The big surprise of the evening was in
seeing Ward, the slicker of the two, willing and able to pick his spots,
and entertain the more celebrated puncher Froch in up close and personal
warfare.
In fact, come the backside, it would be
Froch more in search of breathing room - mostly due to the unexpected
frustration of finding no home for his touted right hand on the inside.
The battle for the dual WBA-WBC belts lived
up to the pre-fight hype as both champions tested the other from start to
finish in a stamina challenging affair.
Neither Ward or Froch were ever in danger of
being stopped - or dropped for that matter - as they both displayed solid
chins while arriving
in superb physical condition.
The official scoring went unanimous Ward
115-113, 115-113, 118-110 - my unofficial sheet agreed Ward earned the
prizes to the tune of 116-112 in points and 8-4 under round by round
method.
Post Scripts: Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) -
age 27 - Oakland, CA. - carries the sobriquet S.O.G. - but don't let it
fool you. Once the bell rings he's more devil than angel. Single negative
last noche was late in fight picking spots to turn southpaw. Needs mucho
work on the transition... only time Ward looked clumsy.
Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KOs) - age 34 -
Nottingham, UK -
Referee Steve Smoger report card: excellent
choice to work tough assignment that carried ongoing round by round
periods of borderline infractions when both gladiators elected to wage war
on the inside. ***Advice dept: Steve, drop the asinine "Respect the bell"
when finishing pre-fight ring instructions.
