Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Saturday, November 16, 2013, Andre “SOG” Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) stepped in the ring to face undefeated contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KOs).
After a 14-month layoff, Ward was expected to show a bit of ring rust against a tough fighter like Rodriguez.
But instead, the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world didn’t miss a beat and put on a clinic against “La Bomba.”
Rodriguez came out determined to impose his will against Ward, rushing to meet him in Round 1. But, that game plan didn’t work well and Ward didn’t take long to start teeing off with accurate and meaningful blows.
The rough-and-tough bout hit a tension-filled high—or low, depending on how you see it—in Round 4 as referee Jack Reiss did something I have never seen before.
After being hit by a blow from Rodriguez, Reiss was frustrated and deducted two points from each man and also recommended that both men be fined.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
The stern warning from Reiss set the fighters straight as they cleaned up their act for the rest of the fight–for the most part. The clinic Ward proceeded to give Rodriguez was certainly legal as well as impressive.
After 12 hard fought rounds, the judges scored the bout 118-106, 117-107, 116-108 all for Ward.
Speaking with Max Kellerman after the fight, Ward wasn’t appreciative or impressed with Rodriguez and his style.
“He didn’t come to win, he came to get lucky and land something big. I feel like I did great.”
Ward also said that there was no way he would have been overweight going into his first championship bout and that he felt Rodriguez was unprofessional.
When asked about who could be next, Ward was non-committal with naming an opponent, but most fans are eager to see Ward face Gennady Golovkin next.
Who would you like to see Andre Ward face next?
