Andre Ward: God's Super-middleweight Sheriff?

There's a new sheriff in the violent and exciting wild west show of a town that the super-middleweight division has become...and his name is Andre Ward. In fact, to listen to sheriff Ward, it's God who handed him the badge. Let's address that first. Andre...are you aware that by claiming God is in your corner and giving credit to him and his son Jesus Christ for your victory, you're not just implying...but you're saying that Mikkel Kessler is less favored in God's eyes than you are? How charitable is that? And which of the deadly sins, if you subscribe to that list, is that? Oh yeah...pride.

My point is...please Andre, feel free to wear your faith on your sleeve and give credit to your faith in your creator, but stop intoning that if "God is in your corner, can't no one be against you...". It's a boxing match. And when you lose, will God have been against you? Of course not. It will all have been in his big plan, right? Well, so then was this.

Next, a big thank you to Showtime for this next installment in the Super-middleweight Showdown Super Six Tournament. This definitely felt like a fight that would never have been made, but for the tourney. Why would Kessler travel to Ward's Oakland backyard to put his title on the line? He wouldn't have, particularly since there are plenty of european names in the division (participating in this tournament...Froch, Abraham) or less dangerous names like Bute or Andrade who would still pad the resume. Credit to Kessler for agreeing to put his belt on the line in the name of division supremacy. Without him, the whole idea falls apart.

I wonder how Kessler feels today though, now that the risk seems to have outstripped the reward? He'll get his chance for redemption, but if last night was any indicator...he's got no answer for Andre Ward. As we've learned clearly lately (about 30 pounds south), speed kills. Well last night it killed Kessler dead.

The WBA champ Kessler looked like the overmatched challenger all night. Former USA Gold medalist Ward settled in early, realizing his speed advantage, and never took his foot off the gas. I agree with Al Bernstein of the Showtime crew that he looked a little reckless in the middle rounds, throwing wildly and taking unnecessary risks, but I suspect that he sensed Kessler was totally confounded. Used to walking his opponents down, Kessler clearly hadn't faced anyone with such a sizeable speed advantage since he'd logged his only previous defeat to Joe Calzaghe.

By the third round, Ward was loading up and by the sixth of a scheduled twelve, Ward was backing Kessler up and moving him around at will. I gave a desperate Kessler the 9th round (the only round he won on my card) on sheer aggressiveness, but he was ineffective. The ringside judges managed to find another round to give to Kessler (the imported dutch judge found even one more...though how is one of the mysteries of boxing scoring), but it easily could have been scored a shutout.

Now there is no question that Ward was tying up more than was Kessler and one of his butts looked intentional to me, something he denied in the post-fight interviews. Denying he is a "dirty fighter", the replay showed Ward turning his whole body in toward Kessler, head down, and showing no effort to bring his gloves up. Classic billygoat move. Because this came later in a fight where another such move had prompted a mild warning from the referee, I would have taken a point for it. However, otherwise his holding wasn't as excessive as Kessler claimed in a slightly cringe-worthy whining post-fight interview, especially for a longtime champion who was so thoroughly outclassed. Kessler managed to pack a lot of whine into a two minute interview for a guy who absorbed so much leather: the ref home-towned him, he was held all night, he was deliberately butted.

Even if all that was true...he got his behind whupped by a superior boxer. In the end, that was all that mattered. Indeed, the fight did go to the scorecards in the eleventh after the fight was stopped because Kessler's cuts were too severe to allow him to continue and the offending cut was ruled to have been caused by an unintentional headbutt. The scores were lopsided, as they should have been. I had it 99-91 for the challenger and two judges had it 98-92, with the last imported judge scoring it 97-93.

So...how good is Ward? Well, he looked tremendous and made Kessler look slow by comparison. But the beauty of the Super Six tournament, as was ably pointed out by Jim Grey (whom I'm loathe to laud), makes it possible that the next scheduled opponent can dethrone Ward. Who is that? Jermaine Taylor. He who has been so consistently written off by...well...everyone. How will Jermaine do? I predict he beats Ward. Unless these KOs he's recently endured make him drop a step, which I don't think they will, Ward will take him light and it will cost Ward his new crown. Taylor is underestimated, even now...and Ward doesn't have the one-punch power to endanger Taylor at fight's end (the way Froch and Abraham have done).

