OAKLAND (June 19, 2010) – Andre Ward retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) 168-pound championship and undefeated record by way of unanimous decision over Allan Green in his second straight commanding performance in the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
In front of his hometown crowd of 8,797 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) secured a place in the Super Six semi-finals by dominating a visibly weak Green (29-2, 20 KOs), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, throughout the entire twelve round bout. All three judges scored the fight 120 to 108.
Known for his speed and fast hands, Ward continued to flesh out his repertoire of sweet science strengths by fighting inside and smothering Green against the ropes for most of the night..
“I did expect a little tougher fight,” Ward admitted after Green’s ring performance was in direct opposition to his usual hard punching and tough talking persona. Ward threw nearly 200 more punches than Green and outlanded his combos by a margin of 42 to six. At one point, SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson exclaimed, “The bully is being bullied.” Green went to the hospital after the bout as a precautionary measure.
After the fight, Green responded, “Andre Ward fought a hell of a fight. I weighed in at 166. By the time I got in the ring, I felt dead.” Despite his feeling’s tonight, Green’s Super Six chances are still very much alive. He could still earn a semi-final berth with a win in Group Stage 3 over WBC world champion Mikkel Kessler.
Aside from clinching a spot in the Super Six semi-finals with a tournament-leading four points, Ward’s win marks the first time a Super Six fighter has won a second fight in the tournament. Arthur Abraham, Kessler, Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell all have one win with Green trailing at 0-1.
Dirrell was in attendance to witness the impressive win from Ward, his former Olympic teammate and next opponent. When ringside reporter Jim Gray asked him what he’ll need to do to defeat Ward, Dirrell responded, “I’ve got to get to him first,” referring to Ward’s ability to dictate the direction of tonight’s bout round after round.
The Ward/Green fight is just one of the exciting and meaningful contests in Group Stage 3 as all fighters still have a chance to advance to the Super Six semi-finals and keep the dream alive to emerge victorious from the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
In other news, SHOWTIME expert analyst and two-time Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver announced his intentions to bulk up to Heavyweight and seek out the likes of David Haye and the Klitschko brothers.
The Ward-Green event was presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Antonio Leonard Productions and DiBella Entertainment.
SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC SCOREBOARD (Through Group Stage Two, six fights)
Record Fighter Points
2-0 Andre Ward 4
1-1 Arthur Abraham 3
1-1 Mikkel Kessler 2
1-1 Carl Froch 2
1-1 Andre Dirrell 2
0-1 Allan Green 0
ABOUT SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC
The inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic is a groundbreaking, six-fighter tournament from SHOWTIME Sports® featuring the class of the super middleweight (168-pound) division from around the world. All bouts in the Super Six tournament will be contested under the Unified Rules of Boxing. Each boxer fights three bouts against different opponents in the field in the points-based Group Stage of competition (Win – 2 pts with a 1-pt bonus for KO/TKO; Loss – 0 pts; Draw – 1 pt.). After the Group Stage, the four fighters with the highest point totals will advance to the single-elimination Semi-Finals. The winners of the Semi-Final bouts will advance to the Finals and fight for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic trophy.