This is my list: 1. Bika: An ugly hard fight. 2. Kessler: A fairly even fight until Kessler was concussed. Then Ward controlled it from there. 3. Abraham: Ward in the lead from the start, but had a lot of respect for AA's power all the time. 4. Froch: Ward was ahead from start til finish, but still respected Froch's power. 5. Dawson: Ward mopped the floor with Dawson, who was floored repeatedly early on. Ward showed no respect for Dawson whasoever, and Dawson got the biggest schooling Ward has dished out so far using clean effective boxing.
If you take away the fights that Ward lost to Bika and Boone, then i think Froch gave Ward his toughest fight and perhaps would have won a decision had it been a 12 round fight.
If we go by the official scorecards - Froch and then Kessler, gave Ward the toughest fights: 1. Froch: Ward ahead by 4 points after 12. 4/12. (Ward with a fractured hand) 2. Kessler: Ward ahead by 5 points after 10 rounds. 5/10. 3. Abraham: Ward ahead by 7.5 points after 12 rounds. 7.5/12. 4. Bika: Ward ahead by 10 points after 12. 10/12. 5. Dawson: Ward ahead by 11 points after 9 rounds. 11/9. (Dawson was schooled like Lacy was by Calzaghe, and quit standing up... just quit)
Boone and Bika easily gave him his two hardest fights. After that it's pretty irrelevant. I'm huge fans of both Froch and Kessler but they were both well beaten. Arguing over a round here or there is pointless.
The hardest fight andre ward had was against a aging sakio bika it was "a life-and-death struggle". After the fight ward's mum said that bika made her baby's face all red
Yeah I agree with this. Dawson had the potential to give Ward all sorts of trouble, but he simply cut too much weight.
I havn't seen the Boone fight but from the ones I have seen Bika and also I was surprised how much success Arthur had the first 3-4 rounds.
No-one said the fight was even? The first 4 rounds were fairly even (also on the official judges in Oakland's scorecards). Therefore... "the first 4 rounds were fairly even until Kessler got concussed".
1. Froch- won a few rounds, somewhat competitive in some more 2. Bika- won a couple rounds, roughed up Ward even in decisively lost rounds 3. Abraham- fight was even thru 4 rounds with Arthur looking surprisingly competitive 4. Kessler- had a pulse for the first half of the fight 5. Dawson- was very competitive thru 2 rounds Really though, it's just Froch and Bika and if those are the two toughest fights he's had with the resume he has, I'd say that's pretty damn elite.
Must have misunderstood. I suppose it can be viewed that way. That's really the only positive that Kessler can take out of it. He lost a lot in that fight. Between the headbutta, future $, the S6, and the fight itself, it was a big crossroads in his career.