Great fight. Great tournament. Looking forward to the next installment. Now can we PLEASE stop showing the MMA fighters on boxing night. Herschel Walker is a fool to try MMA. I know at the opening of this website, I've given props to the courage of MMA fighters and that is unchanged, but if you've read this deep into my posts than you can now know what I think of the sport itself: human cockfighting. The fighters are often underqualified, the matches are made without regard to skill and the pool of fighters is shallow and the entire sport run by one or two men who own all the fighters, purses and matchmaking. Interestingly, boxing is deep, strong and honest by comparison. MMA will see it's day pass and thank God (see Andre? I can go to the well, too) for Pacman and Mayweather...the latest in a series of fights to "save" boxing. The bloodsport just civilized enough to survive and thrive against all comers.

Manny Pacquiao: best fighter today...or ever?

As I watch the post-fight highlights even before the particulars are announced, I can't help but wonder whether we're getting the privilege of watching the best boxer ever to lace on gloves: Manny Pacquiao. As he picks up his record seventh title in seven weight divisions, the arguments are strong. To hear Pacquiao compared by Emmanuel Steward with the caliber of fighter of Sugar Ray Robinson seems proof positive. What a brutal pleasure to get to see the prime of the Pac-man. Manila is surely going wild tonight.

Miguel Cotto clearly came prepared and expected to be able to match speed with Manny. At first, it seemed possible. Then Manny warmed up. He dropped Cotto in the third and fourth rounds and began to mark him up so badly that Cotto's face was ground beef by the time it was stopped in the 12th. Ever the classy guy, Cotto agreed to be interviewed in the ring after the fight by Larry Merchant where we got to see the extent of the damage. Cotto didn't hide behind sunglasses and his eyes were so badly swelled and reddened that it was a wonder he could see out of either eye.

I had Pacquiao ahead 107-99 by the time Kenny Bayless mercifully stepped in, giving Pacquiao the TKO in the 12th. The once-proud Cotto spent almost the entire second half of the fight running from the smaller, faster Pacquiao. Pacquiao meanwhile walked him down, eventually getting obviously frustrated by Cotto's unwillingness to engage, rushing occasionally to pin Cotto in a corner or against the ropes to inflict more damage...and waiting for someone to stop the carnage. It wasn't going to be Cotto, so eventually the referee did it.

The second knockdown was really telling. Pacquiao rope-a-doped Cotto for almost a full minute, then flushed a left uppercut while backing out from a close quarters exchange and took away Cotto's legs. Cotto clearly didn't see it coming and he admitted in the post-fight that, predictably, his biggest problem was that he was unable to defend himself against punches he couldn't see coming. Speed kills.

My prediction of a seventh round KO almost came true. Indeed, I wrote as I watched that I almost felt sorry for the brave Cotto who, so clearly prepared and steeled for battle, was so badly outmatched. Cotto was totally defensive by that point and between the seventh and eighth, his corner told him to "keep away...move side to side", apparently resigned to the result even that early because at that point their fighter was already down at least five points down.

So...how will Mayweather handle Pacquiao? As the HBO team pointed out, the economics of the fight seem to make it impossible not to make happen. It would probably outstrip DelaHoya/Mayweather in pay-per-view buys...which is what we presume Mayweather has been waiting for. Or is it? I wonder if Mayweather will keep up the running outside the ring that has characterized his ring presence in the ring. I hope not, but if history tells us anything...it's possible. He refused to rematch Delahoya, whom he barely scraped past. Keep in mind that Pac ate DelaHoya up. The reverse comparison of Mayweather/Marquez is a little less convincing, where it comes to comparing common opponents.

