Andre Ward Is Pound for Pound No. 1

Written by Lee Wylie

Monday, 10 September 2012 10:29

WardDawson TJHogan3 Here is Ward negating the Dawson jab, just one of the brilliant strategies and tactics and tricks he used in his dominant win Saturday. (Hogan)

It's been a long time coming. Sixteen years to be exact, but it looks like we're going to have to wait awhile longer. The last time it happened, he was just 12 years-old. It's never come close to happening since. In a sport where styles are paramount, Andre Ward's uncanny ability to adapt to any given situation showed yet again why he has to be considered the world's most unbeatable fighter at the moment, and why the last time he lost, he didn't even shave.

Chad Dawson --an athletic, fast, six-foot two inch southpaw-- was no slouch. But on Saturday night in Las vegas, he was no match.

The opening two rounds saw little much happen. One could make the case Dawson took them both. However, everything changed for good in the third. Ward landed a straight right, left hook combination that sent the light heavyweight champion down to the canvas. Dawson rose to beat the count, his confidence didn't. He never recovered.

Twice more Dawson tasted the canvas, the third and final time in the tenth. That was enough for Dawson, "No mas" he told referee Steve Smoger. A systematic beating drew them out, not embarrassment. But Chad Dawson need not feel ashamed or embarrassed. He lost to a special fighter who had just painted his masterpiece. Still the light-heavyweight champion of the world, Dawson would likely be a betting favourite against every other light-heavyweight in the world. We mustn't forget neither, that it was HE who took the bigger risk here by choosing to fight in his opponent's home town as well as at his opponent's desired and optimum weight.

Let's be honest though. Would it have really made that much difference had this fight took place in any other domain? Chad Dawson came across a fighter Saturday night who not only has the potential to be great, but an all-time great.

The best light-heavyweight in the world was soundly beaten by the best super-middleweight in the world. I don't think seven pounds north or south for either fighter would have changed the outcome that much. Styles make fights, and Ward's capacity to tailor his, in order to neutralize his opponent's, was the real reason why Chad Dawson was deconstructed on Saturday night. Ward was clearly the better man when it came to strategy. Every battle throughout history will have had a plan of attack laid out prior to it taking place. Boxing is no different. Both Ward and Dawson had, what they believed to be, the blueprint on how to solve each other's styles. Here's the difference. Ward carried his blueprint to the ring so that he could make adjustments as the battle was unfolding. Just when an opponent seems comfortable with what's going on,Ward transforms and does something different. Most of the time, it's just a subtle change, but it's enough to disrupt what his opponent is doing. Andre Ward is a kaleidoscope. Trying to prepare for his multi-dimensional approach to boxing is nigh on impossible for his opponents.

Here is what I thought Andre Ward did really well Saturday night.

#1. Unorthodox movement:

When an orthodox fighter faces a southpaw, he's usually looking to get his lead foot outside of the southpaw's lead foot, by moving to his left and away from the southpaw's power left. Dawson, a converted southpaw, carries his power in his right hand, his dominant hand. This lead to Ward's unconventional movement for an orthodox fighter against a southpaw. By stepping to his right, and inside of Dawson's right hand, Ward had nullified Dawson's dominant hand threat. For Dawson to have any chance of winning the fight, he had to get his jab working. It was no coincidence that he barely threw it. Ward's intelligent footwork and ring smarts enabled him to get on the inside of Dawson's right hand. If you look at the knockdown in the fourth round, you'll see Ward in what is generally a bad position against the southpaw. But because Ward knew that Dawson is right handed, and doesn't really throw the straight left as say, Manny Pacquiao does, he could afford to move onto Dawson's left shoulder because he knew that there wasn't any real danger there. This is what resulted in Ward being a marksman from strange angles with the left hook all night long.

#2. Eliminating the jab.

