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Andre Ward Dominates Carl
Froch To Claim
Super Six World Boxing Classic Championship
Photos: Tom Casino - SHOWTIME
Andre Ward is the Super
Six World Boxing Classic champion and the No. 1 super
middleweight in the world. Ward dominated England’s Carl
Froch to win a unanimous decision by the scores of
118-110, 115-113 two times in front of 5,626 at
Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The victory
unified the World Boxing Association and World Boxing
Council super middleweight titles and also earned Ward
The Ring Magazine belt as well as the inaugural Super
Six World Boxing Classic cup.
A frontrunner for Fighter of the Year, Ward’s (25-0, 13
KOs) exploit has anointed him as the man to beat at 168
pounds. After the hard-fought unification bout, Ward had
one word for his impressive evening and undefeated run
thought the tournament: Supernatural.
“It’s supernatural. These are all great fighters. That’s
why you don’t hear me talking badly about them before
the fight. I know what I’m getting into. I just want to
be a little bit better on the night of the fight.”
Ward, of Oakland, Calif., was more than a little bit
better and proved once again that he can fight any type
of fight and win convincingly. Despite being the faster,
slicker boxer, Ward stayed in the pocket at many times
throughout The Final and exchanged with the
heavy-hitting Froch. However, Ward also displayed his
superior defense and boxing ability.
“He’s very good
defensively,” Froch said of Ward. “I couldn’t get my
shots off. I never found myself in the range. Ward was
either too close and smothering me or too far away.”
Ward was too quick for Froch. Froch (28-2, 20 KOs)
seemed tight throughout the fight and frustrated by
Ward’s ability to slip punches.
“Right away, I was actually surprised how slow Froch
was,” said Ward. “We were just able to beat him to the
punch and that’s what won us the fight.”
Froch was gracious in defeat and offered no excuses. “I
lost tonight, fair and square. I had a bad night.”
He elaborated, “I couldn’t get anything going. He’s very
slippery. It was very frustrating for me. It was a bad
night.”
After the final bell of
the Super Six World Boxing Classic rang, Ward raised his
hands in victory when judge John Keane (United Kingdom)
awarded him the bout 118-110 and both Craig Metcalfe
(Canada) and John Stewart (United States) scored the
12-rounder for Ward at 115-113.
Ward’s arduous journey through the Super Six tournament
included dominant victories over former champion Mikkel
Kessler (TD11), Allan Green (UD12), Arthur Abraham
(UD12) and Froch (UD12).
For Froch, the tournament provided mostly ups but some
significant downs. He scored a split decision win over
Andre Dirrell before losing his WBC title in a unanimous
decision loss to Kessler. He rebounded by winning back
the vacant WBC belt by unanimous decision over Abraham
and then scored a majority decision victory over Glen
Johnson in the Semifinals.
What either fighter will do next is uncertain – but
tonight’s culminating bout provided certainty in the
division. As SHOWTIME intended when the network launched
the tournament, the Super Six World Boxing Classic has
determined the No. 1 super middleweight in the world.
And that man is Andre Ward.
Tonight’s telecast of The Final will replay on Tuesday,
Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be
available on SHOWTIME On Demand from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2,
2012.
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