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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by Adam D Thu 15 Dec 2011, 8:19 am

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere - feel free to merge if it is:

Former super-middleweight world champion Nigel Benn has tipped Andre Ward to beat Carl Froch in the final of the Super Six tournament this weekend.

Nottingham's WBC title-holder Froch faces American WBA champion Ward in Atlantic City, with Ward the favourite.

"I fancy Ward to win it. He's very slippery, a very good fighter," Benn told BBC Sport.

"Don't get me wrong, Carl's a good fighter, a strong guy, and it will be a close fight, but Ward will edge it."

Former Olympic champion Ward has won all 24 of his professional fights, including a victory over Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, who in turn beat Froch.That defeat by Kessler, in 2009, is Froch's only loss in the paid ranks and the 34-year-old has since beaten Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson to reach the final of the tournament.

However, Froch is a 2-1 underdog with British bookmakers, while most pundits expect the 27-year-old Ward to outsmart his English rival.

While Froch has often complained about a lack of media and public interest in his fights, Benn insisted modern fighters were partly to blame for their lack of exposure.

"I wish I saw more of them, they box once every six or seven months," said Benn, who was a central figure in British boxing's last great boom in the early 1990s, when his fights with Chris Eubank were watched by millions on terrestrial television.

"How are you going to get a name? Carl Froch is a great fighter but we see him once in a blue moon. You've got to keep busy and then 'bang, bang, bang', prepare for another one.

"I was fighting every month - one year I had 13 fights - 'bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else, bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else'.

"The British public watched us grow up because they didn't have to pay for it. Now boxing is scattered all over the place, on Sky Sports or pay-per-view, and people can't afford it."
source- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/16193191.stm

Some interesting comments about activity and sky/PPV. He obviously has a point about those (as already discussed on numerous threads) but what about his prediction?

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by manos de piedra Thu 15 Dec 2011, 8:29 am

I have genuinely been highly impressed by Ward over the course of the Super 6. He has about as complete a set of skills out there barring Mayweather.

Other than lacking power, hes comfortable fighting across so many different styles, can switch between southpaw and orthodox and above all seems to have a great awareness of ring control and his and his opponents strengths and weaknesses. I think hes imensely talented.

I hope Froch can cause an upset but I think Ward will take control of the fight from round 3 or 4 onwards and has the ability to mix things up and change to play the fight as he sees it in front of him. Froch will fight all the way and never make it easy but I just think Ward may be on another level and possibly a future pound for pound numero uno when Pacquiao and Mayweather pack it in.

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by Guest Thu 15 Dec 2011, 9:01 am

Froch struggled mightily with Dirrell and was fortunate to get the nod in that one. Ward is a better fighter than Dirrell and not as prone to go to ground when the going gets tough (it arguably cost Dirrell the fight with Froch).

I admire Froch and have been impressed with some of his performances but he's made life harder for himself than absolutely necessary at times. (trading with the likes of Pascal and Johnson when he was boxing nicely from the outside) With Ward, I don't think Froch can afford a slow start as Andre is tricky enough to nullify any good work Carl does and thus make any close rounds that much easier to score in his favour. Froch is going to have be strong from the off, perhaps catching Ward early to get his respect and force him into his shell and ultimately box better than he has in his life.

I'd love this to be a knock down drag out classic as it suits Carl down to the ground but I think Ward's team will be savvy enough to know it's suicide to trade with Froch and they won't get the KO. Ward will hit, run, pinch and sneak rounds with Froch doing a lot of chasing. Many of us will have it close but I think the cards will give a pretty wide (and unfairly so) decision to Ward.

Ultimately Ward will emerge the victor but certainly won't lay to rest the argument as to who is the best SM out there.

BTW I really hope I'm wrong here and wish Froch all the best on Saturday night

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Post by manos de piedra Thu 15 Dec 2011, 9:05 am

Surely if Ward wins he would have to be considered the best SMW?

Bute will have a claim, but fairly weak by comparison.

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Post by Guest Thu 15 Dec 2011, 9:11 am

Bute will still have a claim despite not having entered the Super Six.

The Super Six was a great idea but with that many fighters pulling out and being replaced we never got the chance to see the very best face off against the very best.

Ward has never really dominated the tournament and the only way he comes out of this as the clear #1 in the division is to KO Froch inside the distance or clown him out of the ring.

Of course the same applies to Froch if he wins on Saturday. He's already lost to Kessler and had a disputed win over Dirrell so the chances are many will still claim Carl isn't the best SM (Kessler for one)

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by manos de piedra Thu 15 Dec 2011, 9:16 am

I think if Ward wins he will have established himself as the clear number 1 in the division.

Id consider Bute to have a claim but as a distant second given his weaker opposition and the fact I dont think hes looked anything as good as Ward appears to be.

I think if Froch wins it will blow the whole division wide open again as all of Froch, Kessler, Bute and Ward could have a similarly leveled claim.

That wouldbe my take on it anyhow.

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Post by paperbag_puncher Thu 15 Dec 2011, 10:21 pm

manos de piedra wrote:I think if Ward wins he will have established himself as the clear number 1 in the division.

Id consider Bute to have a claim but as a distant second given his weaker opposition and the fact I dont think hes looked anything as good as Ward appears to be.

I think if Froch wins it will blow the whole division wide open again as all of Froch, Kessler, Bute and Ward could have a similarly leveled claim.

That wouldbe my take on it anyhow.