Continuing on from point #1, by moving to his right, and diagonally away from Dawson, Ward had forced Dawson into becoming the aggressor, something that the British announcers failed to pick up on. They also failed to see what had stymied Dawson's jab. If you have a chance to look at the fight again, you'll see that in the first two rounds, many minutes went by with Ward seemingly pawing with the jab. This was an illusion. What Ward was really doing was taking away the southpaw jab of Dawson. With both fighter's lead hands lined up with one another, Ward was able to perform a kind of parry, preventing the jab from even being thrown. Dawson couldn't seem to figure out why Ward was never in position to be hit with the southpaw jab. Ward's unconventional movement, along with his lead hand out in front and in line with Dawson's lead hand, was the answer.

#3. From the outside.

For me, this was the key to Ward's success Saturday night. If any of you read my pre-fight breakdown, you'll notice that I mentioned the Chad Dawson-Jean Pascal fight. What Pascal was able to expose in Dawson was a flaw in the way he defends himself. If a fighter in right in front of Dawson, throwing conventional punches, then Dawson sees everything and his defense becomes almost impenetrable. If a fighter is out of range before coming in with unorthodox power leads like straight rights and left hooks, then Dawson becomes touchable, as I feel he's unable to defend whilst being the attacker. Dawson is similar to Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto, in that he defends with his feet planted, using upper body movement. Dawson will dip and bend at the waist in order to avoid blows. It's not often you see him taking a step back. This is what really hurt him Saturday night. Look at the shots that Mosley hurt Mayweather with, that Pacquiao scored the first knockdown of Cotto with, that Roy Jones peppered James Toney with, what Jean Pascal occupied Chad Dawson with and what Andre Ward knocked down Dawson in the third round with. They all look the same --power shots thrown low then high, forcing the opponent into adjusting their guard. Ward's right leads and left hooks, thrown in alternating patterns, downstairs and up, completely negated Dawson's defense. What was worse for Dawson though, was by being the aggressor and then having to defend, he found himself walking onto Ward's shots. Chad Dawson, a counter puncher, had no answer for Andre Ward's attacks on Saturday as he was advancing.

Dawson struggles to blend defense and attack if he's made to be the aggressor. This was the reason Ward always appeared to get off first, which in turn, lead to Dawson being on the defensive all night long. Dawson's dreadful punchstat numbers reflect this perfectly.

#4. On the inside.

Ward's in-fighting skills are well documented. We know he's very strong and very physical, but he's also extremely skilled at this range. If you look at the occasions when the fight took place on the inside, you'll see exactly what I mean. Notice how Ward was always able to lock an arm up, while having his left hand free. Ward's hooks and uppercuts with the left hand last really took a lot out of Dawson. Also, look how Ward was always conscious of a Dawson punch getting through in close. Ward kept his glove held high and tight to his head as he was throwing away with his free hand. Notice how you never see Ward bombing away wildly with both hands on the inside. Ward always remains defensively responsible at close quarters. Also, look at Ward's uppercuts and hooks in close. His ability to throw them so short and with so little back lift really is of the highest order.

#5. The feint.

Ward's ability to feint his opponent out of position or into a defensive position, is one of the ways in which he always appears to be one step ahead of his opponent. Dawson was constantly being off set by Ward's and head and shoulder feints. I was reminded of Roberto Duran's feinting masterclass against Carlos Palomino, in that both Palomino and Dawson had no idea what was coming next.By mastering the art of feinting, a fighter doesn't have to search for too long to find openings. Again, it's one of the reasons Ward is so accurate with his punches. He knows exactly where his shots are going to be placed because he's aware of how different fighters react to different feints. Dawson, a defensive Philly shell style counter-puncher, was predictable on defense.

I don't want to take anything away from Andre Ward and neither should anyone else. Yes, Dawson's weight loss may have been a factor, but as was mentioned here earlier, Ward's versatility was what really dominated the fight. As was the case in the Carl Froch fight, we saw just about every single boxing nuance one can think of --out-fighting, in-fighting, combination punching, body punching, defense, -- performed at an extremely high level from Ward. How many fighters can you think of that are able to do so many things as well as Ward can? With each passing fight, it's becoming increasingly difficult to argue against Andre Ward being the best fighter, pound for pound in the world. I for one am sick of finding reasons to say that he isn't.

So what's next for both fighters?

