WARD V FROCH MINI PREVIEW

A very good final between the best 2 in the tournament from the start imo. Kessler isn't in the same league as Ward, but he isn't better than Froch imo, could of gone either way their fight, however these 2 have been the 2 that have delivered throughout the tournament imo.

ATTRIBUTES

WARD FROCH
10 SPEED 8
9 JAB 9
9 DEFENCE 5
9 ABILITY 9
8 HEART 10
8 CHIN 10
8 MENTAL STRENGTH 10
8 CONFIDENCE 10
WHO HAS BEAT THE BETTER OPPONENTS? FROCH, HANDS DOWN.
WHO COULD BE NEXT PROVIDING A WIN? WARD: Bute, FROCH: Bute, Cleverly if he loses at LHW.



PREDICTION
I think it's a 60/40 fight slightly for the American, however, Carl can definitely win as he has beaten quality fighters with good records before. Pascal was easily quicker than Ward and just as quick and he got the Canadian into a brawl when Pascal was probably the slightly skillfuller fighter, however Ward is genuine in the way of ability imo, also very determined and a good fighter, would edge towards Ward on points, however, he hates fighting so if Froch draws him in i think the 'Cobra' wins hands down. There's a good chance he will draw the American in as well in such a big fight with emotions bound to be riding high.

I think both fighters are miles better and hungrier to fight the best than Bute, who would be an excellent fight for Pascal to be a 2 weight world champ imo.

Confidence 8 for Ward? The man is an olympic gold medallist and undefeated as a pro, his confidence will not be low.

I see Ward taking a 116-112 sort of margin UD. Just think he is a bit too sharp.

The heart says yes, the head says no. I would love to see Froch winning but I can see Ward taking a wide points decision. I don't think Ward will give Froch any opportunity to unleash his power. Similarly, I can't see Ward stopping Froch who is as reslient as they come.

What a great contest though - really looking forward to it.

Think Froch is up against it in this one, seems obvious Showtime are pulling for a Ward win, is no coincidence he has not fought abroad yet. For me whilst Froch can beat him he has a tendency to leave rounds close to call and often does not put the exclamation point on rounds and have to think he is not getting any favours in rounds that are close. If he can maintain the kind of pace he fought against Pascal or Kessler is not impossible but in the states this looks a big ask

Confidence 8 for Ward? The man is an olympic gold medallist and undefeated as a pro, his confidence will not be low.
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Why didn't he fight Andre Dirrell? because they were friends? lol leave it out, i fought and lost to my best mate twice in the amateurs

Going to ignore my head and plump for Froch, really REALLY want Ward's "head first punch later" approach to walk onto something big.

Seems like a nice guy but he's so bloody overrated i could vomit

Have to agree it looks like Ward will probably be that bit better though i dont think there's alot in it tbh.

Really wish Froch had some sort of defence but it looks like it's not going to change now so i can see Wards workrate & clean shots getting him the decision. That said it might be interesting to see how Ward handles round after round of real stinging shots from Froch? It looked at times like he could have hit Johnson with a bat & he wouldn't have moved but i think Ward may not take them quite as well.

Think Ward will be far more elusive though to be honest, giving less opportunity for Froch to plant his feet and land.

I think Ward will have too much for Froch and will win a UD. I can see Carl having some big rounds and hurting Ward but I think it'll be Ward's speed and movement that will win the day.

Hope I'm wrong though because I really admire Froch and all that he has achieived.

Based on the fight this weekend, you'd have to favour Ward. Froch started too slowly and didn't impose himself on the fight until about the fifth. Even then, after a good round, he'd start the next one off at a canter and allow Johnson to get his shots off. He can't afford to give away rounds let alone the first four to someoen like Ward

Froch going to have to pressure Andre from the off and no allow him to get into a rhythm with those raiding tactics of his. It's a well worn cliche but Froch needs to apply "intellgent pressure". He won't draw Ward into a toe-to-toe brawl and he can't be a counter puncher.

It's to be hoped Froch gets some top quality sparring for this one as he's going to have a tough fight on his hands. I do think Ward will try and steal it though but I'll keep my fingers crossed for Carl.

As ever with Froch at world level, there's absolutely no way a fight between him and Ward is going to go anything other than the full twelve rounds, barring a cuts stoppage. Ward's not a puncher, not much of an inside fighter (apart from when he's shoving his head in to an opponent's face) and will be cautious not to engage Froch too much. At the same time, I think we've seen that Froch is a hurtful puncher at 168 lb, but certainly not devastating. Don't think he has enough behind his shots to get the top guys out of there on a regular basis.

