Hide and Seek with Andre Ward in the Build Up to Froch vs Groves 2

By Boxing News - 05/14/2014 - Comments

ward643By Damien Dennis: With less than 3 weeks left until the most eagerly anticipated global boxing event of the year, fans worldwide are reaching fever pitch in anticipation for an epic pugilistic match up between the rugged and determined Carl ‘the cobra’ Froch (32-2) and the young and athletic Saint George Groves (19-1).

To say that this IBF and WBA super middleweight world title fight is a big deal would be an understatement. Both fighters and particularly Froch will be making ridiculous amounts of wonga in the process of cementing their status as easily the two biggest draws in the division right now. But, what we really wanted to know is what has happened to the most talented fighter in the division and why is he not involved in the biggest fight in the division’s relatively short history.

Andre Ward boxed his way to an Olympic gold medal in Athens 10 years ago and since then he has amassed a faultless professional record of 27-0. He also won the super 6. Through which he has gained maximum exposure in the U.S and the rest of the world, yet he still remains mostly inactive and on the peripheries of big time boxing.

Inside the ring it would be going a little bit over the top to say his style was incredibly tedious and mind numbingly boring. Andre is almost a victim of his own brilliance in terms of technique but even when at his most dominant he seems to lack the passion and endeavor to truly destroy and dominate opponents in the violent way that fans like to see. One thing that the steady Andre Ward is perhaps one of the greatest at is grabbing and clinching his opponent. It is amazing how he manages to use his jab and hold technique for a whole twelve rounds without the referee ever noticing and warning him or taking away points.

Ward also seemingly lacks the desire to take his talents to the top echelons of the sport. He could easily do this if he was prepared to travel to face the other strong fighters in his division. Andre could make a ton more money if he traveled to Europe for rematches against the magnificent Mikael Kessler or the courageous Carl Froch, but for some reason he does not want to do that as he would prefer to waste time sitting around the gym and not really doing much that matters. I will be honest though these fights do seem pretty insignificant because Ward managed to jab, clinch, grab and grapple his way through one sided victories against both these true warriors already, once before.

Another thing that the well-mannered Ward could do is be prepared to move up a weight division and test himself out against some new live opponents that he hasn’t already beaten before. Andre doesn’t seem like he wants to do that though unless those contenders are willing to drain themselves of weight and come down to 168 in a strength sapping process that suits Ward, like Chad Dawson did.

To be fair if I was SOG I wouldn’t want to step up to light heavyweight and have to be beaten senseless by the strapping Canadian powerhouse Adonis Stevenson or the superlative European Sergey Kovalev. Both these guys would definitely like their chances of beating Ward as his constant clinching and grappling would not be so effective against guys who are equally as strong if not stronger than him. If Ward tried to start clinching and grappling on the inside with Kovalev he would most probably be in a massive tunnel of darkness as Sergey is capable of unleashing a whole heap of sorrow and woe on his pretty little American dream. Kovalev has proved he is a master technician before and has been largely avoided except by the brave and valiant Brit, Nathan Cleverly.

If I was in Ward’s position I would be watching events at Wembley Stadium on May 31st very closely and looking to do everything possible to secure a fight with the winner. That way Ward can actually make some serious money before moving up in weight to challenge the stronger fighters at 175. Andre Ward has a lot of tools and an unblemished record and has the opportunity to put himself up there alongside Roy Jones Jr and Joe Calzaghe as one of the finest super-middleweights ever to grace the ring.

With Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao reaching the age where retirement is becoming inevitable, Ward has a real chance to claim his position as the pound for pound number one and as a big pay-per-view star. The world truly is his oyster and if he steps up and beats Kovalev I would be surprised but at the same time I would take my hat off to the future pound for pound king of boxing.



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