Chad Dawson, now 32-2 {17} will surely travel back up to light-heavyweight where decent challenges await. Personally, I think Mikkel Kessler would make for a compelling fight. As for Andre Ward, now 26-0 {14} a rematch with Dawson at light-heavyweight to me seems pointless. No matter how you slice it, Ward was simply too physical, too smart and too good for Chad Dawson. My own feelings are that Ward will continue at 168 pounds for the time being. Sergio Martinez has already voiced that middleweight is as high as he'll go, while Chavez Jr will be lucky if he's on the receiving end of anything other than a comprehensive beating by the same man next weekend. Gennady Golovkin would probably jump at the chance to face Ward, but realistically, he's a lot smaller than Ward, who is actually one of the bigger men at 168 pounds. I can't see anyone below 168 pounds being good enough to threaten Ward's undefeated streak, can you? Andre Dirrell is a fighter who may ask some questions, with his athleticism and speed, but I don't see how he will be able to hang with Ward on the inside. Ward's strength would be far too much for Dirrell by my estimation.

Who knows what the future may hold? Andre Ward has had his opponents laid out for him for quite some time now, what with the Super Six tournament and Dawson's public challenge, so it will be interesting to see just what his next intentions are. One thing's for certain. Whoever it is, they will be faced with the unenviable task of trying to come up with a gameplan for a fighter whose strategical capabilities are limitless. Thinking back, I can't think of another fighter who has managed to win with the same level of dominance as Ward, other than Roy Jones when he was on top back in the nineties. And let's face it, Ward is currently doing it against sterner opposition too. While we're on the subject of Jones, who eventually went on to claim a portion of the heavyweight title after dominating at 168 pounds, I'll leave you with this:

With his ring smarts, quickness and ability to get inside and know what to do there, Andre Ward would have produced a better effort against Vitali Klitschko than what Manuel Charr managed on Saturday. And that readers, is a fact. The Klitschkos won't be around for too much longer....maybe down the road a crack at a smaller heavyweight champion is plausible?

Comment on this article

deepwater says:

ward could be #1 based on quality of the guys he fought. he fought all studs and won with no questions. ward has the chip on his shoulder and the fire in the belly. and the bonus of ward is he is a nice guy that doesnt talk nonsense and play around with wads of cash. alot of anaylis going on about this fight but please do not look deeper then this= ward gets mean and closes the show ,chad is safety first that stinks up the joint and will not go for the kill ever. scully has more heart then chad. thats it. nothing more to think about on this one. chavez and martinez will be fun. I picked chavez by robbery or ko. I think sergio is too emotional and he trains way too hard for age 38. he might leave the fight in the gym and i see him getting frustrated against 185 lb chavez. watching chavez sr smoke is weird. watching chavez jr stand up freddie roach at gym and train in his living room is weird. but the bottom line is everyone is different and has therr own routine.

SouthPaul says:

I like that Martinez doesn't go over board with the sparring. That's the area where one could potentially leave it in the gym. Congratulations to Ward. Excellent performance. I'd be ok with him at the top of a p4p list. Ward vs MAyweather at 160! that's wassup.

Radam G says:

WOW! The automagic of boxing has Houdini some naive looking eyes AGAIN. People are always looking, but few are ever seeing.

SOG is SUPER BAD! And SBC -- SUPER BAD Chad -- was hallucinating in even taking the bout at 168 pounds. Dropping to 168lbs and then shooting up to 186lbs in less than 24 hours indeed made SBC look like a straight-up SLOUCH and a ___ ___ ____. There is no way around it. Everybody with EYEBALLS and thinking brains saw SBC slouching around that squared jungle and tumbling instead of rumbling.

Dude lost all his good subcutaneous fat and kept that visceral shyt, which is dangerous. Starving people's last type of fat before they drop dead is VISCERAL -- that steel hard type of body fat. [Back in da day, Roberto Duran come up north in weight (gain a lot of good energy-producing subcutaneous fat) and beat the brakes off Carlos Palomino. Easy job!]