I don't like Ward all that much (as I said yesterday, I feel he's been getting away with murder so far in the Super Six tournament) but one thing he does have is a strong and sturdy jab which is often followed by a good right hand over the top, a sort of Joe Louis style one-two. And as we've seen time and again, the right hand over the top is Froch's big weakness.

I think Froch looked fairly well against Johnson, but he did return to swinging in a few more wide punches than I would have liked to see. Johnson wasn't at the right age nor had the right style to take advantage of that regularly, but Ward is a different kettle of fish. I don't think Froch can outbox him, but he can outgame him. I think Froch needs to pick up his work rate and take the fight to Ward, bully him backwards when he can, and rough him up on the inside to throw him off his timing.

If Froch fights with that same casual work rate and willingness to let his opponent chase him that we saw on saturday night, then Ward will beat him all day long, particularly as the home town fighter. But if Froch can improve the work rate and keep Ward under constant pressure from the off, it's well within his scope to win.

I think Young Towzer has got it more or less spot on with this 60:40 ratio in the American's favour.

Can i just add if they hold it in Oakland i'm going to march to America and give the Showtime bosses a good old British hooligan-esque kicking.

Vegas is rumoured Coxy. Think one thing we can say with absolute certainty is it ain't going to be in Nottingham

Said it already: I was pleased to see Froch make mention during the post-fight presser on Sunday of Ward's use of the head. I think more needs to be made of it.

I think if Ward fights the right fight then he should win because he has all the tools to do it and to take advantage of Frochs weaknesses.

The only place I see Froch having the advantage is at mid range if Ward opts to stand in front of him. On the outside I think Ward has the speed to beat Froch to the punch and take advantage of Frochs porous defence. On the inside he seems much more capable than Froch also and would expect him to hold an advantage there.

As long as Ward doesnt try and be the aggressor or to pressure Froch too much and opts to play to his own strengths then I find I hard to see how Froch wins unless Ward struggles with his power.

I've said as well as others but it seems that from inception, Ward WAS going to win it, come what may.

I don't like Hopkins particularly but would love someone like him to belittle him and say what others say as people will take notice of him.

There is a worldwide conspiracy with Ward and i don't like it!

Ward has got to fight at home a lot, and get away with certain misdemeanors in the ring, but it happens with the Germans, Mexicans (good luck Rhodes...) Canadians and the British are far from exempt also.

Im not sure why everyone is getting on Wards back any more than anyone else. Hes a hometime fighter but lots are, and at least hes taking on high level opposition (unlike Sturm for example, who sits in Germany knocking cans over) and he hasnt robbed anyone as yet (that I know of.)

Not saying I like him, I hope Froch ko's him. But Ward is one of the lesser evils of the boxing world at the moment (in my opinion.)

In all fairness to Sturm the one time he did venture overseas he got on the end of a right royal screwing to Oscar so can understand his reluctance to repeat that particular experience

Agree with most and feel that this fight has got "controversial scoring" written all over it in large neon letters. Wouldn't surprise me in the least to see score cards that diverge hopelessly from each other. Something like 117-113, 115-114, 111-116.

As to who might win, once again, I think that the panel have raised the relevant points. Froch can win if he forgets about taking breathers during rounds and applies pressure for the full thirty-six minutes. I don't absolutely rule out a late stoppage for the Nottingham man if he is able to accomplish this. However, the safe bet is the fiercely contested decison I've already mentioned, and I've a nasty feeling that it will go to Ward.

rowley wrote:In all fairness to Sturm the one time he did venture overseas he got on the end of a right royal screwing to Oscar so can understand his reluctance to repeat that particular experience

Maybe Im too harsh on Sturm, but I live in Germany and the complete bias shown to German (based) fighters really grates. If a German boxer gets hit, forget seeing it on a replay. Only punches from the fatherland count.

rowley wrote:Think Froch is up against it in this one, seems obvious Showtime are pulling for a Ward win, is no coincidence he has not fought abroad yet. For me whilst Froch can beat him he has a tendency to leave rounds close to call and often does not put the exclamation point on rounds and have to think he is not getting any favours in rounds that are close. If he can maintain the kind of pace he fought against Pascal or Kessler is not impossible but in the states this looks a big ask

Fully agree with this and most of the other comments. For Froch he has to go into that fight thinking any close rounds will be awarded to Ward. Cant see any fighter getting stopped in this one so it looks a nailed on UD for the winner.

