Two questions about Andre Ward

I understand what you're saying and, like I said, if you look at 2 or 3, you could say it could be an accident. However, this same thing happened throughout the fight. By round 10, Ward knew that every time he moved his head in that direction, there was a clash of heads, yet he still did it. As the fight progressed, he lunged in harder and faster.

Whether he was actually thinking "Right, I'm gonna headbutt him right now" is obviously impossible to say. However, did he know he was going to connect? I think we can all agree on that.

Maybe saying it was deliberate is harsh. One thing I would stand by, is that he was deliberately careless. If he was getting cut off these headbutts, no way would so many have occurred. Had he been warned, he could have stopped them from happening so often too.

 

Definitely. It was a very good performance from him, no question.

 

Honestly, I see why people praise Ward highly. He has a good style but I think he makes a lot of mistakes too. The amount of times he leaps in with absolutely no defence, isn't good. Sooner or later, when he fights someone that doesn't have a big gap between offence and defence, he's going to get tagged on the way in, time and time again.

Looking at a few Froch fights, that's one thing I think may play a big part. Watch Froch stroll casually around the ring, hands down with his chin behind his shoulder. He's open to anything you can imagine but as soon as the opponent strikes, he counters. That's dangerous for Ward and he must avoid the counter right uppercut because he has zero defence against it, when lunging in.

The key for Ward right now though, is his jab. It's his best shot and when he throws the left from a southpaw stance, that seems hard to figure out. However, whilst he does have a lot going for him, he must be careful. He's not really evasive, he can be hurt and at times he forgets defence altogether. Against someone like Froch, that could be a worry for him.

Froch/Ward/Bute are the clear elite at 168 though, even if neither Ward or Bute have a resume to match Froch's. I think all three can beat each other.