But, as I've said before, 95 percent of the time, no professional pugilist come down south and whup @ss of the smaller man. The greatest pugilist, who could do that, was Bob FritzSimmon of over a hundred years ago. And he was the first whup@sser to win titles in three weight divisions. SOG will be the first -- I predict -- to win four titles in the heavy divisions of 168lbs, 175lbs, 200lbs and the nowadays sorry-a$$ heavyweight. And if a weak cruiserweight decide to give Duperman -- I mean Superman -- Roy Jones Jr a shot at cruiserweight, RJJ beats SOG in titles, and will be the cat to win titles at all five heavier divisions. Holla!

Radam G says:

SBC was a dead man walking in that bout. He was easy meat for SOG because of stupidity of quick weight loss, not because of the beauty of sweet science @ss thrashing. SOG is not yet "Pound For Pound No. 1." Holla!

dino da vinci says:

Agreed, not yet. But definitely shortlist.

SouthPaul says:

Radam

You know more about the making weight than I'll ever likely understand but there can be no excuses. He bit it...and got chewed up in the attempt. It's part of the entire game. Ward closed the show with a cherry on top so he gotz to get his props. Unforgivable excuses won't be accepted, my friend. Holla! Side note. I know John Scully, I was cheering for them.

Radam G says:

No excuses, SouthPaul. Especially "unforgivable" ones. SBC and trainer J Scully should have know better. That's all that I'm saying. They just double the a$$-whuppin' pleasure for SOG. SOG woulda also beat SBC at light heavyweight. For even more money. Holla!

SouthPaul says:

That's whatimsaying (still get beat at the higher weight). Love!

deepwater says:

guys who would win a 12 round fight? prime scully vs dawson that just got beat down ?

dino da vinci says:

I like John, but I'd have to take Dawson.

MisterLee says:

Andre Ward 2013!

MisterLee says:

Hey guys, a little something I cooked up about Ward's left hook. Lemme know what you think.

Of course the real difference is his skill, his training, his yearning to improve his game always, and his humble yet ambitious and historical-minded perspective, BUT was his left hook really the difference? I haven't finished watching the fight yet, but two things stand in mind:

1.) Ward's left hook dropping Dawson in Round 3 & responsible for the Round 10 knockdown.

2.) Though Dawson is a Light Heavyweight he isn't known to have the best chin, nor the best defense in spurts.

However, we've seen Ward's mugging hooks agst Allen Green in close, and agst Carl Froch. It sometimes looks like a thumping, mean, and slightly cuff/slapping hook on the inside, but I've noticed the new left hook is a bit of a "crashing" hook or downward angled hook which has more leverage, gravity on his side, and lands directly with the fist on the chin vs. the cheekbone or the temple. Could this have been one of his secret new weapons he's developed over the last year combined with Virgil Hunter's genius?

In the book "A Fighter's Heart", by Sam Sheridan, Sheridan visits the gym (he' s an MMA fighter and talks about Muay Thai in Thailand, Karate classes, and Tai Chi lessons in NYC) and talks about how detail oriented, philosophical, analytical, and creative Virgil Hunter was. He was made to be a masterful trainer and would Sheridan shadowbox in slow motion to perfect the weight shifts and leverage on each punch like Tai Chi. It seems like someone with boxing, Martial Arts, and creativity on their mind like Virgil Hunter would and had found a way to perfect or improve or offer Andre another punch to add in his tool box, or maybe it was something cooked in training camp to specifically affect Dawson's southpaw style. There were times that the 1-2 by Ward was followed by a duck or slip under Dawson's left cross to be followed by a crashing left hook on the chin.

I'm not positive with this punch, but I can say the slight change of angle, weight shift, or leverage of a punch can greatly alter it's affect on an opponent or pad. Great punches I've been told comes from the strength of the tendons and not the strength of the muscles. In fact, if the muscles were so crucial then how come being able to bench 250lbs. does not equate to being to swing and hit a golf ball 250 yards on a line drive. All leverage and technique. If the trainer of one of the top 3 P4P or arguably THE BEST P4P fighter in the world does not believe in weight training, and that there are more naturalistic methods of increasing ring strength without detracting from speed, explosiveness, or the flexibility of the muscles then I believe something is there.

