Andre Ward - Break this guy down. What makes him so great?

[cixthree]

Ward couldn't be classified as the fastest, most powerful, maybe not even the smartest, but many think he's the most unbeatable fighter in the sport today. The things that Ward does in the ring are extremely subtle. Most don't really understand the things that he does that makes him so difficult to fight so this thread is a bit of a test...

What are the things that Ward does that makes him so great and effective? Be specific...

Hes less flawed than most of today's fighters, fundamentals are the key.
There are only 2 keys to beating Ward.
1. An extreamly athletic fighter (Roy Jones)
2. An extreamly smart fighter (B Hop, James Toney)

[Tmann400]

Ward is deceptively rangy. Dawson said himself, that Ward is way faster and way stronger then he thought. Ward's smothering ability and inside fighting ability is on the level of Duran IMO. And he has severely underrated outside boxing skills, I was saying before the Dawson fight that people were going to be surprised how well he'd do on the outside against Dawson, and that he would out-jab Chad. Even the people who picked Ward said he'd have to go inside, I disagreed. He made Dawson look slow. Ward has what I call artificial speed. It's a created speed. It all comes down to his mastery of range and distance. That's what gives him the edge over more athletically gifted fighters like Dawson and Dirrell.

Ward is also very physically strong. He pushed guys around like Froch and Bika. Early in fights Ward likes to get close to his opponent, and impose his strength, and show them he's the boss, and he takes their will. Then, Ward makes himself a very difficult target to hit, that's how he gets inside your head and makes you think you can't hit him. And, once he see's that his opponent is tentative, he opens up.

Ward's whole game plan revolves around making you second guess yourself. All in all though to put it down to a couple of things that make him special..

I'd say, his movement. The subtle feints and pivoting that puts his opponents out of position.

His smothering ability. He doesn't clinch, but he will lunge inside to smother your punching range. He'll throw a shot or two and be gone.

His timing, ability to use angles and control distance, and range. For a guy with a short reach, he can punch well from long distances. As well as pump a very strong, fast, rhythm disrupting jab. When's the last time you've seen Dawson get tapped up with a stiff jab, as well as be out-jabbed like he was against Ward?...That's right, never.

Last but not least, his mental toughness, focus, and his ability to adjust quickly. If Ward gets hit from a certain angle, he instantly knows how to defense it instantly. His focusing ability is on par with Mayweather and the Klitschko's. At the highest level, very few can compete with Ward's focus. And, his underrated physical and mental toughness, this guy stayed fully focused while guys like Froch and Kessler were charging right at him throwing monstrous punches at him. And was able to stay poised and focused enough to stay in position and counter effectively. Think about it, what is the main instruction you'll hear Virgil Hunter scream at Ward??..."Stay focused. And stay resolved"

Ward also has many more tools but these are some of the most important IMO.

[sicko]

Ward is good at EVERYTHING and that is what makes him extremely difficult to beat

His biggest weakness is what? His Lack Of Power? But that is the most overrated attributes in boxing today is "POWER" especially when most of these guys don't even know how to setup their Power

Ward to me is as close you can get to a complete package and just like B-Hop I see Ward dominating in and around his division for a VERY LONG TIME! And like B-Hop against One-Dimensional Power Punchers, they have their easiest times against those guys...it is going to take legit BOXING SKILLS to beat Ward, I thought Andre Dirrell at one time would have a legit chance at beating Ward but that Window has closed now mostly because of Dirrell's long Layoffs

[Mike_R]

Ward reminds me of Hopkins in many ways- they have a different set of tools but they both negate their opponent's strengths. I would say that Ward actually is one of the smarter top fighters right now.

[.:: JSFD26 ::.]

I don't judge fighters based on their out of the ring persona or personality. As a true boxing fan, you shouldn't either.

What now?

[Russian Crushin]

The fact that he wins

[#1Assassin]

the main things to me is he is very fundamentally sound and has very few flaws, he is not only extremely well rounded but he has the intelligence to know when to apply certain aspects of his game.

if you look at his defense he can block and parry, he can move his head and he can use his feet.

offensively he has a complete arsenal of punches including a great jab, he can put brilliant combinations together, work the body and lead or counter.

he blends offense and defense very well using an excellent sense of distance, brilliant timing, a superb understanding of angles and an ability to fight at any distance or pace.

not only is he so extremely skilled and smart but hes one of the most physicly talented fighters in boxing too and tough as nails to boot. his determination gets overlooked a lot. like his skills his athletic qualities are good or great in all areas. great speed of foot and hand, great reflexes, excellent coordination great chin, great stamina and very, very strong.

his physical strength is very underrated, froch said ward was extremely strong and it threw him off because he didnt expect it. wards team being extremely smart they said that would happen before the fight, that froch would realize he wasnt the stronger man in there and once he did he would get confused and come apart.

ward is an atg in the making for sure.

[Dr Rumack]

As Carl Froch said, he's always either too close or too far away.

[IronDanHamza]

the main things to me is he is very fundamentally sound and has very few flaws, he is not only extremely well rounded but he has the intelligence to know when to apply certain aspects of his game.

if you look at his defense he can block and parry, he can move his head and he can use his feet.

offensively he has a complete arsenal of punches including a great jab, he can put brilliant combinations together, work the body and lead or counter.

he blends offense and defense very well using an excellent sense of distance, brilliant timing, a superb understanding of angles and an ability to fight at any distance or pace.

not only is he so extremely skilled and smart but hes one of the most physicly talented fighters in boxing too and tough as nails to boot. his determination gets overlooked a lot. like his skills his athletic qualities are good or great in all areas. great speed of foot and hand, great reflexes, excellent coordination great chin, great stamina and very, very strong.

his physical strength is very underrated, froch said ward was extremely strong and it threw him off because he didnt expect it. wards team being extremely smart they said that would happen before the fight, that froch would realize he wasnt the stronger man in there and once he did he would get confused and come apart.

ward is an atg in the making for sure.

Good post. Agreed on almost all parts.

Ward is very good in most areas, exceptional in some, one the inside and timing IMO. His mental strength is also one of his best assets.

I'm not sold on his stamina yet though. He was certainly fading in the Froch fight.

[B.U.R.N.E.R]

Great at controlling the distance
Great at inside fighting
Great accuracy
Great smarts
Very good strength
Doesnt waste punches
Doesnt waste energy
Mentally tough


**** I could keep going. He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but outside of Mayweather there is not a fighter alive as good as he is.