| 17 December 2011
Nick says...
So it's come to this. What started out more than two years ago as a noble experiment will finally reach its conclusion. I'm talking about the Super Six World Boxing Classic, and while Andre Ward and Carl Froch aren't necessarily battling for undisputed supremacy at 168 pounds (because of the existence of one Lucian Bute), the winner of the tournament final will certainly have earned the nifty trophy he'll receive.
Revelation is probably too strong a word for the impression Ward has made on his way through the event, since boxing pundits have long expected he had the potential to be something special. A victory in Atlantic City would mostly cement that idea, and Ward's tricky outside-inside game makes him tough to beat.
Except that beating people is what Froch does (unless your name is Mikkel Kessler, it seems), and especially for American fans who didn't know much about him going in, The Cobra has been the find of the tournament. He can box or brawl as circumstances dictate, and he's more athletically gifted than he appears at first glance.
Froch's big problem may be that Ward has yet to taste defeat as a pro, meaning there's no blueprint to beating him. The only thing the former Olympic medalist lacks is scary power, but he's shown during the Super Six that he's plenty tough and rugged enough to give better than he gets if his opponent wants to stand and slug it out.
There are numerous other questions waiting to be answered: How will Ward react if he has to come from behind on the cards? Can Froch's punching power, which hasn't been all that devastating during the tournament, pop back up and be the x-factor in the fight? Is Ward able to feel comfortable as the fighter constantly coming forward? Will the fact that the fight is in the U.S. favor the American boxer if the bout is close?
So even though this probably won't end up as an all-action classic, it's a fight with its own share of intrigue. That also means it's a tricky task to pick a winner.
Froch has made me a believer, and I know I'm not alone. Yet my gut tells me Ward has a higher upside, and while it's not guaranteed to show itself tonight, he'll win if it does.
Expect to see a close, nip-and-tuck affair with neither man winning too many consective rounds. I doubt will see a knockout, but when the final bell rings, I think it will be Ward taking the trophy by close, possibly majority decision.