Just a thought. Holler!

deepwater says:

I like John too but dawson would outpoint him....unless ...................... and props to mister lee for backing ward since the begining. I had froch as the guy to beat but after ward took him apart you got to go with ward. froch is the number 2 guy for sure. what if sergio knockouts out chavez jr... move to 168 to fight ward? what if chavez jr wins? move up to 168 to fight ward? golovikin says he is in the mix.you know what? the boxing fans finally have something to talk about besides floyd vs manny!!!!

SouthPaul says:

guys who would win a 12 round fight? prime scully vs dawson that just got beat down ?

Fun question. I'd favor Chad but not by a huge stretch because I believe he can be beat on any given day by a solid to good fighter. Chad falls into coma doses. Motivated fighters willing to let go of their hands can snatch it from 'em. It's like he came off the greens..say the 10th hole...then found himself somehow in a prize fight. And maybe while playing on the greens may have been smoking some... Just too passive at times!

SouthPaul says:

Good read from every one. Thanks for the late afternoon read.

ali says:

Not yet but he is without a shadow of a doubt #2 p4p

amayseng says:

Deserved controversy from a fantastic performance is why I am against either catch weights or champions coming down a full class in weight

Wards performance was phenomenal the guy is a Hopkins clone. Just has the grit, intelligence and physical ability to be a long tine lb4lber but with chad having to cut and rehydrated SO much it does take a bit from the performance.

I picked ward to win, but when has anyone seen chad Dawson beat to a pulp for ten rounds without the ability to offer anything at all on resistance????

I think Sergio Martinez and ward could be 1 and 2 jar depending on accomplishments. Floyd is the best boxer in the world but accomplishment wise he hasn't had as stiff competition as those two the past 2 years or so.

Ward should wither rematch chad at chads lhw class even if ward cones in lighter, I still favor him to win but it would be more legit for him, or ward to rematch Froch and knock him out.

GGG is just too small but would provide a vast challenge for ward who would definitely have to be defensive from GGG's effortless crushing power in both hands.

Shoulder Roll Defense says:

I can't say he has surpassed Floyd, but he deserves to share the top spot with him. Ward has very good skill, but Floyd has great skill, therefore everything Ward does well Mayweather does better! The ideological concept behind the "pound 4 pound" ratings is that all things being equal (regardless of weight class), which fighter has the best skills. Mayweather is still the most skilled fighter in boxing, but his inactivity forces him to share the top spot with Ward. Ward deserves all the credit in the world for facing the best competition available at 168, it's time for him to move up to light heavyweight.

gibola says:

Re: Andre Ward Is Pound for Pound No. 1?
No he isn't - not yet anyway.
I've heard it all before...

Think Don Curry, Michael Nunn, Edwin Rosario, JuanMa, Jeff Lacy....the list is endless.

If he's still unbeaten in four years having taken the big fights, some away from the comfort of home then talk to me about P4P number one. Don't be in such a hurry to label him a great - he isn't yet. His kryptonite may only be just round the corner.

brownsugar says:

I have to disagree with you gibola, although I respect you opinion. I can see why you think that way because Ward frequently fights at home etc...
However Ward doesn't have anything in common with one-hit-wonder Lacy, JuanMa-can-I-get-a-breather-Lopez, or Donald-where's-the-Exlax (laxative)-Curry because his discipline and professionalism separates him from those guys. and in all actuality Edwin Rosario wasn't all that bad himself.

I believe that by Ward beating Kessler in a far more dominant fashion that Calzaghe did should count for something,... as well his performance when he routed #2 ranked supermiddleweight Froch with a broken hand.

Wards's journey to the supersix, along with his success in overcoming the tournaments excellent Participants during 2 years of grueling non-stop round-robin elite level competition cements his spot as number#1 "Today" for me,.... even if he never fights again.

I think his kryptonite might come in the form of the mutually skillful Triple G whose non-stop-get-to-the-bottom-of-it perpetual offense rivals his own. Triple G has as many moves in his repetoire as Ward and there is not space enough on this post for me to mention everything he does well.

As Triple G goes on to make a name for himself I feel a fight between the 2 will become inevitable as I don't expect any Pac-Floyd type nonsense or delaying tactics from either of these 2 virtuous warriors.

