Froch vs. Ward: Grit vs. Slick

By Boxing News - 06/16/2011 - Comments

Image: Froch vs. Ward: Grit vs. Slickby Byron Wallin: In what is set to be the showcase fight of the super middle weight division, WBC champion Carl Froch will be facing WBA champion Andre Ward in a mega unification match. The road to the final of the Super Six boxing tournament has been a long one with its fair share of potholes along the way.

However, in my mind these are without doubt the two most deserving fighters, and the winner will have what is now the rare privilege (with the current state of boxing today) of being able to honestly declare that he is the best in the World.

I hear many authors on this site constantly bashing Froch, words like crude, one dimensional and slow are oft used to surmise his boxing abilities. I will admit i myself am a huge Froch fan, however I am also a realist and can admit that Froch does have glaring faults in certain departments such as hand and foot speed, as well as a leaky defence. Yet, if this was all Carl Froch had to offer how is it that he constantly steps up to the plate and defeats fighters who are supposedly too quick and skilled for him, who hit harder than him, and are too smart for him? It is because Froch possesses something entirely more dangerous than any one of those qualities, he is a man blessed with True Grit. He’s a throwback to another era, built in the mould of a LaMotta, a Marciano or a Mickey Ward. Indeed, Arturo Gatti was quicker, slicker, and more skilled than Mickey. However, Mickey just kept coming forward, eating shot after shot in order to land one of his own. He wasn’t thinking of how much he was getting hit. He wasn’t looking for an easy way out (an Andre Dirrell acting master class) he wanted to prove he still had what it took to go toe to toe, keep coming forward, and prevail or not he was going to leave it all out on the table that night. We all know the result of that first fight.

Andre Ward on the other hand is everything that Froch is not. He is quick, he is slick, he is incredibly skilled and strikes me as a fighter who is yet to be truly pushed, and in accordance, we are yet to see what he truly has to offer. Ward strikes me as a boxer so gifted that if plan A is not working he can move onto a plan B, C or D. He was able to dominate Mikkel Kessler from the outside, shocking many as Kessler was thought to have the best outside game in the division with a stunning jab and right cross. However, Ward constantly beat him to the punch and when ward did find himself inside he was able to display what seems to be one of the best inside games in the sport, since Bernard Hopkins. Ward is your typical American superstar in the making, good looks, a slick style, and likeable personality. He does without doubt lack Knockout power, though this does not appear to hold him back and in my opinion is more a product of his style than a lack of strength. I don’t think Ward has ever been a position where he felt it necessary to swing for the fences to get a knockout, as he usually wins every round.

When predicting who will win this fight I find myself somewhat torn. I am as aforementioned a huge Froch fan, and think there is no one more deserving of the victory, not just by his performances in this tournament, but because of his willingness to take on the best anytime and anywhere. Even with all the anti Froch articles posted on this site, I cannot recall ever seeing the words ‘ducking’, tune up’ or ‘handpicked’ in relation to the man’s opponents which is a rare thing indeed during today’s boxing climate. However I may be a fan but i am also a realist, and I think Froch’s only chance of victory will be by knockout. This is not due to (as some writers have eluded) showtime wanting ward as their cash cow and judging bias, but infact because I Believe Ward’s skills are too good for him not to win the majority of the rounds on merit. This will be a tall order for Froch whose power does not seem to be as devastating since his move up to world level. So though my heart says Froch I must go with my head and predict that Andre Ward will conquer the Cobra come fight night. HOWEVER! I would not be in the least bit surprised to see the Cobra rise from his stool come the 12th round with a smile on his face in the belief he can still stop the man with grit alone as he did against Jermaine Taylor, and he might just do it.



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