![]() The most dramatic moment of the bout occurred in Round 4. In the clinches - and there were many - Ward was able to tie up Rodriguez while keeping his own hands free to land shots, a strategy he's perfected over his nine-year boxing career. Rodriguez was wild with his punches throughout the bout, which played perfectly into Ward's counter-punching style. He had OK power, but nothing I haven't seen before."Īs the bout reached the middle rounds, Ward began to dial in with left hook leads and stiff jabs. "There were a lot of times where we clinched and he hit me behind the head. I think the jab created a lot of problems. He's got a really good jab and he knows how to use it. "Andre Ward's a good fighter, a very smart fighter," Rodriguez said. Still, if Rodriguez was impressed, his words didn't show it. Ward, 29, was too skilled and too smart for Rodriguez, who never was able to land a shot of consequence. ![]() He bolted off his stool to commence the bout, perhaps attempting to see how much rust was on Ward, but Rodriguez quickly found out that Ward was as sharp as ever. Rodriguez, a decided underdog entering the bout, was never in the fight. "I've been off for 14 months, and I'm glad to be back." "A win is a win, and I felt like I did great," Ward added. It's not always going to be a spectacular performance." You gotta learn how to fight those kinds of guys. He wants to hold and make it ugly and hope that he can catch me with something big. "No disrespect to Edwin, but, on the one hand, he didn't really come to win," Ward said following the bout. The bout was Ward's first following right shoulder surgery as well as a lengthy dispute with promoter Dan Goossen that was resolved in court. He easily turned back the challenge of Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KOs), neutralizing the 28-year-old's athleticism and power with his veteran bag of tricks. However, Ward's lineal super middleweight title wasn't on the line after Rodriguez came in two pounds over the 168-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in.Įven though the championship wasn't up for grabs, Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) again proved why he's one of the best practitioners in the sport. ![]() 2 pound-for-pound boxer, was flawless in his first bout in 14 months as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory (scores of 118-106, 117-107, 116-108) Saturday against Edwin Rodriguez in the main event on HBO before 4,158 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena. Andre Ward, widely considered the world's No. ![]()
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