When it comes to leaving no doubt in the eyes of the boxing press and the fans, ‘Son Of God’ is a virtuoso. Being a second best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Andre Ward has to not only sweat bullets when it comes to training, but perform in a way that suggests his absolute dominance from bell to bell.
Yesterday, after the longest layoff in his career paired with a shoulder surgery, Andre Ward left his ring rust at home, dominating the previously unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez in a fashion that proves his ownership of being a true pound-for-pound champion, dictating that Ward is a force that just might plow through the rest of the top rated competition in a similar fashion.
Two days ago defending WBA and Ring Magazine Champion Andre “S.O.G”. Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) declared that he would come back better than ever after a 14-month layoff, and he lived up to his claim on Saturday night by dominating challenger Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KOs) in earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory at the Citizen’s Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
When the last time you saw an 8/7 round? That’s what happened at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA when referee Jack Reiss got very angry at both Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez and Andre S.O.G. Ward. A lot of punches were flying in the fourth round. The problem was quite a few of then came after Reiss called “break”. One of those shots caught him, and Reiss was pissed! He halted the action and angrily signaled both men to neutral corners. Then he advised each of the three judges to deduct two points from each man. He also explained he was hit and wanted both men fined, emphasizing he would leave it up to the commission as to the amount. When he finally waved both men back to center ring, he cautioned them he wasn’t going to put up with the dirty tactics, and if it continued he would DQ one or both and they wouldn’t get paid!
Hamilton City, Claudelands Showgrounds: Ringside: Chants of Tua! Tua go up! The ring announcer gets an A plus for animation. Never quite seen or heard a ring announcer throw himself around the ring with so much vigour and enthusiasm in introducing fighters. Fair to say he is an excitable type of chap.
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.
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.
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.
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).