His performance against Donaire was impecable. Out of this world. And Donaire is one of the best fighters in the world! Ward will unfortunately never have the chance to fight someone as good as Donaire... ...and certainly, Ward's level of performance given the performance of his best opponents (Kessler, Froch) was not in any way as high as Rigondeaux' given the level of performance of Donaire last night. Both Olympic champions, both extremely skilled fighters, both hugely talented, hugely intelligent, great ring-generals... great at everything they do... but for me, Rigondeaux is slightly better. Agree?
I think he is but we will have to wait for a few years for him to prove it, Ward has faced every kind of style Rigondeaux hasnt, so its too early to say
This is a bit off topic... but has Rigo ever fought a pressure fighter with a chin. He can box with anyone but i don't think he throws enough to keep that style off him.
Ward is more proven as a pro right now, but Rigondeaux just secured the best win of either of their careers. I think Rigondeaux is the better fighter.
Not quite every type. If he had fought Dirrell at 168 or Dawson at 175, then yeah, but Ward still needs to beat a very athletic, slick fighter at their natural weights. I agree Rigondeaux is slightly less proven, but I don't think we need to wait years. I think the next 2-3 fights should be more than sufficient (even allowing for a rematch against Donaire).
I don't think he needs to throw that much the way he moves and the way he defends. I think the great pressure fighter with a great chin would get stopped on a cut/closed eye or on a body-shot if he keeps coming.
i think Ward is more welll rounded. he's got good outside boxing ability, but he's got great inside game as well, something i haven't seen from Rigo yet... which might be due to being in pros longer than Rigo.. i've seen Ward adapt to certain situations when things don't go his way, haven't yet seen that from Rigondeaux, but he only has 11 fights. i think he's more physically gifted and packs a bigger punch tho.. but anyway, Rigo beating Donaire is a great win and i hope his age doesn't stop his improvement and he learns to be an even more solid pro..
Well, we'll see how Rigo performs against a guy like Mares. Rigo is not 'greater' than Ward YET (although he is greater as an amateur). Rigo is BETTER than Ward though.
Ward's inside game is impressive, i was suprised when he started bullying Froch, and pushing him back Froch looked like a lost kid
Very fair, good post. I also think Ward is more well-rounded, and he probably takes a punch better too, but I think Rigondeaux is so much better in the areas he excels in that he can more than bridge the gap. One thing about Ward, though,... he does use his head too when he feels in trouble. Nothing wrong with that gamesmanship wise, but Rigondeaux doesn't do that and I count that in his favour. :good
I think Rigo is more skilled but I voted too hard to seperate them. Ward has more good wins on his resume (Super 6, Dawson) but Rigo's win over Donaire is probably the best win of them all. Rigo has brilliant movement, Ward is probably better at in-fighting due to his style. Rigo is more skilled but I have them at the same tier in P4P lists at the moment
Quite frankly he is the most skilled boxer on the planet. He is well and truly head and shoulders above Ward who is not only vastly overated but also utterly unwatchable