This "American" style is going to ruin boxing.

[Eric Holder]

btw, if all fighters could fight like that, i believe they would

disagree man, Shane Mosley has the physical tools to fight with this style but he loves to stand and trade instead

[TheUptownKid]

But thats why ricky hatton is one of boxings most popular fighters of the past 10 years, because he fought with his heart, not his brain.

also why he was knocked into a lengthy hiatus is that good for boxing to see your favorite boxer unconscious in the ring and rack up l's? recklessness gets punished eventually. And ali is a goat but while he was fighting people made the same complaints about him, he dances too much, he doesn't want to fight etc.

[mushahadeen]

"American" style? It's called boxing ******s.

[MidnightSpecial]

also why he was knocked into a lengthy hiatus is that good for boxing to see your favorite boxer unconscious in the ring and rack up l's? recklessness gets punished eventually. And ali is a goat but while he was fighting people made the same complaints about him, he dances too much, he doesn't want to fight etc.

exactly right about the Ali part. People find excuses when they cant beat something. A great fighter can still punish a so called "american style" fighter. its not like its cheating. and i think its entertaining to alot of people. It wont bring in a **** load of new fans but true blue boxing fans can respect and enjoy it as i do.

[GG Marquez]

disagree man, Shane Mosley has the physical tools to fight with this style but he loves to stand and trade instead

Cabron.

Shane has the physical tools. but not the skills. Different.

[Mr. Philadel]

[Dondi33O]

You know that feeling of satisfaction you had 2 weeks ago after Packy/Cotto?

The one where you felt totally rewarded for tuning in and buying the fight (or streamed it illegally)...The one that provided you with endless fodder for the boards and water cooler talk?

Ok.

Me too.

Now contrast that with that feeling of total hollow, anticlimactic, frustration you felt after watching Floyd/Oscar or Dirrell/Froch, or Ward/Kessler.

Fights that were ruined by the awful, spoiling, selfish style known as the new American style.

Boxing is about hitting and not getting hit to a point. These guys will do anything not to get hit, including hold, forearms to the neck, and blatant running.

Boxing can be beautiful when done right. SRR and Ali were 2 of the GOAT boxers but they fought in entertaining fights. They were smart warriors, but they didn't gip the audience.

This new breed is all about them. They don't care about the audience at all and if it means holding on for dear life when they should be employing skill and counterpunching, then they'll do it.

All I hear is how "skilled" this new breed is, but if they were truly skilled as you say, they wouldn't need to run, and hold so much. There are other, better options for a skilled fighter than that.

Like punching at the right time.

I knew last nights fight was gonna look like that so I wasn't all that excited about it from jump street, but I wasn't expecting all the fouls and such a ****ty ref.

Though I should know better considering it was in CA.

Anyway, ref's gotta start deducting points early in the fight for excessive holding, running and fouls.

The new American style depends on these factors to be successful. If you take this away from them, they'll be forced to fight and be exposed for the cowards they are.

We don't need "fighters" like this in the sport. If they are that adamant about not getting hit, choose another profession.

The best example of this is the Berto/Collazo fight where Berto was doing the exact thing I'm talking about. In that fight the ref warned him early and penalized him in the second round for excessive holding.

If the ref hadn't done that I guarantee we wouldn't have seen the fight we did. Instead it wouldve been an ugly hit, run and hold fest that wouldve probably favored Berto by a wider gap, since thats his style.

When money is involved it does not matter to the fighter as long as he gets the win and even more so that the casual fan gets to know his name. Not because of skill but because he won or he is unbeaten, thats when the big bucks come. WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN!
Ali....held like crazy...considered by many the greatest
John Ruiz...held like crazy and boring...First latino heavyweight Champion
Joan Guzman ..boring as hell , fights once a yr or even 2, and is holding on to that 0 for dear life. Probably the best Dominican fighter.
Manny Pacquiao...creating new weight classes to have an edge.(but he is great)
Oscar De La hoya..cherry picked till he retired.(one of the greatest)
Floyd Mayweather...(Cherry picking and avoiding the best) arguably the greatest of the decade.
Ward is following the path of the greatest...WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN.
HE won and its in the record books.

