Andre Ward has confirmed, once again, his skill and showed the world he truly is the best boxing super middleweight of the moment. Carl Froch, even though an excellent fighter himself, stood no chance in front of Ward’s speed and skill. Andre Ward outboxed him for twelve rounds and showed his supremacy inside the ring.

He thus unified the WBA and WBC world super middleweight titles and still remains undefeated, an impressive performance at this level, especially if we remember that he went through the Super Six World Boxing Classic unharmed and defeated some of the best in the business.

Two of the judges, Craig Metcalfe of Canada and American John Stewart scored it 115-113 for Ward, while British judge John Keane scored it 118-110 for the winner. Keane has seen through the fight a lot better than the other judges, which means his scoring reflects more accurately the true performance of Andre Ward.  The American boxer completely dominated his opponent, something than even Froch admitted after the fight, despite his usually big mouth. He acknowledged Ward’s superior speed and defensive skills, something that the Compubox stats confirm. Ward landed 243 of 573 punches (42 percent), while Froch only landed 156 of 683 blows (23 percent).

At only 27, Ward has a brilliant future ahead of him, and he is quickly imposing himself as one of the most complete boxers today. With great speed and defensive skills, he is comfortable in any position and any stance. The only thing he has been critiques for is his lack of power and inability to finish a fight. But if you’ve watched the fight with Froch attentively, you might have observed that this is not really true. Ward can hurt someone in the ring if he tries to, and he even rocked Froch a couple of times.

And, after all, there is more than one way of decisively winning a fight, and a unanimous decision can sometimes be just as spectacular as or even more spectacular than a knockout. The reasoning is pretty simple. If a knockout can be attributed to the puncher’s chance, fate and hazard play no part whatsoever in unanimously and decisively winning twelve consecutive rounds, something Ward can do. This can make boxing seem more like a sweet science than a street brawl, and allows an excellent technician to demonstrate his skills in front of a crowd that can appreciate them.

The biggest fight that now remains in the super middleweight division is another unification bout, between Ward and IBF champion, Lucian Bute, who was ringside Saturday night and probably looks forward to see what Ward is really made of. But the recently crowned Super Six winner is not that eager to meet the Romanian born Bute who, he says, still has to face some more serious names in the division in order for him to be taken seriously.

This Saturday, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the truth about the super middleweight division in boxing will unfold. Andre Ward will face Carl Froch in the finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament for the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles in order to determine who is the best super middleweight in the boxing world today? Of course, no matter who wins, the best super middleweight will probably never be truly acknowledged, especially since names such as Lucian Bute stand aside the Super Six and wait for the tournament to ends before claiming the right to fight the winner.

The final of the Super Six was scheduled for October 29 but due to a cut suffered by Ward during training it had to be delayed. There’s no secret concerning the big favorite of the finals, and the extremely skilled and undefeated Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KOs) is very likely to win the fight by decision. Carl Froch  (28-1, 20 KOs) has more power and the ability to knock Ward down at any time, but Ward is by far the more sophisticated of the two. Seven years younger than Froch, the Olympic boxing gold medalist is an excellent technician with a very solid defense. He has the speed to avoid his opponent’s power shots and the skills to outpoint him for 12 rounds. And, if it goes the distance, we should not forget that the fight will take place in the United States. Andre Ward will thus fight in his home country and, as ugly as it might seems, the judges and crowd are likely to favor him, just like they favored another American who recently faced a British fighter (Lamont Peterson in the fight with Amir Khan).

While everything seems to be in Ward’s favor, Froch is himself a great boxer, with an excellent stamina and resilience. He has a five inch reach advantage that he will try to use in his favor against Ward, who is undefeated in boxing since he was 12. No matter what the outcome will be Saturday night, we will witness a great fight with lots of action. The winner will unify the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles, but he will also leave home with The Ring Magazine super middleweight championship and the task to face Anthony Direll, Andre Dirrell’s brother, as ordered by the WBC. That means Lucian Bute will have to wait for the great super middleweight unification fight advertised, but Anthony Dirrell might make some waves of his own.

