Photo by Will Hart/HBO Boxing
Next Saturday on November 16, 2013 in Ontario, CA, Andre “SOG” Ward returns to the squared circle to take on Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez in a battle of two undefeated fighters.
Ward is considered not only the boss of the Super Middleweight division in boxing, but also the number two pound-for-pound fighter in boxing today according to some insiders.
Ward holds that place only behind Floyd Mayweather Jr. and some can have a valid argument that he could be number one.
Though Rodriguez is undefeated himself, Ward’s resume trumps La Bomba’s caliber of opposition. For the past few years, SOG has been in the ring with top tier, well known, established fighters.
In these bouts, Ward has been able to put on a boxing clinic against the elite and made it look easy. However, due to a shoulder injury, he has been out of action since September of 2012 when he demolished then fellow top 10 pound-for-pounder, “Bad” Chad Dawson in what was supposed to be a very competitive bout, according to boxing experts.
Now, with this bit of information, maybe Rodriguez can capitalize on Ward’s absence from boxing and pull off a huge upset.
Facing Ward is a giant step up in competition for Rodriguez. Although Rodriguez’s resume may not be up to par with Ward’s, he himself has looked spectacular in his last few performances. That includes winning the million dollar tournament in Monte Carlo with a stunning first round knockout over fellow finalist Denis Grachev.
In my opinion, there is no fighter from 160 pounds to 175 pounds that can give Ward any problems, as of right now.
Against Rodriguez, one can assume that Ward would be the betting man’s choice come fight night. However, boxing is called “The Theater of the Unexpected” where anything can happen.
Leading up to championship fights, many questions arise that can only be answered when the bell rings. Ward is already an established champion, but we don’t know how good Edwin Rodriguez is yet.
Can Rodriguez take advantage of the fact that Ward has been inactive for over a year? Will this long lay off have an effect on Ward? We will find out come Saturday, November 16th.
