I suppose they talked to the California boxing commision, don't you think so? In Quebec, the local commission agreed to mandate American referees for Bute fights after the Andrade 1 fight. That was for the good of boxing here. California should do the same and Ward should ask for it. Firmly. If he does not, we'll believe his promoter is involved in this gimmick.
I don't see a way for Abraham to win this fight. While I'm still a fan of him, he hasn't shown anything in his last two fights (especially in the one against Froch) that makes me believe that he can actually win this fight. This said: Andre "Son Of a billy Goat" Ward is full of ****. The odd thing is (as already mentioned): he would win these fights without any hometown cooking. But in case the Cali commission sticks to their position, I'm awaiting another "accidental" headbutt fest. I know that chances are close to zero and eventhough Abraham's last performance _really_ disappointed me, I hope that he knocks Ward out. Ward would be much more likable to me if he wouldn't needlessly resort to dirty tricks that get ignored by his hometown referees on top of that.
Wow....Guys, I promise you that using your brain does not hurt, It's not painful at all. Ward's first fight in the tourney was with Kessler right...Are you following me so far? Then after that, he fought two replacement fighters. So are you telling me that Ward is supposed to travel to hometowns of fighters who wasn't even considered for the initial tournament. Allan Green is from Oklahoma...they wouldn't get 55 people see Green fight. Bika is a fighter from Cameroon, fighting out of Australia...are you telling me that one of the "Headlined" fighters in the tourney is supposed to travel across the globe to fight a REPLACEMENT?atsch The fights with Ward vs the "replacement fighters" were held in Oakland because Ward is the fighter with a following and they (promoters) could be assured that a solid crowd would be there....Plain and Simple as that...but somehow you guys think that a "conspiracy" is more believable?atsch:-( The sad part is that Ward entered this tournament with less than 20 fights (Dirrell too)...but somehow, people still hating.:-( Like I have always said...."Certain" have to fight Jesus Christ and King Kong with one-hand tied behind their back to get any credit. So you guys are right...IT'S A CONSPIRACY TO MAKE SURE THAT WARD WINS THE TOURNAMENT...SO EACH FIGHT WILL BE HELD IN OAKLAND WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AS JUDGES AND REFS.:-(
Yes, its certainly the meat-head on the left we all should blame! I dont like Wards fightstyle, but the bigger *******s are the people that helps him to get away with it!
why not go a state line over into Las Vegas or across the US to AC or NYC Its not a long trip and itll be neutral territory but in the US itll still be mostly his fans Why not LA in the Staples Center I think its dumb that hes the only guy who can fight all fights at home What if Dirrel fought Froch in the US would he have got the nod? Or if Froch fought Kessler in the UK would he have got the nod? I think all fighters should have to go through the same thing for fairness To be honest I think the tournament creators are at fault for not doing this in advance or just choosing 1 location for all the fights to be in and have all the fights on one card on one night
Well with the way Ward is going he`ll never get any credit or respect from the majority of boxing fans worldwide even if he does win the tourney. Froch is far more respected and admired because he takes on all and travels. If it comes down to Froch - Ward in the final and its at Wards backroom with all his friendly officials the fight will never happen. Showtime and there buddies in cali are imbecilic in thinking they can fool the fans in such a blatantly obvious fashion. Look at Ward in the top 10 P4P ????? only one word i can think of "Corruption"
Now this got out of control. It's not about Ward fighting home! You could create a different thread for this if you want. This is about Californian Boxing Commission protecting Ward by naming a local referee even tho Ward's and Abraham's teams previously reached a different agreement.
I hope a light bulb comes on inside the heads of some British fans and as they come to realise why no one admired or respected Calzaghe. Takes on all and travels...two things Slappy Joe never liked to do.
It doesn't have anything to do with protecting Ward, Abraham has no chance of winning on points so there's no reason to install biased judges. The California commision is just trying to install some of their buddies, they always try to do this. It's called cronyism. It sucks but it has nothing to do with trying to predetermine the outcome of the fight.
I agree. But he has a huge chance of winning by DQ with a neutral referee. Strip Ward of his dirty tactics and you're left with a ballerina.
How about saying it this way, he has a huge chance of having a fair fight with a neutral ref, rather than a dirty ward holding hitting and headbutting type of fight.
Get real. Abraham is dirtier than Ward and has a much greater chance of getting DQed by a neutral ref. Abrahams not going to get some bought German ref to take points away from his opponent for bogus low blow calls, and that's his only chance and that's why his fans want it in Germany. Hoping for a win by DQ just stinks of desperation.