An Olympic bronze medalist, Anthony Dirrell would certainly like to face Froch instead of Ward, in an effort to avenge his brother for the loss suffered in 2009. With a good chin and impressive power, he could cause serious problems to either of the two and claim their belts and status. But it’s not really Dirrell they are after, but Lucian Bute. Froch and Ward both recognize Bute’s existence and undefeated status as a threat to their legitimacy and are decided to make him pay.

They say he has never faced any serious opposition and yet claims to be one of the best super middleweights in boxing. But in order to be the best, he must face the best. And at this moment, the best means either Dirrell or Ward.  

Saturday night was a bad night for Amir Khan, Freddie Roach and their team. Former titlist Amir Khan not only lost his first fight since he began training with Roach, he also lost his WBA and IBF junior world welterweight titles. Almost everybody, me included, was thinking Khan will win by a majority decision, as even the former champion said he wasn’t planning on finishing early, but rather going the distance, and Lamont Peterson did not seem to be the man able to put a stop to Khan’s winning streak.

But the beauty of boxing is that everything can happen in the ring and Lamont Peterson proved it, once again, by putting up a great fight and winning a split decision. He was, nevertheless, helped by referee John Cooper, who deducted two points from Khan for pushing, in the seventh round and for hitting on the break in the twelfth round, but the fight was very close. The judges scored the bout 113-112 in favor of Peterson, twice, and 115-110 for Khan, once.

Peterson, the underdog, never disappointed his home crowd and refused to back down in front of Khan. As a matter of fact, he was the aggressor, and the speed and power on which Khan counted for retaining his titles did not scare Peterson, who went down twice in the first round but heavily retaliated during the third and seventh. Once a homeless man living with his brother on the streets of D.C., Peterson saw a dream come true and went for it.

The fight was beautiful and is definitely a fight of the year candidate, with lots of action and a great display of technique from both Peterson and Khan. Peterson made it to the top and earned more than $500 000, his biggest paycheck up to date, while Khan needs to step back and reconsider his career plans. Up until fight night, even though he mentioned he will take Peterson very seriously, most of the talk coming from he and his team was about his future plans, including a possible fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., almost ignoring the bout with Lamont Peterson.

Now, stepping in the ring against Mayweather doesn’t look like the best thing to do, and after such an upset it probably can’t even materialize anymore. A rematch with Peterson is a lot more likely to happen, as Khan’s camp expressed its desire and Peterson is fine with the idea. Seeing how their first fight went, a second one can’t possibly disappoint and Khan looks like he still needs to prove he has what it takes for and truly deserves a world title.

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IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is back on U.S. soil for another title defense and faces this time an apparently strong and dangerous opponent, Lamont Peterson. On December 10, he will meet Peterson in Washington D.C., his hometown, at the Washington Convention Center, in what his team advertises as one of the toughest fights of his career.

Amir Khan has had an interesting trajectory in the world of boxing. He mostly fought in the U.K. and was undefeated until September 2009, when he met Breidis Prescott who knocked him down and handed him the first and so far only loss of his career. The loss made a lot of people question his chin and probably made Khan and his team realize that he was doing something wrong. Their solution was to change camps and his former trainer, Jorge Rubio, was replaced by the famous Freddie Roach and Khan started to train in the U.S. with pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.

The change benefited Khan who became a much better boxer under the tutelage of Roach and never lost another fight since then, winning both the WBA and the IBF light welterweight titles. He defeated a few significant fighters, such as Marcos Maidana, Andreas Kotelnik and Zab Judah on the road, but hasn’t been truly challenged yet.

Lamont Peterson is a good boxer, but even though Khan and his team are trying to make him look good and dangerous, he shouldn’t be much of a problem in the ring. There are at least eight fighters better ranked than him in the weight class that constitute more of a threat to Khan and that are more familiar to the U.S. public.

If you look at Peterson’s record, he doesn’t strike you as the powerful fighter advertised by Freddie Roach. With 15 KO’s in 31 fights, there are lots of boxers with more impressive percentages out there. Nevertheless, he fought Victor Ortiz to a draw on the undercard of Khan vs Maidana, even though he lost to Timothy Bradley. He should be a good match for the champion but no serious threat.

