward. I think Rodriguez is going to find out quickly that he bit off way more than he can chew when he the bell sounds in the 1st round on November 16th and Ward starts pelting him with jabs from afar and pounding him on the inside.

Rodriguez is going to be shifting through his backup plans one after another in rapid fashion with all of them immediately being negated by Ward just as quickly. The fight is going to turn into a full scale round after the first three or four rounds, and I’m just wondering what Rodriguez will do at that point. Will he stay against the ropes and basically cover up for 12 rounds or will he go out on his shield by going after Ward and going down swinging. I think it might be a little of both. I think Rodriguez will retreat to the ropes when the beating at center ring becomes too much, and then he’ll realize that he’s taking too much punishment against the ropes. He’ll then likely go for broke by attacking Ward in an all out assault that will end with Ward scoring a stoppage.



Comments are closed.