BY ADAM MILLICAN
Spanning five countries, eight fighters, six promoters, and over two years duration, the championship bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic has been a long time coming. The injuries, withdrawals, and delays are too numerous to list and at times many wondered if the tournament would ever reach its conclusion. Luckily boxing fans don’t have much longer to wait because the final bout is set to go down this Saturday December 17th, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Over the course of the Super Six, Andre Ward and Carl Froch have distinguished themselves as the two best men in the competition. On Saturday night they will meet head to head to battle for supremacy of the super middleweight division.
Ward’s Rise to Stardom
Since the age of nine when he was taken to a boxing gym by his father, Frank, Andre “S.O.G” Ward knew that he would dedicate his life to the sport of boxing. As an amateur he compiled a record of 110-5. His amateur career culminated in a gold medal victory at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece, earning him the distinction of becoming the first American fighter to win gold in eight years. Coming off his gold medal win he turned pro in December of 2004 and has won all of his 24 fights, 13 by KO. Over the course of his career he emerged as a fighter with extremely sound fundamentals, excellent speed and accuracy, and a pinpoint jab.
As part of the Super Six he has dominated in all of his fights, dispatching Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, and Arthur Abraham by all by wide unanimous points decisions. His notable win of the tournament came against Kessler, his first Super Six opponent whom many favored to beat him. Kessler, whose only loss at that point in his career came against all time great Joe Calzaghe, was seen by many as the favorite to win the entire tournament. Ward used his fast, accurate jab to dominate Kessler, never letting him get into a rhythm. Utilizing his jab to the head and the body he controlled the fight on the inside as well and hurt Kessler a few times during the fight. The contest was stopped by an accidental headbutt by Ward in the 11th, but he was ahead on all cards and surely would have won had the fight gone the distance. During the Super Six tournament, Ward also fought one bout outside of the tournament to stay busy against opponent Sakio Bika. The outcome of that match, which took place in November 2010, was identical to his other Super Six bouts-a wide unanimous points victory for Ward. Heading into the bout with Froch, Ward looks to continue his winning ways. Despite his pedigree and his undefeated record he has never truly captured the hearts of boxing fans. This Saturday is his chance to do so.
Froch’s Road to the Final
Like Ward, Carl “The Cobra” Froch entered the sport of boxing at an early age. He distinguished himself as an amateur by winning two ABA middleweight titles and the bronze medal at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He turned pro in 2002 and comes into the Super Six Final sporting a professional record of 28-1 with 20 KOs. Known for his toughness, durability, and pressure style of fighting, Froch has a crowd pleasing style that has served him well.
Prior to the Super Six, Froch earned notable wins against Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor by unanimous decision and knockout respectively. His victory over Pascal was an action packed slugfest in which Froch displayed great toughness and an iron chin. The Cobra has gone 3-1 in tournament fights with his lone loss coming to Mikkel Kessler by decision in a toe to toe thriller similar to the Pascal fight. His tournament victories include wins over Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, and Glen Johnson. Although he dominated against Abraham, his fight against Dirrell was a close one. Against Johnson he got a solid victory but did not look spectacular. Was he playing it safe against Johnson simply to insure his spot in the final? Whatever the case may be, he’ll need to bring his best against Ward.
The Grand Finale
Both fighters have a lot to prove and both will come super motivated to win. Ward needs to utilize his superior skills and control the pace of the fight. If Froch comes out guns blazing like he did in round one of his fight against Pascal, Ward will try to slow things down. He will look to get his jab going early and use that to set the tone, disrupting Froch’s attack in the process. Ward is also very strong in the clinch, and can use that as an effective tool to counter Froch’s brawling tactics. He can also use his excellent footwork to control the distance between he and Froch. Ward practices the art of hitting without getting hit, so he wants to get into range, land his combos, and then avoid Froch’s counterpunching. Nearly every aspect of his game is technically superior, so Ward’s best strategy is to let the fight go the distance, avoid getting drawn into a brawl, and simply let his skills lead him to victory. The strategy for Froch is a fairly simple and obvious one. Although his boxing skills are underrated, he needs to make this fight a brawl in order to win. He’s not going to outbox Ward and he’s already lost one close decision outside his home country of Great Britain, so Froch will try not to let this fight go to the cards. He will try apply pressure to Ward, make him fight at a fast pace and outside his comfort zone, and go for the knockout. If he can get off to a fast start and hurt Ward early he stands a chance. If Ward can keep the fight at his pace and be the superior boxer he’ll cruise to a points victory. Prediction, Ward will face his toughest test yet but win by UD.
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