Froch will probably have to win this by 5-6 rounds (in our eyes) just to sneak a decision. Good luck to him.

ps. Hopefully we will see a fired up Froch who will take it to Ward for the full 12.

Young_Towzer wrote:Confidence 8 for Ward? The man is an olympic gold medallist and undefeated as a pro, his confidence will not be low.
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Why didn't he fight Andre Dirrell? because they were friends? lol leave it out, i fought and lost to my best mate twice in the amateurs

Joe Frazier didn't fight Ken Norton because they were good friends. Does that mean they both lacked heart?

Young_Towzer wrote:A very good final between the best 2 in the tournament from the start imo. Kessler isn't in the same league as Ward, but he isn't better than Froch imo, could of gone either way their fight, however these 2 have been the 2 that have delivered throughout the tournament imo.

ATTRIBUTES

WARD FROCH
10 SPEED 8
9 JAB 9
9 DEFENCE 5
9 ABILITY 9
8 HEART 10
8 CHIN 10
8 MENTAL STRENGTH 10
8 CONFIDENCE 10
WHO HAS BEAT THE BETTER OPPONENTS? FROCH, HANDS DOWN.
WHO COULD BE NEXT PROVIDING A WIN? WARD: Bute, FROCH: Bute, Cleverly if he loses at LHW.



PREDICTION
I think it's a 60/40 fight slightly for the American, however, Carl can definitely win as he has beaten quality fighters with good records before. Pascal was easily quicker than Ward and just as quick and he got the Canadian into a brawl when Pascal was probably the slightly skillfuller fighter, however Ward is genuine in the way of ability imo, also very determined and a good fighter, would edge towards Ward on points, however, he hates fighting so if Froch draws him in i think the 'Cobra' wins hands down. There's a good chance he will draw the American in as well in such a big fight with emotions bound to be riding high.

I think both fighters are miles better and hungrier to fight the best than Bute, who would be an excellent fight for Pascal to be a 2 weight world champ imo.

I dont see how you can doubt Ward;s mental strength, heart and confidence. The man is undefeated and super confident.

Has Ward been decked?

i'm guna go against the flow and back froch. ward is slick, but frochs really impressed me with his chin, so he will have 12 rounds to come up with a stratergy to counter wards style, which froch is good at doing. also if he fights the same way he did against johnson, flying back with combos whenever he gets caught flush, i think he will be able to keep up on the score cards. added to the fact that froch is great at pressuring a hurt fighter i think if he catches ward with a few heavy shot he might be able to force a stoppage.

In the "Daily Fail" there's a report on the fight and Froch states his performance may have seemed under par to us because Ward was in the crowd on Saturday and Froch didn't want him to see what he had in his bag of tricks so he coasted deliberately.

Froch reckons he was only in about third gear which, when you look at some of his previous fights, may not be far from the truth but if he genuinely was under par through choice then I suppose it bodes well for the fight with Ward. However, it could just as easily be hyperbole to deflect from what was, at times, a somewhat lacksidaisical showing from Carl.

On an unrelated note, it was nice too see his wife at ringside...AND NOT HEAR HER FOUL-MOUTHED RANTING FOR A CHANGE. Congratulations young lady!

On an unrelated note, it was nice too see his wife at ringside...AND NOT HEAR HER FOUL-MOUTHED RANTING FOR A CHANGE. Congratulations young lady!

Alright Captain Sensible calm down!

azania wrote:

Young_Towzer wrote:A very good final between the best 2 in the tournament from the start imo. Kessler isn't in the same league as Ward, but he isn't better than Froch imo, could of gone either way their fight, however these 2 have been the 2 that have delivered throughout the tournament imo.

ATTRIBUTES

WARD FROCH
10 SPEED 8
9 JAB 9
9 DEFENCE 5
9 ABILITY 9
8 HEART 10
8 CHIN 10
8 MENTAL STRENGTH 10
8 CONFIDENCE 10
WHO HAS BEAT THE BETTER OPPONENTS? FROCH, HANDS DOWN.
WHO COULD BE NEXT PROVIDING A WIN? WARD: Bute, FROCH: Bute, Cleverly if he loses at LHW.



PREDICTION
I think it's a 60/40 fight slightly for the American, however, Carl can definitely win as he has beaten quality fighters with good records before. Pascal was easily quicker than Ward and just as quick and he got the Canadian into a brawl when Pascal was probably the slightly skillfuller fighter, however Ward is genuine in the way of ability imo, also very determined and a good fighter, would edge towards Ward on points, however, he hates fighting so if Froch draws him in i think the 'Cobra' wins hands down. There's a good chance he will draw the American in as well in such a big fight with emotions bound to be riding high.