Would disagree that Bute hasn't looked as good as Ward. Fair enough his quality of opposition has been inferior but he's been pretty impressive in the way hes dealt with them. Since the 1st Andrade fight he's dispatched everyone of his opponents comfortably bar Glen Johnson who he had a shutout against. Ward may have fought better quality but i find Bute's style far more pleasing on the eye.

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by manos de piedra Thu 15 Dec 2011, 10:32 pm

paperbag_puncher wrote:
manos de piedra wrote:I think if Ward wins he will have established himself as the clear number 1 in the division.

Id consider Bute to have a claim but as a distant second given his weaker opposition and the fact I dont think hes looked anything as good as Ward appears to be.

I think if Froch wins it will blow the whole division wide open again as all of Froch, Kessler, Bute and Ward could have a similarly leveled claim.

That wouldbe my take on it anyhow.

Would disagree that Bute hasn't looked as good as Ward. Fair enough his quality of opposition has been inferior but he's been pretty impressive in the way hes dealt with them. Since the 1st Andrade fight he's dispatched everyone of his opponents comfortably bar Glen Johnson who he had a shutout against. Ward may have fought better quality but i find Bute's style far more pleasing on the eye.

Well I think the two or intrisically linked. Ward has looked more impressive by virtue of the fact hes facing significantly better opposition. Bute is good, underrated I feel by some who think hes little more than a protected champ, but Ward has countless more dimensions to his game. Like Mayweather, I get the feeling he can beat his opponents multiple ways in whichever way he chosses. Up close, At distance, from the southpaw stanc, from the orthodox stance. Hes a massive all rounder and multi talented. And he also appears to smart enough to adapt. He often takes a round or two to figure his guy out but the second half of the fight hes in complete control.

I hope Im wrong because Froch is probably my favourite current fighter my I think Ward is the real deal and will have too much for Carl. Im in the minority, but I expect a convincing win for Ward on this.

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Post by Fists of Fury Thu 15 Dec 2011, 10:34 pm

I'm of similar opinion, manos, and expect a Ward wide UD, 117-111 region.

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by bellchees Thu 15 Dec 2011, 10:49 pm

I think Froch has got to make it as messy and as scrappy as he can in there without being careless. Ward doesn't have the power to put him down at all but Froch gets hit too often and although it doesn't usually bother him it does cost him rounds, something he can't afford to give away cheaply against a guy as good as Ward. One thing I really do want to see though is how Ward reacts when tagged, his chin is a bit untested so that could decide it.

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Post by tunes666 Thu 15 Dec 2011, 11:03 pm

I'm not convinced with Ward yet, he did not dispose of Abraham any better than Froch did and his best win was Kessler, which he used his head to great effect... he has also had the advantage of fighting at home for all his fights..

If Froch can drag it into a dog fight then its his fight i think, Ward will need to box on the outside and get the decision.




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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by All Time Great Thu 15 Dec 2011, 11:23 pm

I'm not even sure why this is being debated. Froch is a big underdog going into this fight, and Ward can be sublime at times and is very much a thinker in the ring. He's able to deal with multiple styles, even of a brawler type such as Kessler who I deem to have a similar style as Froch. The real debate is, what does Froch have to do to negate Ward's abilities?

Ward, although not as extravagant with his victories, is very much the real deal and given the level of opposition available to him at SMW/ LH (Froch, Kessler, Bute, Hopkins, Dawson, Pascal, Abraham etc) I can very much see him at the top of the ranks of the P4P's lists once he dispatches the likes of Froch and Bute (who is also highly underrated in my assessment).

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Benn backs Ward to beat Froch Empty Re: Benn backs Ward to beat Froch

Post by paperbag_puncher Thu 15 Dec 2011, 11:37 pm

manos de piedra wrote:
paperbag_puncher wrote:
manos de piedra wrote:I think if Ward wins he will have established himself as the clear number 1 in the division.

Id consider Bute to have a claim but as a distant second given his weaker opposition and the fact I dont think hes looked anything as good as Ward appears to be.

I think if Froch wins it will blow the whole division wide open again as all of Froch, Kessler, Bute and Ward could have a similarly leveled claim.

That wouldbe my take on it anyhow.

Would disagree that Bute hasn't looked as good as Ward. Fair enough his quality of opposition has been inferior but he's been pretty impressive in the way hes dealt with them. Since the 1st Andrade fight he's dispatched everyone of his opponents comfortably bar Glen Johnson who he had a shutout against. Ward may have fought better quality but i find Bute's style far more pleasing on the eye.

Well I think the two or intrisically linked. Ward has looked more impressive by virtue of the fact hes facing significantly better opposition. Bute is good, underrated I feel by some who think hes little more than a protected champ, but Ward has countless more dimensions to his game. Like Mayweather, I get the feeling he can beat his opponents multiple ways in whichever way he chosses. Up close, At distance, from the southpaw stanc, from the orthodox stance. Hes a massive all rounder and multi talented. And he also appears to smart enough to adapt. He often takes a round or two to figure his guy out but the second half of the fight hes in complete control.

I hope Im wrong because Froch is probably my favourite current fighter my I think Ward is the real deal and will have too much for Carl. Im in the minority, but I expect a convincing win for Ward on this.

His results are more impressive alright but I don't automatically think that equates to him looking better in the ring. He's fast but can look scrappy and raggedy at times like against Kessler. Bute I find far more enjoyable to watch. He's meticulous, picks his shots well and throws hurtful shots to head and body. Uses the ring and his feet well to get in and out of range and I think he can be pretty graceful even to watch. Always thought he was under rated and think he has the ability to beat the winner of Saturday's fight who like you i presume will be Ward.

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