Khan has been seriously preparing for the fight and his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, says he has pushed the champ really hard this time, so we should expect him to come in an even better shape than last time. He might go the distance with Peterson and win by unanimous decision, out punching and outscoring his opponent during every round. A late knockout is also a possibility, but not for Peterson. He won’t be able to match Khan’s speed and find an adequate answer to his strategy, even though he will probably do everything he can to pull an upset.

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In front of an electrified, sold-out crowd of 21,239, at the Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto put an end to a three year old rivalry and avenged the first loss of his career. He destroyed Antonio Margarito and lead him one step closer to retirement, with a forward strategy for which the Mexican fighter had no answer.

Unlike during their first clash, in 2008, this time Cotto was the aggressor. He targeted Margarito’s right eye for 9 rounds, turning it into a red, swollen, closed piece of meat that made the ringside physician stop the fight during the first seconds of the 10^th round. The methodical beating inflicted by Cotto gradually closed Margarito’s eye, to the point where he had no vision and beyond. He continued to pound him for a significant amount of time after that, but as Margarito gave no sign of wanting to quit the physician had to step in and put an end to the massacre.

With this performance, Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) kept his junior middleweight title and gave all his Puerto Rican fans the show they wanted. He also punished Margarito for the hand wraps scandal and probably helped reinforce the suspicions concerning their use during the first Cotto-Margarito boxing match, when the one with the crushed face was Cotto himself. He never ceased believing Margarito cheated back then and made a point with his dominant victory, even though he took advantage of Margarito’s eye surgery, caused by Pacquiao’s relentless pounding.

After the scandal, Antonio Margarito (38-8, 27 KOs) lost almost everything. First, his credibility, then, his licence, and finally his skill. In his fights with Mosley, Pacquiao and now Cotto he didn’t show anything good. He didn’t look like a champion and didn’t fight like a champion. And while what we might call an underperformance can be attributed to some devastating psychological effects of the cheating scandal, something just doesn’t fit in the picture. You clearly can’t take a nobody, load his gloves with plaster and turn him into a champion overnight. But you probably can help a good boxer become suddenly better with a little shift in equipment. If it happens in swimming, why would boxing be any different?

Regardless of the answer to these questions, Margarito doesn’t appear to have a future in boxing anymore. He fought the best and he lost. He shouldn’t keep on getting seven figures for his fights, and the promoters would better give that money to some young talent who deserves it, not to an (ex)cheater trying to survive.  A third fight with Cotto, as requested by his team shortly after his loss, should be out of the question, as well. The Puerto Rican champion has nothing left to prove in front of Antonio Margarito, and even if he truly “hits like a girl”, as Margarito claimed, the 12 stitches needed to repair his right eye should remind him that Cotto is a girl not to mess with.

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Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto will face off for the second time this Saturday, December 3, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, for Cotto’s WBA  Super World light middleweight belt. Probably one of the most anticipated fights of the year, this is a rematch of their 2008 encounter in which Cotto suffered his first loss.

The 2008 bout was a slugfest and definitely one of the best and most exciting boxing fights of the decade. Antonio Margarito’s 11^th round victory earned him the respect of the boxing world and made him move up the ranks. But his reign was short lived, as he lost his next bout with Shane Mosley in a devastating and scandalous way. The California Athletic State Commission revoked the licenses of Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, after discovering, just before the fight, a plaster-like substance hidden inside Margarito’s hand wraps. Even though the fighter claimed, ever since, that he had no idea what happened and that his trainer was the sole responsible for the substance, a doubt was cast upon his entire career, including his previous bout with Miguel Cotto.

Now that they will meet again, Cotto  (36-2, 29 KOs) promises to avenge his loss and accuses Margarito  (38-7, 27 KOs) of having cheated in their first bout. His suspicion is not unreasonable, as Margarito handed him the first loss of his career and nearly demolished his face during their almost 11 rounds of fighting, a performance that he wasn’t able to repeat after the scandal. Moreover, in his last fight against pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao it is the smaller Pacquiao who severely injured Margarito and broke his orbital bone, causing a cataract that almost made him retire.