Floyd has earned the no#1 spot for maintaining excellence for over 16years however he starves his fans the way a deliquent dad deprives his children by hanging out in the street for days on end, then appearing with a bag of groceries just when the fridge almost completely empty.

Sure Dad gets a hero's welcome at the dinner table but he shouldn't be rewarded for what he should have been doing anyway.
And boxers who are deliquent and only fight on a whim or when finances become an issue are not fit in my opinion to carry the #1 crown.

Floyd is one of my favorites,.. but I'd like to see him step up and announce an opponent already or just retire.

Similarly Pac does get some recognition for the managerial P4P #1 award for winning 2 paper titles below the natual limit of welterweight and superwelterweight but it was through the artificial manipulation of established weightclasses. And since he doesn't seem to want to avenge his recent loss, I feel he's undeserving of the number 1 spot as well.

Martinez has received wide acclaim for establishing himself in the United States for beating all the middleweights that matter, but there's at least 4 Middleweights from Europe(don't make me name them) that he doesn't even acknowlege and anyone of them could give him the fight of his life.
I mean dismissing the competition by saying " I don't know who these guys are" is becoming a tired cliche for boxer to use to escape the best competion especially if he wants to be praised for taking on lesser names like Barker and Macklin. And it's not like Martinez was making Money-May sized paychecks for fighting either of them.

To be honest the Klitchko Brothers deserve higher honors on the P4P list because as weak as the Heavyweight division is,.. at least Wlad and Vitali have completely cleaned out the division.

Personally I have no problem with Ward being appointed the #1 Spot,.. but even Ward said "heavy is the head of the one who wears the crown" (paraphrasing).

Neither can I fault Ward for fighting in Oakland as often as he has because he's attempting to build a serverly depressed community.
I've been to Oakland and if any town in the United States needed a Hero,.. a source of inspiration, and a positive example,... it's Oakland California.

If anybody is from Oakland Please don't be offended but I thought Kessler was going to get mugged on this way back to the airport.

Ward isn't perfect but he took a fight that both Froch and Bute refused because Dawson has been trying to steal the limelight from ANY of these Supersix participants since the tournament ended. Dawson challenged both of those guys repeatedly and his offer was declined as if he was the Grim Reaper. Ward shouldn't be penalized for excepting an offer he couldn't refuse.

brownsugar says:

forgive the many typos, I got an early start on celebrating my birtday.

Real Talk says:

I'm a member of an online group who talks nothing but boxing called unanimous decision on facebook. The topic of discussion brought up was Andre Ward being #2 P4P right now and I agree. He's got my vote. I won't say he's #1 P4P just yet unless Floyd has a long layoff like 1 year or more, takes a L or get's a gift decision where he takes a beating and Ward continues to dominate. I'll give Floyd that respect. I think Ward has just about cleaned out his division an is next in line as the p4p King. I said the same thing Radam said after I saw the fight that the weight took it out of Chad. When Larry Merchant interviewed him he looked like he was about to vomit. I also think if it happened at 175 it would've been the same result with Ward having his hands raised. The versitility of Ward, the toughness, intelligence and most of all hard work and commitment to his training makes him a force to be reckoned with. He's more than a pure boxer. He can pure box and rumble. Win clean or ugly and has the burning desire to be great. I watched the fight with my son. I said look son and pointed at the screen. I said that guy with the white on his trunks is call Son of God. He's going to win, because if God be for you who can be against you. Now pay attention this is how you fight. Thank you Andre S.O.G. Ward for giving the people what they want. The Sweet Science. Dueces

Real Talk says:

Aye B-Sug, today is my B-Day too LOL!!!!! I knew was cool peoples, now I know why hahaaa!!!!