I think both fighters are miles better and hungrier to fight the best than Bute, who would be an excellent fight for Pascal to be a 2 weight world champ imo.

I dont see how you can doubt Ward;s mental strength, heart and confidence. The man is undefeated and super confident.

Has Ward been decked?

He was floored early in his pro career by Darnell Boone when he was competing at MW but I don't think he's been down since.
His chin stood firm when Miranda landed a few shots.

Assuming Johnson is a lot more heavy handed than Ward (seems to be the consensus), I can see Froch not looking to fight off the back foot like he did much of the time in the early rounds on Saturday.

I see Froch being the aggressor in the final and catching up with Ward at some point. Ward who openly concedes wanting to avoid being hit, will have his 'heart' tested at some point.

joeyjojo618 wrote:Ward has got to fight at home a lot, and get away with certain misdemeanors in the ring, but it happens with the Germans, Mexicans (good luck Rhodes...) Canadians and the British are far from exempt also.

Im not sure why everyone is getting on Wards back any more than anyone else. Hes a hometime fighter but lots are, and at least hes taking on high level opposition (unlike Sturm for example, who sits in Germany knocking cans over) and he hasnt robbed anyone as yet (that I know of.)

Not saying I like him, I hope Froch ko's him. But Ward is one of the lesser evils of the boxing world at the moment (in my opinion.)

We all know every nation has hometown fighters who get gifts now and then but it is slightly different when in an official tournament and 1 fighter gets preferential treatment over the rest, especially when they're a dirty fighter to boot!

Joe Frazier didn't fight Ken Norton because they were good friends. Does that mean they both lacked heart?
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Who questioned his heart? i think Froch has more, oh no nobody questioned it you just after another disagreement! silly me eh!

Young_Towzer wrote:Joe Frazier didn't fight Ken Norton because they were good friends. Does that mean they both lacked heart?
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Who questioned his heart? i think Froch has more, oh no nobody questioned it you just after another disagreement! silly me eh!

Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.

Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.
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No, i questioned his confidence, i think he saw something in Dirrell and wanted nout to do with it. I'm obviously not and never would be in the same league but my good pal beat me and that was it, i think he knew it wouldn't be easy and avoided the fight.

Young_Towzer wrote:Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.
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No, i questioned his confidence, i think he saw something in Dirrell and wanted nout to do with it. I'm obviously not and never would be in the same league but my good pal beat me and that was it, i think he knew it wouldn't be easy and avoided the fight.

Fair enough. Do you therefore question the confidence of Frazier and Norton for refusing to fight one another as they were very good friends?

azania wrote:

Young_Towzer wrote:Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.
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No, i questioned his confidence, i think he saw something in Dirrell and wanted nout to do with it. I'm obviously not and never would be in the same league but my good pal beat me and that was it, i think he knew it wouldn't be easy and avoided the fight.

Fair enough. Do you therefore question the confidence of Frazier and Norton for refusing to fight one another as they were very good friends?

My PC's Bellendometer is going into overdrive.

Michaels, Sean wrote:

azania wrote:

Young_Towzer wrote:Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.
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No, i questioned his confidence, i think he saw something in Dirrell and wanted nout to do with it. I'm obviously not and never would be in the same league but my good pal beat me and that was it, i think he knew it wouldn't be easy and avoided the fight.

Fair enough. Do you therefore question the confidence of Frazier and Norton for refusing to fight one another as they were very good friends?

My PC's Bellendometer is going into overdrive.

We really must start a regular ' post of the day ' competition.

Michaels, Sean wrote:

azania wrote:

Young_Towzer wrote:Didn't you question Ward's heart because he hasn't fought his good friend Dirrell? You said you fought your best friend twice. The same applies to Frazier/Norton.
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No, i questioned his confidence, i think he saw something in Dirrell and wanted nout to do with it. I'm obviously not and never would be in the same league but my good pal beat me and that was it, i think he knew it wouldn't be easy and avoided the fight.

Fair enough. Do you therefore question the confidence of Frazier and Norton for refusing to fight one another as they were very good friends?

My PC's Bellendometer is going into overdrive.

Yeah, but it does that as soon as you switch it on though, Sean!

Dirrell withdrew from the tournament citing injury so dont know what Ward is expected to have done.

Both guys knew there was a good chance of them facing each other before the tournament started so it seems a bit stretched to me that they would both sign up to it intending to pick and choose fights.

