Ward decisions Froch to win to become unified champ and Super Six King
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ–Andre Ward made his claim to be the best Super Middleweight in world as he pounded out a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over Carl Froch to retain the WBA and capture the WBC, Ring Magazine and Super Six world Boxing Classic Championships.
Ward was masterful in every way and he looked like a seasoned baseball pitcher dealing for nine innings but in this case it was for twelve rounds. Froch was kept off balance by the diversity of punches coming from the hands of Ward as when it looked like Froch expected a jab, a lead left hook would either land in his face or the body of the British fighter.
The two would engage in some serious exchanges but it was always Ward landing first and last which drew ooohs and ahhs from the crowd at Boardwalk Hall. Ward continued his variety as he even started bullying Froch on the inside and landing hard shots to the body. Froch was a step slow during most of the exchanges and Ward built up an insurmountable lead.
Froch started to get in some offense midway through round eleven and the beginning of round twelve as Ward seemed to slow just a little bit which gave Froch just a little glimmer of hope but Ward was never in any danger and cruised home to the victory.
Ward, 168 lbs of Oakland, CA remains perfect and is now 25-0 with the 115-113; 115-113 and 118-110 victory victory. Froch, 167 1/2 lbs of Nottingham, ENG is now 28-2.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
In a bloody eight round Light Heavyweight bout, Cornelius White scored a unanimous decision over Yordanis Despaigne.
Both guys were cut with Despaigne cut from a punch in the opening frame. The blood was evident as both were wearing white trunks and by the end of the fight both were turned crimson. It was White who pushed the action and landed the more volume shots.
White, 173 lbs of Houston, TX won by score of 60-53; 59-55 and 59-55 and is now 18-1. Despaigne, 174 1/2 lbs of Coral Gables, FL is now 9-2.
Former world title challenger Edison Miranda scored a fifth round stoppage over Kariz Kairuki in a scheduled eight round Light Heavyweight bout.
Miranda rocked Kairuki in round one with a big right hand and controlled the action until the fifth when he landed a big right that sent Kairuki and his mouthpiece to the canvas. After Miranda charged Kairuki and knocked him down before he had a chance to replace the mouthpiece but no knockdown was ruled. Miranda then battered Kairuki with hard right and left and referee Alan Huggins stopped the bout at 2:15 of round five.
Miranda, 175 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 35-6 with thirty knockouts. kairuki, 174 1/2 lbs of Tampa, FL is now 24-10-2
Bowie Tupou hung on and scored a ten round unanimous decision over Donnell Holmes in a Heavyweight bout that featured fighters with only one defeat.
The action was mostly slow paced with Tupou scoring with little combinations while Holmes was following Tupou around the ring. Tupou dropped Holmes in round seven from a hard over hand right. Holmes shook it off and finished the round. Holmes made a late stand in the final frame as he landed two hard left hooks that got the attention of Tupou but he was never in any serious danger.
Tupou, 242 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 95-94; 96-93 and 95-94 and is now 26-1. Holmes, 226 lbs of Ivanhoe, NC is now 33-2.
Heavyweight John Lennox battered Jeremiah Witherspoon and scored a third round stoppage in a scheduled four round bout.
Lennox landed a hard combination that sent Witherspoon into the ropes and he quickly followed up by landing a hige barrage that rocked the head of Witherspoon back and forth several times before the bout was stopped fifty seconds into the round.