By Dan Ambrose: Allan Green (29-1, 20 KO’s) has the bad luck of getting what could be the best fighter in the Super Six tournament in the young 26-year-old unbeaten Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KO’s), whom he faces on June 19th at the Oracle arena, in Oakland, California. Green, 30, has the power to win this fight, there’s no question about that. But Green won’t win unless he can land a lot of heavy shots in every round because Ward has a good chin and Green isn’t a tremendous puncher. Green has excellent power, but he doesn’t have one-punch power. It takes him an accumulation of blows to score his knockouts.

The chances of Green being able to pound away at the elusive Ward round after round is pretty much slim and none. On the outside, Ward will be safe from Green’s heavy shots. The only time he’ll really have any problems is when Andre comes charging forward looking to land his own shots. This is when Green will be his most dangerous because he’s got the quickness to time Ward and catch him with fast shot while he’s moving in range and possibly hurting him. Ward lowers his head when he’s moving forward and is susceptible to getting hit with shots he doesn’t see.

However, if Green doesn’t hit him with anything on the way in, Ward could do a lot of damage with his head and with the shots he lands while coming forward. Green hasn’t been stopped as of yet, but he was in serious trouble against Edison Miranda in his 10 round decision loss to Miranda in 2007. Both Green and Miranda were tentative in that fight until the last two rounds when Miranda went for broke, knocking Green down multiple times and having him out on his feet at the very end of the fight. Had the fight gone another round, there’s little doubt that Miranda would have stopped Green.

Ward can punch well and if he gets his shots off early and often, he could take Green out very fast. It would be a risky thing to do because Green would have his chance to land some of his best shots. However, Ward could end the fight quickly if he puts a lot of pressure on the 30-year-old Green from the outset and look to test his chin and his stamina. Green fights well when he’s able to dominate in the early rounds. He gets confident and takes the fight to his opponents.

But in the Miranda fight, it was Miranda who was more active early and this had Green looking timid and unsure of himself. I think Ward could take the heart out of Green if he starts quickly and gets him doubting himself. Green didn’t look good in his last fight against 38-year-old Tarvis Simms. He was unable to take the fight to him for some reason and treated Simms as if he was a knockout threat. If Green fights like that against Ward, he’ll lose by a wide decision.