Well as usual Ward will have the advantage of fighting at home as he has all his fights, unlike other fighters who had to travel miles from home..

I would say if Froch is going to win it will have to be a knock out as I think Ward will just try to box him and nick rounds with his speed..

Froch does have a good chin and heart so I think he does have a chance of hurting Ward with his power and if he can keep pressure on Ward he has a chance of dragging him in the trenches and stopping him..

I would say though in front of his home fans again Ward may take the fight on points, frustrating Froch a bit like Dirrell almost did..

Yeah, if I was gonna question anyone's heart or confidence it'd be Dirrell. He was glassy-eyed after Abraham dropped him, and spent most of the Froch fight fleeing. I think he may be a touch chinny, and doesn't want to be exposed. Strangely though, he doesn't seem to mind people thinking he's a tw*t instead...

Dirrell withdrew from the tournament citing injury so dont know what Ward is expected to have done.
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No, they said they wouldn't have fought anyway. Dirrell's a gutless phoney but Ward saw something he didn't like, still a good fighter though! both guys

Young_Towzer wrote:Dirrell withdrew from the tournament citing injury so dont know what Ward is expected to have done.
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No, they said they wouldn't have fought anyway. Dirrell's a gutless phoney but Ward saw something he didn't like, still a good fighter though! both guys

Unlike in some previous fights think we'll see a more aggressive Froch against Ward

Kessler and Johnson both had the power to trouble him which I think altered his gameplan slightly where he seemed more hesitant to initiate attacks and was more comfortable fighting a reactionary fight, waiting for his opponent to come to him rather than his usual go forward approach. In Ward he'll be fighting someone who I doubt has the power or strength to make Froch take a backward step, so we could see Froch fight one of two ways. He either tries to win the jab battle which if he's on top form he should be able to do or he'll revert to type and simply walk his man down, planting his feet more looking to land big powerful shots to discourage Ward. Ward will undoubtably try to use some dirty tactics but unlike previous opponents I can't see Froch accepting it without giving some back.

Froch UD or late KO

Young_Towzer wrote:Dirrell withdrew from the tournament citing injury so dont know what Ward is expected to have done.
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No, they said they wouldn't have fought anyway. Dirrell's a gutless phoney but Ward saw something he didn't like, still a good fighter though! both guys

Where did they ever say they wouldnt fight. Everything I have read is to the contrary. They were scheduled to fight. There camps were in negotiations over venues. Then Dirrell was diagnosed with some neuroligical illness and withdrew from the tournament. Can you provide any direct quotes that they agreed not to fight?

Further still, where is your evidence that Ward saw something he didnt like in Dirrell?

Anything I read from Ward/Dirrell suggested the two were legally obliged to fight and were prepared to do so. The issues were over location and Dirrells injury. These are two interviews I read last year and in neither does either fighter suggest they agreed not to fight. One can speculate over the extent of Dirrells injury but he still hasnt fought since the Abraham fight over a year ago.

http://www.boxingscene.com/ward-vs-dirrell-on-september-25-pact-prevent-war--26544

http://fightgameblog.com/2010/11/andre-ward-on-the-cancelled-andre-dirrell-fight/

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Unlike in some previous fights think we'll see a more aggressive Froch against Ward

Kessler and Johnson both had the power to trouble him which I think altered his gameplan slightly where he seemed more hesitant to initiate attacks and was more comfortable fighting a reactionary fight, waiting for his opponent to come to him rather than his usual go forward approach. In Ward he'll be fighting someone who I doubt has the power or strength to make Froch take a backward step, so we could see Froch fight one of two ways. He either tries to win the jab battle which if he's on top form he should be able to do or he'll revert to type and simply walk his man down, planting his feet more looking to land big powerful shots to discourage Ward. Ward will undoubtably try to use some dirty tactics but unlike previous opponents I can't see Froch accepting it without giving some back.

Froch UD or late KO

I see Ward spoiling tactics prevailing. I also believe he has a better jab and will use that to keep away from Froch whilst peppering him with quick combos. Froch will give it a go but will lose out in the end. It will not be a hometown decision as I believe Ward is the better boxer.

Hope I'm wrong as Carl is a throwback. He seeks the best and fights them.

Ward will beat Froch - easy work.

hitmansam wrote:Ward will beat Froch - easy work.

I reckon he will win, but it wont be a shut out as many in USA claim. 115-113 or 116-112 Ward. Ward hasn't the power to stop Froch whereas Froch has the power down the stretch to give Wars serious concerns.

Styles make fights. I like Froch but Ward will make easy work of him.