By Cliff Rold
American Boxing’s only Olympic Gold Medalist over the last decade, 2004 to be exact, may finally be ready to start looking for gold in the paid ranks. Over eight rounds on Friday night at the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal in Georgetown of the Cayman Islands, 24-year old Super Middleweight Andre Ward (16-0, 11 KO) of Oakland, California completely took apart 30-year old New Jersey-based Dominican, and 2000 Olympian, Jerson Ravelo (18-3, 12 KO) in relatively easy fashion. Whether he’s ready to take apart an excellent pool of Super Middleweight contenders remains to be seen, but the question is getting more realistic all the time.
Ward, who weighed in at the division limit of 168 lbs., came out uncharacteristically aggressive at the opening bell, leaping in with a wild lead left hook. It missed and Ravelo, 166 ½, landed a right hand. Another lead left attempt followed moments later to the same result. Ward didn’t give up on the shot but he did settle down after the second counter right, working the jab to the chest and stomach of Ravelo in what would turn out to be a fairly even first.
Ward, the faster man, continued to keep an up tempo in the second, jabbing, feinting, circling, flurrying, not landing the lead left hook. A big right hand did land in the final minute but Ravelo showed no ill affect and Ward wisely stayed in a boxing mode. While Ravelo’s right would score in spots during the third, Ward continued to control the action.
By the fourth, Ward even appeared to have the right solved with the counter left hook as the fight slipped away from any semblance of competitive action. Steady use of the jab on the early part of the round was reversed in the second half with Ward reverting to the earlier and still unsuccessful strategy of single pot shots.
Round five saw Ravelo all but stop punching as Ward switched to southpaw for the bulk of the round, pawing with something that looked like a right jab in search of hard left hands. Most of his best efforts hit air. Ward’s best offense would come in the closing seconds as he switched back to orthodox and landed a clean right-light combo upstairs.
He stayed orthodox and methodically walked Ravelo down over the next three rounds. In the sixth, Ward sat down on his jab and in the seventh began landing sizzling rights that would stumble Ravelo and allow Ward to step in with flurries. The end looked near at hand.
It arrived in round eight. After dominating and beating up on Ravelo for the first two minutes, a left jab set up a right hand crushed into Ravelo’s jaw and the Dominican folded towards the floor. Seemingly unable to find his legs, Ravelo rolled to his side and kicked them out as if in search of feeling before rising to his knees and finally his feet as referee Steve Smoger finished the standing eight-count. Never one to stop the action early, Smoger waved Ward in for the inevitable finish. As Ward teed off along the ropes, Ravelo’s corner tossed in the towel to save their fighter further punishment. Smoger waved it done at 2:37 of the round.
The bout marked Ward’s sixth straight by knockout as it appears the former amateur standout is ready to test the next level of professional competition.
The televised undercard featured the latest in the development of Southfield, Michigan’s 29-year old Ronald Hearns. If the name sounds familiar, well, it should as he is the son of former all-time great Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns. A Jr. Middleweight like his father before him, Hearns (19-0, 15 KO) would dominate and stop a game but outclassed Jose Luis Gonzalez (12-4-1, 10 KO). Gonzalez’s corner ultimately would toss in the towel at 2:01 of the seventh round in a scheduled eight rounds. Hearns is currently rated by some of the sports sanctioning bodies inside of the top fifteen and considering the lack of depth currently at 154 lbs., that’s not as big a stretch as it sounds for the still relative novice.
Regardless of ratings, Hearns had no amateur career to speak of and remains a work in progress. With power and size behind him, it’s progress worth noting.
The card was televised live in the U.S. by Showtime as a part of its ShoBox series, promoted by Goosen Tutor Promotions.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
