ANDRE WARD W12 EDISON MIRANDA

Andre Ward did just what he told me he would do against Edison Miranda: At times he had him missing clumsily, at other times he backed him up. It was an efficient display of ring generalship, a job well done as Nick Charles noted in the ShoBox commentary, but Ward wasn’t pleased with his performance. He felt he should have done better.

I like Ward’s perfectionist attitude. He always wants to get things absolutely right.

Really, the unbeaten 168-pounder didn’t do much wrong against Miranda. This had looked a dangerous match on paper, and although Ward handed out a boxing lesson it was still somewhat of a gruelling experience for him due to Miranda’s physical strength and heavy hands.

Ward couldn’t elude all of Miranda’s right handers and he took a few fairly hefty hits, in the sixth round especially, while he was boxing from the opening round with a cut over the eye from a clash of heads, and by the later rounds the eye was swollen on top.

As Ward said, though, he showed his critics that he possesses tenacity and toughness. He can fight his way through the uncomfortable moments. Yes, Ward did fight as opposed to being merely slick and stylish. In a couple of rounds he was pushing Miranda back to the ropes, shoving his forearm under the Colombian’s chin and roughing him up. Poor Miranda was thus being beaten inside and outside. As Steve Farhood observed in the commentary, when Miranda was reduced to macho posturing one knew he had totally run out of ideas. Miranda is tough and game, but also limited technically. Unable to hit Ward (or not very often), and getting hit himself, must have been very discouraging for Miranda, and I had the sense that he was resigned to defeat long before the final bell.

Ward’s switching to the southpaw stance was particularly bothersome for Miranda, who just couldn’t do a thing when his opponent was in this posture.

At times, towards the end of the fight, Ward seemed almost to be playing with Miranda, but he never really looked like stopping him although he did seem to be trying to do so in the ninth when Steve Farhood noted: “For the first time in the fight, Ward landed the sort of shots that make you think he could stop Miranda.” Ward isn’t really a big puncher, though, and Miranda wasn’t going anywhere.

The Ward corner decided it would be best to play it safe for the remaining three rounds, with trainer Virgil Hunter advising: “Don’t try to knock him out.” So, Ward boxed his way home to win by scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 116-112 — and I was amazed that one judge found four rounds to give to Miranda.

Ward sent the hometown fans happy and I thought he enhanced his reputation — he isn’t the biggest puncher but he showed, I believe, the qualities of an authentic fighter.