On the FNF interview, Chad said he was 178 lbs..then on another interview earlier this week, he said he was 176. He's taking the weight off slowly, which is good. Will probably only have to sweat out 4-6 lbs to make weight. I'm feeling very confident in a Chad victory.
Though they're raw skills and talent are of a near identical level, when push comes to shove, Andre's the one who will be doing the pushing and the shoving. He's just the more intelligent, mentally stronger man of the two. Ward by clear UD in a competitive, tactical fight. He'll be the boss the whole way through.
Ward's talent is overrated. Dawson is a level above in pure phyiscal attributes. Bigger, faster, better reflexes.
Ward is under-rated physically, and the way to beat Dawson isn't so much the physical route IMO. Ward will fight right up against his chest, and not concede ground, educated footwork will keep Dawson from pivoting away and using his hook. You'll see an ugly inside fight, and a P4P number two emerge. The best Chad Dawson, can't beat the best Andre Ward, not in my eyes.
Ward doesn't fight on the inside. He excessively clinches and hits while holding..and as he closes the gap, he jumps in a lot with his hands down. He's never been in with a guy who is physically superior to him in every way.
Thats the key take the weight off little by little so your body can adjust .Im wondering if that was Glen Johnson's approach :think
When it comes to skills, timing and accuracy Ward has him beat though. Dawson is fast and can fight but he isn't an accurate puncher. That combined with his sometimes lack of focus and not the best stamina should mean that Ward wins it imo. Speaking on Dawson's fitness I found it interesting that Dawson runs every morning and doesn't lift weights. I think that explains his lack of anaerobic fitness and punching power. He always looks as if he can't step it up another gear, I think the constant long slow runs have a lot to do with that.
Ward is extremely sloppy at times...which is why he holds a lot. He tends to get out of position very quickly. His timing has looked great against guys who can't make him pay for mistakes. Froch is a crude 1 handed fighter. Kessler is a one eyed one handed fighter. This is an enormous step up for Ward.
I'm gonna "pick" Ward, but with the odds I'm going to bet Dawson (VCASH), I think it's a close fight that can go either way. Gonna be a great fight, can't wait...