Ward schools Rodriguez

ward5 As was expected, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KO’s) took the bigger, slower Edwin Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KO’s) to school tonight in pounding out a dominating 12 round unanimous decision at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, in Ontario, California, USA. The judges scored it 118-106, 117-107 and 116-108.

The fight was ugly at times due to the back and forth roughhouse tactics that both fighters used. Ward turned the fight to the inside in the first two rounds with him smothering the bigger Rodriguez’s shots. But after the 2nd round, Ward began to use more separation to take advantage of his superior hand speed to dominate the action.

In the 4th round, Rodriguez wrapped Ward into a headlock and pushed him to the ropes. Ward then nailed Rodriguez with a big left hand thrown while still being held in the headlock. Referee Jack Reiss then called for a break, but both fighters ignored him and continued to throw punches.

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DeGale defeats Davis by one-sided decision

WBC Silver super middleweight champion James DeGale (17-1, 11 KO’s) easily beat American Dyah Davis (22-4-1, 10 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous tonight in a one-sided fashion at the the Glow, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Kent, United Kingdom. DeGale made the fight much tougher than it should have by wasting lots of energy clowning around and trying to show off for the crowd.

If DeGale had instead channeled his showboating energy into throwing flurries, he probably would have stopped Davis within six rounds instead of having to go the distance. The judges scores were 118-110, 118-110 and 118-110. The scores were more than fair, because Davis didn’t do enough with his offense to make the fight a competitive one.

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Vyacheslav Glazkov beats Garrett Wilson

801 Vyacheslav Glazkov (16-0, 11 KO’s) defeated the shorter replacement opponent Garrett Wilson (13-7-1, 6 KO’s) by a 10 round unanimous decision that was a little more competitive than the scores suggested on Saturday at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, in Verona, New York, USA. Wilson, a cruiserweight that was picked out to replace heavyweight Tomasz Adamek, seemed to energize the Verona crowd with huge heart in trying to win against a much bigger fighter than him in Glazkov. The judges scored the fight 97-93, 98-92, 99-91.

The 6’3″ Glazkov looked huge in the ring against the 5’9″ Wilson, and it seemed incredibly strange to have two fighters so different from each other fighting on national television in the U.S. Wilson gave it his all, but it’s too bad that Main Events couldn’t find an actual heavyweight for Glazkov to fight instead of a short cruiserweight.

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Andre Ward lays down gauntlet by declaring to knockout ‘delusional’ Froch in rematch

Super-middleweight king Andre Ward has laid down the gauntlet to Carl Froch, declaring he can knockout the ‘delusional’ British star in a world title unification rematch.

The WBA Super and Ring Magazine world champion has opened the door to a potential blockbuster matchup against the reigning IBF world champion Froch, should both men come through their upcoming battles.

Ward faces off against the unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez in Ontario, California this weekend, a fight you can see live and exclusive on BoxNation, with Froch taking on the rising George Groves in a grudge match later this month.

Should both prevail, Ward is convinced that a super-fight could be next up for the 168-pound division’s two top dogs.

“I think a fight with Froch is definitely something that could happen,” said Ward.

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Ustinov Outpoints David Tua

Hamilton New Zealand was the scene of a battle of differing proportions—6’8” Belarussian Alexander Ustinov squared off against Kiwi Samoan 5’9” David Tua who also gave up 50 lbs in weight.

Round One: Feeling out round. Ustinov controls the action, with Tua backing up.

Round Two: Round is Ustinov’s but Tua is more aggressive and loosening up his left hook.

Round Three: Ustinov’s round. He continues to keep his left low but Tua won’t throw a right hand. Tua mostly missing with his left hook, but connects with a few.

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Go with Andre Ward – It’s easier

Once again, come this Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA, fans will be treated to one of those battles where “Someone’s ‘O’ has got to go”. HBO’s main event will feature Andre S.O.G. Ward, 26-0-0 (KO14) versus Dominican Republic’s Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez 24-0-0 (KO16).

Both fighters are quality individuals, having exhibited excellence from the amateurs into the professionals. Andre is talked about in P4P terms. Edwin has been compared to past greats. How can you pick a winner? It’s hard to cheer for one over the other. They are both worthy. They both have the “bona fides”. They both conduct themselves well. They’re likable and avoid all the braggadocio and trash talking engaged in by so many.

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Why me?

I’ve seen Gennady Golovkin fight about 6 times. Each time I’ve watched him on television (on 4 of the 6 occasions), Golovkin has been spectacular. I go to see this guy fight live twice, and while the results were great for Golovkin, I feel like I got the short end of the stick. WHY ME?

Let me explain…

The first fight I saw on television was Golovkin vs. Mikhail Makarov. Gennady pretty much took Makarov’s heart in this fight and won in the second round. A straight right dropped Makarov in the second. The punch was hard and Makarov backed up and took a knee. He got up and went on the attack. Gennady took his time and threw another well-placed right hand and Makarov went down and the fight was over. Makarov got up and kept wiping his face as if he was making sure his nose was still attached. KO-2

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Tua and Ustinov weigh-in for heavyweight showdown, a trim Tua ready to give it one last shot

The David Tua-Alexander Ustinov heavyweight clash, a big deal in New Zealand but in truth nowhere else, will see a Tua who has gotten himself in his best physical condition for some time. Tipping-in at a trim and solid 236-pounds – to giant Ustinov’s 292 – Tua knows he will have to retire if he loses.

Now in his forties, the Samoan powerhouse is coming off a points loss to Monte Barrett. The real carrot for Tua in this fight is the vague possibility of a shot at Wladimir Klitschko should he get the job done in style. But can Tua, even an in-shape version, get inside on the much taller Ustinov and detonate his bombs? A true David Vs. Goliath showdown, this fight could be lively, or it could go the other way and be a dull affair. If Ustinov uses his height, reach and strength and is content to jab and then tie Tua up, how will the much shorter man be able to cope?

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Ward vs. Rodriguez: Will ring rust make this fight more competitive?

419 It will have been just over 14 months since the last time Andre Ward graced the HBO airwaves as a fighter when he enters the ring this Saturday to face unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez.

Sidelined with a shoulder injury much has been said and written about Andre Ward.
Some of it was said using facts.

While other articles, tweets, and forum posts clearly had biasness oozing out of it, whether directed at Ward personally or at the way in which he was taught to fight.

The style of fighters and fans vigorously debating over the topic is nothing new.

I will never forget some of the arguments that my grandfather, the man that introduced me to the sport, and I had over who was better fighter and why between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard.

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Andre Ward Fight Week Quotes

415 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – November 14, 2013 – WBA and Ring Magazine Super Middleweight World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (Oakland, Calif.) is just 48 hours away from his return to the ring, and he’s locked and loaded for his first fight of 2013. Ward will face off with undefeated contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez in a super middleweight title bout on Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., and live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

The 29-year-old is excited to finally return to the ring after a 14-month layoff and he shared his thoughts on a variety of subjects over the past couple of days as he finalizes preparation for Saturday’s showdown.

On his 16-year winning streak: “I love to compete. I love to win and it’s just as simple as that. There are no simple formulas. God blessed me with the talent. I take my job very seriously and I think that’s a major thing that’s benefited me in the ring. When I get in there, I just love to compete.”

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