Dunno but I'm very curious to see how this fight pans out. Ward away from home, AA's last chance to redeem himself in the tournament. All this makes for interesting viewing IMO.
I expect Ward to win this. But there is always a change. All wad has to do is lose his concentration. I think it is unlikely though and I would have Ward 3/5 on for this if I was a bookie.
In California - but LA not Oakland - he's 400 miles from home which is the furthest he's travelled for the tournie.
Poor ****er fighting a German/Armenian 400 miles from his own home. Thats nothing to Yanks, they don't worry about those sort of distances like us Brits do....
Someone must have signed off on those group stage fights though..... Who was he originally down to have? Kessler, Taylor and Dirrell.... really he ought to have been in Denmark for that one - then the two fights in the States. Americans are funny about travelling though, is it true that nearly 80% of them don't have a passport? Frank Warren should promote over there
When people say "Ward should fight away from home", him fighting in California against a German based Armenian isn't really what they had in mind. What people meant, was everyone in the tournament had travelled, all of them. Taylor went to Germany, Abraham fought Dirrell in America, Dirrell came to London, Froch went to America and Denmark and Helsinki, Kessler went to America and Britain. Ward? ****. All. I get that he's a champion, and good enough on him, but it doesn't wash since a real ****ing champion has already shown they don't stay in their den until someone rips it away from them, Froch and Kessler did no such thing. The tournament was set up to pretty much make it fair on everyone and all parties would have to travel at some point, before the finals. Ward hasn't done that, and he's had two fights in the tournament along with a replacement fight, which was set for America and in his hometown anyway. I guess its down to the setup considering if he didn't fight Green he would've fought Taylor, right? And he's American? However, it's just not fair Ward gets to stay in his little shithole and have everyone come to him, and now he gets away with the whole "finals in America" thing, so he never has to leave. I hope Froch gets into the final and says he'll fight in England or not at all, because he ****ing deserves to. Let's see how Showtime combat that when they've got a warrior on one side, who has a fanbase in the US now and you've got a headbutting twat on the other who won't leave his comfort zone, and the world wants to see them fight. Froch can drop Ward if he wanted to, but he won't and he'll go into his comfort zone because that's the type of fighter he is. Hopefully Bute gets his hands on Ward if Froch doesn't do the job which I'm not holding out for. He's just the antithesis of this tournament. You know, the whole thing stems from the very beginning, you've got two European World Champions. Froch got his defense in the UK, and Kessler should've got his in Denmark, and there woulda been no cause for complaints. Instead, Kessler has to fight elsewhere in his title defense when Ward gets a ****ing US fighter in his next fight anyway! How is that fair? That means win or lose, Ward still doesn't have to travel, where Froch and Abraham did, and Kessler, Dirrell and Taylor all already had. It really pisses me off.
That man is definitely connected "up there" to sort of out fight locations the way he has (or just connected at Showtime!!)
The only fight Ward should have had away from home was possibly Kessler. It would have made no sense to have the Green and Bika fights anywhere else. Like Alexander he has a good hometown following which is all too rare in the US now. As for this fight I think Abraham has little more than a slight puncher's chance.
AA's only chance is the stoppage. He'll need to up his endeavours by 100% from his Froch showing. Looks a deflated athlete nowadays. Nothing like the beast he was when trading at 160, and he knows it. Given ward's style the action could get messy, with plenty of in-ring whinging.. Would love the smurfman to pull it off though.
Great thing about the Super 6 is it will show someone for what they are. Abrahams is a good fighter. If he wasn't int he Super 6, he would be considered one of the best due to matchmaking. Fighting tough fight after tough fight could see him face 3 losses in a row. Froch has shined. Taylor is done. Dirrell is gutless. Hard fights show what a fighter really has. Most fighters would have one tough fight and 3 easy match ups before risking another big fight.
Can't disagree with that. Froch's stock has certainly risen globally because of it, and well deserved too. Would like to see ward tested away from home though.
I think Kessler either got shafted or got a sweetener because thats the fight that Ward should have travelled for.