adminDespite his incredible recent record, Nottingham’s Froch (now 28-2, 20KOs) was rated as generously as 14/5 by some bookmakers to win while Ward (now 25-0, 13KOs) had been quoted at 4/11.
A Ward left hook was the highlight of a quiet opener as Froch landed a jab but then took two accurate jabs.
Sharp jabs and left hooks, combined with his trademark awkwardness, were edging it for Ward in the early exchanges.
Froch landed a solid left-right double to Ward’s body in the closing moments of the second but Ward had surely taken the points over the three minutes.
A close third was busier but Ward’s quick jab and smart left hooks were giving him the advantage while Froch had to be content with sporadic but solid body shots.
Ward’s weakness is supposedly his lack of power but a right hand landed hard on Froch’s chin after being set up by a flick of the jab.
Ward, not Froch, was forcing the issue and had his opponent looking uncomfortable on the ropes.
Froch roared back though, firing off winging shots which were untidy and largely inaccurate but still got Ward off his case for a moment, only for the
American to finish strongly with another left hook. Two more searing lefts began the fifth brightly for Ward. Froch later chased him across the canvas only to be picked off once again by the cool Californian.
A rare jab landed for Froch but Ward still had the upper hand.
Froch, whose nose had been reddening since the early stages, was making more of an argument of it but a right in the sixth was Ward’s best work at that point.
Froch then landed a power shot but was stung by a left coming the other way as the fight threatened to burst into life.
Froch desperately needed to revert to a back-up plan and force Ward into a fight but that was easier said than done against the skilful and canny American.
The first sign of contentious tactics saw Froch warned for an unorthodox shot with the back of the hand before Ward held him off dubiously after being caught by a rare body shot.
Froch jumped forward with a left hand but still lost the eighth – which ended with Froch catching Ward with a naughty shot after the bell.
Ward trapped Froch in a neutral corner in the ninth and chopped in a right hand but the Englishman showed his resistance to shake it off and at least try to battle back. A right landed to little effect before both men traded in the centre of the ring.
Froch won perhaps his first round of the night in the ninth as he threw more jabs from his hip and finally started following them up with straight rights.
Froch fired off a powerful right in the 11th and was belatedly making a real fight of it but at that stage it looked too little, too late.
It was time for Froch to lay it all on the line in the 12th but he needed a knockout, and was not helped by a time out for Ward’s mouthguard to be rinsed and put back in.
Ward tried to keep Froch at arm’s length while the Englishman scored with an uppercut.
Ward had the crowd on their feet as he coasted to the win via a unanimous decision with scores of 115-113 by two judges and 118-110 by the third, British judge John Keane.
Froch gave a candid assessment of his performance.
“I had a bad night,” he said. “I couldn’t get anything going. That’s due to Andre Ward’s defensive skills. He’s very slippery and tricky in close”.—Dailymail.
Online Reporter