Gennady Golovkin is a destroyer of men. One only needs to watch any of his last fifteen fights to figure such a thing out. His congeniality is offset by his sheer brutality in the ring. He hurts men, very badly, with a smile on his face.
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It has all come to an end, and although the outcome was what many had predicted, I don’t believe very many predicted such a dominant victory in favour of Andre Ward. On Saturday Ward cemented his status as a Top 5 pound for pound fighter. Everyone knew Ward was an incredibly talented boxer, one with a bright future, but the night of the Super Six final he put on an absolute masterclass in the sweet science. At every turn he was able to deny and frustrate the normally impressive Carl Froch and in the process made believers out of many (myself included).
My initial prediction was a Froch win by decision. In hindsight it seems like a ludicrous prediction as Ward was so absolutely dominate, but many experts before the fight were declaring a Ward win by decision in a close fight. The Oakland, CA born fighter ended up surprising almost everyone. Many thought he was good, many thought he was a better boxer than Froch but there’s very few who realized just how good he is.
Froch is a fighter known for always being game, occasionally imposing his will on opponents and showing sides of his ability no one thought were quite as advanced as they truly were. But he was unable to do anything of the sort Saturday night. He was certainly up for the fight, and the day we see the Cobra not willing to tear it up with an opponentwill be when we know he’s finished, but Ward kept him out of the fight almost completely. And any time Froch was able to hit some decent shots and take the fight to the inside Ward answered back and stood toe to toe. The fight wasn’t memorable in terms of action but I do believe it was Ward’s coming out party as one of the best in the world.
The big question fight fans are left with is where do we go from here? In my opinion there needs to be a fight between Lucian Bute and Froch sometime in the Spring. Many will say the fight that needs to be made is Bute versus Ward for 168 pound supremacy, but if we’re being honest Bute has not faced the level of competition Ward and Froch have over the course of the Super Six so I think his first test is against the runner-up in the tournament. Whoever prevails in that contest should face Ward next. Even if it ends up being a rematch between Froch and Ward, I do believe Froch is able to learn enough to make a second fight more competitive. As for who Ward fights in the mean time, I think the tune up fight is against whoever he decides as he now has that power. Anthony Dirrell is making noise about a WBC mandatory defense, and if Ward decides to go that route I think it’d be a good fight to make in the mean time.
Regardless of what happens now, 2011 has proven an interesting year in the fight game. Sergio Martinez and Andre Ward have both cemented themselves as the best in their weight classes and hopefully 2012 provides the opportunity for others to do the same.
This Saturday, the journey is at an end. Through its multitude of ups and downs, Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament is finally coming to a conclusion and it is the exact sort of match up they would have wanted from the very beginning. It’s also turned out that it’s a fight fans are now clamouring to see.
Carl Froch. Andre Ward. Atlantic City. It has come down to this. Two very different boxers fighting for super middleweight supremacy. My prediction: Carl Froch by decision. That even to me feels like a bold declaration, but I’m not discouraged by the chorus of experts saying Andre Ward by decision.
Let me clear one thing up right away, I don’t believe Froch is a better boxer than Ward. I believe Froch is a better fighter. I would have to be either blind or delusional to think that Ward is not the more talented of these two fighters, his proficiency for the technical aspects of the sweet science has been exhibited throughout this tournament. But Froch has displayed something I think is much more important: heart. He’s shown an undying desire to impose his will on his opponents. He regularly fights away from home, opening himself up to the chance of suspicious losses by decision. He’s gone up against a string of opponents that no one else in the sport right now can match. And he’s made it to the final.
Froch will certainly have his hands full with Ward, but he’s experienced adversity before. He’s shown an ability to adapt and overcome as the situation calls for it and I think in the end that will make the difference. Regardless, it’s going to be one hell of a night.
Is there any doubt that Carl Froch’s KO victory over Lucian Bute puts him in the class of not only the best British fighter out there today, but possibly all time? He still has things left to do and scores he needs to settle (you listening Mikkel Kessler?) but his current run of fights is one of the toughest of all time. Although we here at For The Suits certainly believed that Lucian Bute was simply not at Froch’s level, the general consensus in the boxing media seemed to be Froch was the underdog. The bookies had him one as well. But the quality of competition that competed in Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament certainly showed itself with “The Cobra’s” mauling of Bute. Any worries about favoritism being shown on the cards at the end of 12 rounds quickly went out the window on Saturday evening when it became clear Froch had no plans to let the fight get that far. So here’s to Nottinghams finest, Carl “The Cobra” Froch. His lady ain’t half bad either.
It was announced today that the May 26th showdown between Lucian Bute and Carl Froch will be aired on the Epix network in the US. Now “The Cobra” is our boy, but Bute is a dangerous cat. He agreed to go to England for the fight and the boy has just a bit of ability now doesn’t he? Watch the video and admire one of the best body punchers in the game today. This fight can’t come fast enough.
For The Suits 