But styles make fights and this matchup matches speed against speed. And Pac's speed is better, but Mayweather's skills as a defensive fighter are better. Can Mayweather survive long enough to take a decision? potshot and slip away? tie Pac up, land and turn out...over and over and over? These are the questions that make up the analysis. He's definitely willing..we know that much.

By that I mean that Mayweather has proven that he is perfectly willing to win ugly and by decision. He doesn't mind backing up, tying up, potshotting and running away. He possesses just enough speed, skill and willingness to do it to Pac for 12 full rounds. My first instinct is that Mayweather wins a disappointingly dull decision where Pacquiao spends half the night inviting him to fight, chasing him and eating a single shot coming in, then coming up empty...over and over. The other half, he spends tied up by Mayweather, who slips, uppercuts and rabbit punches around Pac's guard. Mayweather by ugly decision.

Our collective hope is that Pacquiao, with his otherworldly speed (rivaled perhaps only by Mayweather himself actually), can make Mayweather pay for his hubris and willing half-cowardice. Mayweather backs out warily and lightning fast from his one or two punch mini-offensives. Can Manny, who comes quicker and with heavy leather from more difficult angles than any fighter alive, jump in and catch Floyd? Maybe...just maybe. I'll definitely tune in.

As for Miguel Cotto, he gave us a brave fight. But he was badly outmatched. I'm amazed at that though, because he is a fast fighter. He did match Mosley's speed and Mayweather has been ducking Mosley his whole career, presumably because of Mosley's speed and power. If Mosley was matched on speed by Cotto, but Cotto was blown out by Pacquiao...the speed differential may well carry over and we'll see Mayweather fall exactly as we've seen DelaHoya and Cotto fall. These were two great fighters. Both utterly destroyed by the speed of Manny Pacquiao. Wow. That's all there is left to say. Wow.

Pacquiao v. Cotto prediction and Chad Dawson finally beats Johnson

First of all, let me say that Max Kellerman's statement at the conclusion of Dawson/Johnson II was weak: "now 6 judges in two states have decided Chad Dawson got the better of Glen Johnson."

It's weak because anyone who watched the first fight knows that Glencoffe Johnson won that fight. It wasn't that close...and most tellingly, there would never have been a second fight but for that fact. Whether Dawson took Johnson lightly the first time around or Johnson the journeyman gatekeeper fought over his head that night isn't clear. What absolutely was clear was that Johnson got the better of a gunshy, overwhelmed and backpedaling Dawson. At the time, I didn't really know either fighter and watched the fight because I'd heard tell of the skill of Dawson. What I tuned in to see was a boxing lesson administered by the opponent, who then was robbed by judges who only apparently spent the fight watching what Dawson did and stole a decision for him. Their robbery may count on the fighter's records, but any realfightfan like Max purports to be would not belittle a fading Johnson at the conclusion of the lopsided second fight by mentioning the travesty of the first fight.

As for the rematch, it was a walkover and quite predictably so. Importantly, Dawson has matured. He fought more consistently and avoided going to war, which will always favor the cagey Johnson, even now. Next, Dawson didn't take Johnson lightly this time. This could be judged by the way he stayed away, didn't seem surprised at Johnson's pressure and used his natural reach advantage to stay out of danger. Finally, he waited until Johnson was a little older to rematch him. He didn't take him right away...he waited. Years during the prime of a boxer's career are usually almost interchangeable...but at the end of a boxer's career, months let alone years can make a big difference. "Bad" Chad Dawson didn't rematch Glencoffe right away. He let Johnson age a bit...and at Johnson's age, that's a lot.

Now for the prediction. Okay, the truth is that I haven't given this a lot of thought because I'm really looking forward to a good fight and without overanalyzing it (on purpose until now), I've been expecting to get it. Will we get a great fight? Well, let's think about it. I'm not aware of whether there is a catchweight, so I'm assuming the fight is being made at 146 lbs, Cotto's natural fighting weight and the same weight Pacquiao fought Oscar, if I recall correctly. Pacquiao blew out Ricky Hatton at 142 lbs..

