Two of my fav fighters right now. I say that both have the mindset of champions and desire for greatness. But in the ring, they are different. Bradley gets wreckless at times and has a lot of flaws. He comes forward and throws a ton of punches, exposing himself. His heart, hand speed and natural talent have made him successful however. Never understimate the heart of a warrior. Ward is much more of a defensive minded fighter, just like Hopkins. He thinks defense first. He's always trying to control the distance. Either way outside or on the inside. He's got much more variety in his game.
I'm highly entertained by both of their fights. I feel most of the crying about both of these fighters has to do with them being black Americans.
Ward is a much more complete fighter than Bradley and simply better overall but there are vague similarities in that they are both good because they are relatively good at all areas of the game.
I've been making this comparison for a long time...primarily as part of a parallel comparison between Bradley-Alexander and Ward-Abraham for as long as those two match-ups have been discussed. Bradley is more the Ward type fighter...less physical gifts but every bit the thinker, and the mentally tougher and more determined to win. Alexander is more the Dirrell type, able to dazzle with speed and athleticism but lacking that fire within or the boxing IQ of a Ward or Bradley.
I don't know I think Dirrell has a better boxing IQ and is more competitive than Alexander. Alexander lost all my support with his ugly performance against Kotelnik (no ability to adjust) and his quitting against Bradley.
oh don't get me wrong. Dirrell is better than Alexander in almost everyway, but they remind me of eachother
I get what you are saying really with regards to athletic superiority vs. skill/grit/tenacity/smarts, it is just I think Dirrell has a slightly lower Boxing IQ than Ward but all the physical skills that a fighter could ask for.
Bradley goes head first and even if a headbutt occurs, he dont give a ****. Look at the Campbell fight.