Fortunately for boxing fans, Margarito’s license was approved at the end of November and we should find out, Saturday night, what really happened in 2008 during their first encounter. If Margarito gets destroyed by Cotto, the hand wraps are the ones that will be credited for his first victory. But if it’s the other way around, this might be Antonio Margarito’s true shot at redemption.

Regardless of the answer, both Cotto and Margarito will earn seven figures for their second confrontation, a sum that could make anyone bear a boxing loss more easily. Or maybe not anyone, because the rivalry and hatred between these two has almost no equivalent in the sport, which means that the Saturday night fight will be personal.

You can expect lots of blood and no backing down from either of them, but if you want to make a prediction and pick a winner, I’d suggest you to go with Miguel Cotto. Even if the plaster that Margarito tried to use before fighting Mosley was a one-time incident, it’s the kind of incident that should never go unpunished in boxing. And, seeing how Miguel Cotto acts, we should expect an even worst punishment than the one inflicted by Manny Pacquiao. It’s no secret that he will probably target Margarito’s damaged eye in an effort to stop the fight early, and due to the seriousness of the injury he might turn the fight into a brief and intense slugfest.

Saul Alvarez, the WBC Light Middleweight champion of the world, made another successful defense of his title this Saturday, in Mexico City, when he disposed of Kermit Cintron, former WBO, IBF welterweight champion.

One of the most dangerous opponents faced so far, Cintron was no match for the young Alvarez. He would have probably caused him some trouble a while ago, but Saturday night all he could really do was hanging on to his life for five rounds. Alvarez was clearly the stronger man and the better boxer of the two. We might even say that the only reason Cintron was able to survive through the first four rounds was because Alvarez let him and patiently picked his shots. That is why he didn’t finish him in the fourth round, when two of his right hands sent him to the canvas, and waited for the fifth instead.

This should be the beginning of the end for Kermit Cintron (33-5-1, 28 KOs), who just doesn’t look capable of a world class performance anymore, at least in this weight class. He was perfect for Alvarez career though, which shows that Canelo’s team and promoters are taking really good care of their young protégé and slowly building his boxing resume. If they continue to do so, Alvarez, who is only 21, has a very bright future ahead of him.

Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs), happy with his performance, called out the undefeated and most wanted boxer on the planet Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the post-fight interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman and said he wants to fight him in May. But is the victory over Cintron enough to earn him that right, or at least to make him confident enough to step in the ring with one of boxing’s best? If you ask me, the answer to both questions is no. While he is marketed enough to make Mayweather and himself some cash, he isn’t good enough to become a real opponent for Mayweather Jr. There are still some unanswered questions concerning his talent and physical prowess, like the texture of his chin or the speed of his feet, which could make the Alvarez myth crumble when confronted to someone like Floyd.

A bout with someone like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., recently victorious against Peter Manfredo Jr. is a much better decision for Alvarez, and the two of them will certainly draw huge crowds, especially if their fight is staged somewhere Mexico. It’s understandable that everyone wants to fight Pacquiao, Mayweather and Klitschko after their first significant victories, but let’s not forget that these are guys that worked hard for their supremacy and that they have reached a level where being confident and beating a few good opponents is just not enough.

On November 26, WBC light middleweight titlist Saul „Canelo” Alvarez will make his third title defense against former welterweight title holder Kermit Cintron. The two will meet in Mexico City, Mexico, and the fight will be a test for both boxers.

For Alvarez, Cintron should only be a stepping stone in his career that might take him closer to a bout with another undefeated Mexican boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. or perhaps with another big name, but he has, nevertheless, everything it takes for an upset.

Cintron is a very dangerous opponent for Alvarez, but his last performances in the boxing ring make him defeatable if he doesn’t manage to change anything until Saturday and come in a very good shape. He fought to a draw with middleweight super star Sergio Martinez, beat Alfredo Angulo, and his experience and power make him a very tricky opponent for the young Alvarez who counts on his superior speed in order to win the fight.

It will be a big step forward for Canelo if he defeats the much more experimented Cintron (33-4-1, 28 KOs), who has already faced, unlike the young Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs), some of the best in the division, and a victory will transform him, from a good fighter, into a solid one.