MisterLee says:

Happy bday b-sug! Yo Real Talk! You still by the Big Chair? I'm actually in a boxing gym now this year. It's great, and I'm learning lots of good basics. Anyway, I agree with b-sug. However, with Triple G, I think he's overrated if you're gonna compare him to Ward. What I saw is a flat footed boxer puncher who is patient, heavy handed, decently smart, has some defense but also took a lot of shots too. He'll get as far as getting a few belts but not close to p4p status imo. Have a good one people!

ultimoshogun says:

Birthday shout outs to brownsugar and Real Talk...Happy Birthday fellas!

ultimoshogun says:

Birthday shout outs to brownsugar and Real Talk...Happy Birthday fellas!

dino da vinci says:

Birthday shout outs to brownsugar and Real Talk...Happy Birthday fellas!

Ditto. Absolutely.

brownsugar says:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAL TALK!!!! ....For us.....9-11 is significant for reasons other than a very tragic event (peace be with the families of the survivors).

On vacation and will be celebrating all week.

Thanks for the Shout out Mr Lee, Ultimo, Real Talk.

Keep up the dedication Mr Lee, hope you achieve you goal with your new training regimine.

It's great to be alive and in my right mind, ... and able to log into the TSS!!!
Holla'

brownsugar says:

thx Dino!

Real Talk says:

Thank you fellow TSS alum for the B-Day wishes. @ B-Sug I feel you, I'm thankful to be alive an it's only by the grace of God I'm still here. @ Misterlee, I'm glad to here you're praticing the Sweet Science and respecting the fundamentals. I do the same. I lot of times guy see me working the bag and have no clue what I'm working on. They think I'm working on speed and power when I'm actually working on good balance while punching at all times amongst other things. They size me up and talk, I here them but say to myself this one right here won't be a skip in the park an I'll die before I quit, I think when I fight too. The gym by the big chair has been moved to Mt. Olivet rd. in N.E.D.C. I go to a gym in Suitland, Md. 20746 now off of Surrey ln. Great price I couldn't pass up and the trainers a cool. They got shutdown for about a month so I went to HAM's gym. Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson's Pops, hard nosed task master. Old school cat. Ham likes what he's from me and said he needs to see me get hit LOL! I know I will get hit some but don't plan on getting hit clean or that much ;-) an if so then I plan on giving it better than I'm receiving it. I love the Sweet Science. Holla at ya boy Misterlee. I'm about to go run right now so I can eat good with no guilt LOL!!! Plus I just watched the Andre Ward fight an I'm motivated. He fought a Masterful fight. The student is now a young master. Looking forward to the new era and boxing is in good hands. Dueces

amayseng says:

happy birthday guys, enjoy your week and this fight weekend, should be a good one...

hopefully....ha

the Roast says:

Happy Birthday to TSS hall of famers Brownsugar and Real Talk. Live it up guys!

gibola says:

Ward is excellent but I think a good pressure fighter with a good punch gives him trouble. It's revealing that Sakio Bika gave him a harder fight than Green, Kessler, Dawson and possibly Froch. Don't get me wrong I'm impressed, he is excellent, but I think his skirt the ring, one or two quick punches, clinch, fight out isn't exactly rocket science and somebody tough, quick who can fight inside will give him hell. I don't think a rematch against Froch in England is a gimme, especially as Carl will know what Ward is about now.

Radam G says:

I don't see it that way, gibola. And I know that it ain't so. Sakio Bika just did better, and that doesn't mean shyt, PERIOD!

Ward, a natural lefthander, can adapt to, improvise and overcome any type of fighter. Dude is a combination of a right-handed fighting "Sweet [Pea] Pete Whitaker and B-Hop with a little mix of Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Roberson and a dab of the "Body Snatcher" Mike McCallum.

In a rematch with Froch in England, SOG would KAYO him easier than what the SOG did to SBC. Holla!

MisterLee says:

@Real Talk! Happy belated Birthday! Yeah thanks for the talk. Love the fundamentals. Just working on punch technique and stuff, but having fun too... using sledge hammers, flipping tires, pull ups, working the bag and double ended bag and shadow boxing. Nice man. I really appreciate the encouragement. I was gonna have my first fight on April 28th, but my opponent skipped out. I think I'm gonna focus on fighting kickboxing, but spend time training boxing b/c I love the sport. Take care!

MARK LENNOX says:

Another good read Mr.Lee Wylie and some good comments.Keep them up TSS.

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