I like Ward's footwork here. Turns him. And what he won't do is throw and stand there waiting for a receipt. That's what James wants of course. Decision bout all the way and tons of baiting and talking and taunting. Lots of feints from way way on the outside. But very very few exchanges. Winner, or loser, takes on Hugo Corro and we the fans can prepare for some more excitement.
Great friggin match-up! Not sure I've ever seen this one mentioned. I can state 2 facts; 1. JT was a hot/cold fighter who didn't give a gosh darn about discipline. 2. Ward retired never having a fight he lost on the scales or bad preparation, so it means JT beats him only/if he trains right. The JT that fought Roy had to lose too much too soon, that version loses to Ward. The version that fought McCallum? Man, tough fight I'll stay the fence and say draw! JT is more rounded, great wisdom, but it's hard for me to give a loss to a fighter than never had one on their record.
Close fight. Ward's movement, jab, and clever style could pose a big problem for Toney. Toney's defense and counter punching skills would give Ward something to think about and would have to choose to box on the outside. 50/50 fight, with Toney trying to push the fight. The good thing about this match up is that Toney's superior infighting skills won't allow Ward to fight his usual mauling/wrestling tactics, and I believe this would have been a watchable chess match for the purists.
I'll say personally that the Toney that faced McCallum would definitely lose to Ward. Mike gave him a boat load of trouble in their fights, especially the first. Against ward he gets a big L on his record.
I always thought Toney was at his best as a super middle not middleweight. The one thing that was not mentioned so far is the hand speed of Toney, which I think is superior to Ward's. That could become a factor too.