Saul Alvarez is the big favorite, but a focused Kermit Cintron, in shape, can definitely pull an upset and knock the 21 year old Alvarez out with a big punch. If we believe the former champion, who has been in Mexico for the last couple of weeks in order to get used to the city and its conditions, he will step into the ring one hundred percent ready and in shape. But we know that’s not enough for a win.

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And he did, despite the skeptics who didn’t think he will keep the title much longer. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made his first successful defense of the WBC middleweight title by stopping Peter Manfredo Jr. in the 5th round. Chavez Jr., the bigger man, rocked Manfredo Jr. in the fifth round with a big right hand that sent him into the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches in order to finish him. Manfredo did not go down, but referee Laurence Cole stepped in at 1:52 of the fifth round and declared the son of the legendary boxer the winner.

The stoppage might have been premature, as Manfredo still looked capable of continuing, but it was only a matter of time until Chavez destroyed him. Manfredo confirmed the rumors concerning his retirement and said he will take a definitive break from boxing in order to be able to work and support his family, the money made from the sweet science not being enough.

The champion, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is still undefeated and looked really good Saturday night in what is probably his best performance to date. Sergio Martinez watched him fight from ringside and nobody thinks his appearance is simply a matter of courtesy or a way of spending his leisure time. Sergio Martinez is Chavez Jr.’s main opponent, the number one ranked middleweight and there are lots of rumors that designate either him or Saul Alvarez as Chavez Jr.’s next opponent.

But that’s not a fight Bob Arum is likely to approve for his young protégé, as the WBC middleweight champion can still gather crowds and make lots of money against safer opposition. While he might be able to resist in front of Saul Alvarez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is no match for Sergio Martinez. If he takes the fight, nothing good can come out of it for him and his camp. If he manages to defend his title against a few other decent ranked opponents, he might be able to endure the Martinez test, but for now he should stick to what he knows best. Defeat the defeatable.

Saturday, November 19, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will defend his WBC middleweight title for the first time at the Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas, in front of Peter Manfredo Jr. And he certainly is the big favorite, due to a series of fortunate events from which his opponent did and does not benefit.

First of all, there’s his name. Being the son of a boxing legend is no easy job if you make the same career option as your father, but it can bring you the sympathy of thousands of fans and many other advantages other boxers do not share. There’s also his fighting record. Whether it’s related to the name or not, 43 wins, one draw and 30 knockouts are really impressive, especially for a 25 year old. We could also mention another thing that Peter Manfredo Jr. does not have and we should have convinced you why he isn’t the favorite: Freddie Roach. Having one of boxing’s best coaches at your side doesn’t guarantee your victory, but it definitely gives you an edge in the ring, especially when the aforementioned trainer does not train losers.

Nevertheless, the fortunate events that we’ve mentioned also resulted in a lot of criticism. The most obvious is that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is nothing like his father. It is also said that he is slow, has no power and hasn’t faced any serious competition. If you take a closer look at his record, you can confirm yourselves some of these criticisms, but let’s not forget that he is only 25 and he has all the time in the world to beat his competition and improve in the sweet science.

Manfredo (37-6, 20 KOs) is no world champion, but he is a solid fighter. He lost to Sakio Bika and Sergio Mora but also beat some tough boxers, which means he will give a hard fight to Chavez Jr. but doesn’t probably have everything it takes for an upset, especially since he is a full-time worker and, in order to take care of his family he cannot spend as much time training as his opponent, a full-time-money-making fighter.

But everything can happen in the ring, and the victory is paramount for both fighters. For Manfredo Jr., already in his thirties, this might be the last chance to glory he’ll ever get, but in order for him to win he must destroy his opponent’s pretty face and with it his unblemished fight record.  One good punch is all he needs. If he doesn’t get it, he might hang up the gloves.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., on the other hand, needs not only to remain undefeated but also to dominate Manfredo and get a clear win. Hopefully, a knockout that will allow him to confront another top 10 middleweight and then, only then, one of his main opponents, such as Saul Alvarez.

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