IBR on The Cruelest Sport

In close, Ward isn’t looking for a breather, and unlike Bernard Hopkins, he is not there to clown. No, when Ward is in a clinch, he is looking to hurt. Using his feet to take angles, Ward snarls and strikes like a wolverine in a snare. This does not make for a pretty fight, nor does it absolve Ward for the dirty tactics he regularly employs. It does, however, reveal an understanding of craft missing from the fighters he so easily dispatches. Ward dominated Rodriguez, 24-1 (16), wherever he wanted, and by the middle rounds had complete control of the fight. When the twelve rounds of target practice ended, the scores read 118-106, 117-107, and 116-108 for Ward.

Read DOMINATION: Andre Ward W12 Edwin Rodriguez on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Donaire-Darchinyan II was billed as a grudge match, a rematch the public was clamouring for, which, like most promotional ballyhoo, is at best a half truth. Any fight with Darchinyan, who generates disdain for his opponents like the sun makes heat, is a grudge match. Interest in this rematch, however, was lost to the hour glass. Until being served his comeuppance by Rigondeaux, Donaire, San Leandro, California, had looked mostly dominant. Darchinyan, on the other hand, had suffered four losses since Donaire dealt him a dose of temporary amnesia in 2007.”

Read REPEATER: Nonito Donaire TKO9 Vic Darchinyan on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

Brought in to sell tickets and test Golovkin’s chin, Stevens, Brooklyn, New York, held up his end of the bargain. Brooklyn was in the house, and the former “chin-checker” slugged his opponent with enough leather to confirm the frightening reality that Golovkin, perhaps boxing’s foremost giver, can take too. Unfortunately for Stevens, on this night, Golovkin was his typical generous self.

Read The Nature Of The Beast: Gennady Golovkin TKO8 Curtis Stevens on The Cruelest Sport.