When did fightin out of a clinch become illegal???

"bad spectator" wrote

Nope. Kessler's tactic for dealing with the holding was the right one. Ward likes to punch, grab, push away, punch... repeat. That way he doesn't have to worry about counters so much, or anyone timing him on the way out. Berto does the same thing. Kessler was tying him up when ever Ward leaped in and grabbed. That eliminated the leap away punch... or it would have except the ref wasn't breaking them so long as Ward had a hand free.

As others have said, myself included, Ward won the fight in an overall very good performance, but that doesn't mean you can just brush away all those little details which spoiled the fight.

 

I'd like someone to point out the "devastating headbutt" in the second round that allegedly screwed up Kessler for the entire fight and that Ward should have been disqualified for. I've watched it three times on my DVR and I don't see it.

A lot of butthurt people here are just making **** up.

 

Oh god yeah.. Ward was superb appart from the butting of course he deserved to win - and I say that as a man that lost good money on kessler and was sure Kessler had it in the bag. Kessler was flat and showed a complete lack of an inside game.

As I have posted in other threads since the fight dirty fighting has always been part of boxing and a pro boxer of Kesslers stature should have techniques to counter it. I hate to bring up calzaghe again (it all I seem to have done lately) but when he's been in with a guy that butts he dealt with appropriately... at times even getting points deducted for headbutting himself. A boxer need to give as good as they get. If the ref is allowing it to go you need to protect yourself from it or let the other guy know that if he butts he's going to get it back.

As for what I would have done as the ref... well I would like to think I would have seen ones like the one at the end of the third and given a warning then and maybe some others. Had a I seen the one in the 8th after a couple of warning that would have been a point off probably. The one in the 10th, even without previous warning deserved a point off, no question though. I've sen fighters DQ'd for less to be honest. As the ref wasnt warning from early on I think it got a bit out of hand, and I lay the blame with the ref for that, not ward.

 

I think it was doubly odd since that was before the gash opened over his left eye so I'm not sure how a headbutt was the blame. He couldn't see because Ward hit him in the eye with so many jabs and straight rights. Unless someone wants to content that Kessler couldn't see because Ward butted him so hard that he was concussed and blinded from brain trauma, which I believe we would have heard about, that was all Ward's punches.

 

The Ward fans have been cutting down Vlad for clinching. Ward was not clinching, he was holding, there is a difference.

The huge billy goat head butt was illegal, Ward should have been disqualified, but that is a good reason that Ward refused to fight the tournament unless he got all his fights in his home town. Even after he got caught with all three of he judges, he still got the referee! Ward knew he could get by with anything and he did.

 

Every time Kessler let go of the clinch, he got tagged. It was better for Kessler to hang on because his infighting is like you say. It's bad.

 

Doesn't exist. People seem to be counting any time that their heads were in reasonable proximity as a butt. Or any time Ward laid his head up against Kesslers in the clinch. There were a couple of butts, and one at the end of the fight that was bad enough that a point could have been taken, but Kessler was so far gone by then that it wouldn't have mattered.

 

Yes. It is a joke that the ref didnt pick either of those two up.

 

Dude, are you crazy? Those aren't headbutts. You just pointed out instances where their heads were rested together in the clinch.

 

Ward's personal referee really came in handy. Kessler was so naive to think he could get a fair fight in Ward's home town. Ward got caught cheating with the judges, all three his own judges, then Kessler fought him with his ref?! The huge billy goat head butt was so clearly intentional, yet Ward's personal referee said nothing and also said nothing about the low blows, some landed on Kessler's hip and even below! Holding was also bad. Why is it that Ward refused to fight unless it was in his home town? I guess we got the reason. It's a shame, he could have won fairly without illegal tactics? Perhaps? Whatever, all the cuts cause Kessler lots of problems. Ward was awared a tech dec because of a very blatant, Illegal, head butt, A neutral referee would have disqualified Ward. The huge billy goat head butt was so clearly intentional that is was unbelievable. Ward's ref sure came in handy. It is a shame that the fight was not on the level, could have been a really good win for Ward. Winning by illegal head butt is not good for boxing.

 

I agree with this. The only clear headbutts I saw in the fight were the ones in the 9th and the 11th that caused the cut over Kessler's right eye and ultimately led to the stoppage. After re-watching the fight, I've got absolutely no respect for the clowns who have been on this ridiculous rant about Ward's tactics.