What are the arguments for Cotto? He is closer to his natural weight, though as he's getting a little older (not old), he's probably having a bit more trouble making 146 lb. Will doing so sap his strength? I think not. He's a year-round trainer and a very serious character. So he'll be at full strength, whatever that means. When I first saw Cotto, he looked unbeatable. One of, if the single best body puncher I've ever seen. But lately, he's been abandoning that trademark attack. He went to war with Margarito, only to find that the tough Mexican could absorb ungodly amounts of heavy leather to the face (while dishing out a disproportionately heavy attack because of surely loaded gloves). Despite his failed strategy, Cotto was clearly winning the fight until the later rounds, when he suddenly seemed to flag under the heavy (and loaded) hands of Margarito. Battered, Cotto succumbed to the cheater, sinking to his knees and defenselessly absorbing shot after shot as he fell. That image is tough to shake when considering the fighter...even though that's like deeply unfair to Cotto.

Sadly, boxing is not like baseball where the consequences of cheating are longer home runs or fewer injuries. The consequences are written in blood across the psyches of the defeated fighters, etched indelibly too in our collective memories. When the fighters don't die, we are lucky. And as a pertinent aside, Antonio Margarito should never again be allowed to put on prizefighter's gloves for pay, in my opinion. How wonderful was it that the ageless Sugar Shane exposed him one way, then the other and cast him (hopefully...I'm talking to you athletic commissions) into obscurity and infamy where he belongs.

Has Cotto recovered? He says so. He knows Margarito cheated that night, though he wasn't caught (that night). We all do. Is that enough? Can a fighter, even one as dedicated and tough as Cotto, regain the mojo that Margarito stole from him when he took his zero? I don't think so. The tattoos that Cotto has added seem to me like armor to ward off doubt. He is still shaping himself into a weapon, but he will never again be the undefeated Cotto who demolished Malignaggi and was walking through his opponents, killing the body to watch the head die.

Why has Cotto abandoned the body attack that got him into the elite conversation? Who knows. Perhaps it's too attractive to punch another elite fighter in the head, as was the case with Margarito. Perhaps he feels challenged and can't either access the body or must have the style of the fight dictated to him, as was the case with Mosley. Whatever the reason, if he doesn't spend the first few rounds taking Pacquiao's legs away, he will be in trouble because while he's definitely a tough guy, he's proven he can be knocked down. And not just by Margarito. He's been down before to lesser fighters.

Speed kills. Who is faster? While Cotto is fast, Pacquiao is faster. How much faster? fast enough. I think Pacquiao, as he moves up and since he is clearly bringing serious power up with him at this weight, is creating matchup problems with his speed. He is simply able to get there first. Every time. And if that's true, then the question is how hard is he hitting? He hits hard. Ask Oscar. A career warrior forced into retirement on his stool rather than futilely absorb more punishment at Pacman's hands. Ask Hatton, who had no answer at all.

It's a popular pick to pick Pacquiao and he's easy to like, too. I do like him...but then again, I've always like Cotto and admired his heart, his toughness, his skill and his tenacity. If Cotto is to have a chance, he will have to back Pacquiao off. He may be able to accomplish that with body punching. But going low after the little man's body will expose his head and Pac is nothing if not an accurate headhunter. Cotto's style is not to keep his opponent off (the way Mayweather will, when he and Pac inevitably and finally tangle...if you want to call Mayweather turning it into a snoozefest to tangle). Cotto engages. And in this fight, when Cotto engages, he will find himself facing the same problem faced by his predecessor's at this weight: he will be getting hit hard in the face. One punch KO type of hard. Harder than a little man should hit. And Cotto can't train for that.

I call it for Pacquiao in round seven by KO. I hope it's a better fight than that, though. I don't know who I want to see win, but I want to see a good fight. I do think it will be a good fight for a while, but we will see Cotto become discouraged much earlier than we (who are not in the ring) think he should. He will all too likely be facing a problem that he can't solve. He'll come forward and engage the problem and the problem will solve him in return.