[The Hammer]

American refs let their home fighters get away with hiding and head butting.
Having Jack Reiss work the fight was in violation of the Super Six contract:

from yahoo sports:

OAKLAND, Calif. – New WBA super middleweight world champion Andre Ward has become embroiled in a bitter rift between rival promoters that could impact the future of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Ward, who defeated Mikkel Kessler here Saturday night, may be denied the opportunity to fight in his home city of Oakland later in the competition after German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who represents the interests of Kessler and Arthur Abraham, revealed that he would refuse to bring his boxers to California in the future.

This stance stems from a bitter dispute regarding the naming of Californian Jack Reiss as the referee for Ward’s unanimous technical decision victory over Kessler – a choice enforced by the California State Athletic Commission.

Sauerland claimed that Reiss’ appointment was contrary to the Super Six tournament regulations drawn up in conjunction with organizer Showtime, which stipulates a requirement for neutral officials and judges.

“I have another fighter, Arthur Abraham, who could also come up against Ward,” Sauerland told Yahoo! Sports. “I would never bring him to California, for 100 percent not.

“Why should we come to a place where there is a commission who says the referee has to come from there? We protested but there is no chance, so we have to go in the future to states where they also allow neutral referees.”

Sauerland said the promoters have contracts stipulating that the fights need to be refereed by neutral officials and that the issue could have caused “a big fuss” and the cancellation of the fight.

“I don’t think it helps in this case, but our fellow promoters on this know now what is happening,” he said. “Andre Ward is the only one who has three home fights, the other guys all have to travel. So I think there will be a lot of attention on this in the future.”

Ward was crowned WBA champion when the contest went to the judges’ scorecards, with the fight being stopped in the 11th round due to cuts on Kessler’s face caused by an accidental headbutt. Two judges scored it 98-92 to the American, a third ruling 97-93.

Ward’s promoter, Dan Goossen, has ambitious plans for his fighter that involve tapping into the his strong support base in the Bay Area, where more than 10,000 showed up to the Oracle Arena to see him defeat Kessler.

With Saturday’s spectacular display likely to have dramatically increased Ward’s support, Goossen even floated the possibility that if Ward qualified for the final of the Super Six, the championship bout could be held outdoors at the Oakland Coliseum.

However, if Sauerland and the other Super Six promoters refuse to agree to bouts in California from the semifinal stage onward, it could create severe friction and a potential stalemate.

Ward’s next two fights are scheduled to be against fellow Americans Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell, with both set to be held in Oakland. However, Taylor and Dirrell are widely considered to be the boxers most likely to be eliminated when the six-man field is cut to four after the round-robin stage.

That would mean there is a strong likelihood of Ward being paired up with either Abraham or Kessler in a semifinal bout. England’s Carl Froch is another potential opponent, and Froch’s promoter, Mick Hennessy, would need little encouragement in pushing for a home fight in Nottingham, England, rather than a trip to the U.S.

Given the strength of conviction held by both Sauerland and Goossen, discussions could reasonably be expected to become mired in a stalemate, as neither promoter would be keen on giving up home advantage and the associated spinoffs.

[COACH WEBB]

lol...its going to ruin boxing? hmm....ok.

[Benny Leonard]

American refs let their home fighters get away with hoding and headbutting.
Having Jack Reiss work the fight was in voilation of the Super Six contract:
................

So this doesn't happen in Europe or any other part of the World?

Refs around the world are by the book?

Anyway, rules seem to be always be bent in the American system of boxing for the most part when it comes to fights. As far back to bare-knuckle boxing, I would guess that refs tried not to play a big role in enforcing all the rules. The more stoppages in the fight, the more points taken and straight to DQ wins...fans get rowdy. They pay good money. I suspect the Promoters would be involved in this as well. Don't get refs that are very strict. Just let them fight. More FIGHT than a Sport.

Just the way it is. Old Timers broke/bent the rules all the time. Maybe that's why American boxing through the ages can be deemed the tougher stage to be on...besides the tougher competition through the years.

Just think of how many fighters may have not won matches if fights were by the book.