STARRING ROLE
Impressive Ward excels on away turf against Hernandez, writes Sean Nam
THE crowded super-bantamweight division may have to make room for
Thomas Patrick Ward after the performance he put in on the road at the Kansas Star Arena (Salita Promotions). The West Rainton native outclassed Fort Worth, Texas’ Jesse Hernandez for 10 breezy rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. The judges’ scorecards were rightfully lopsided to the tune of 100-89 (David Sutherland), 99-90 (Karen Holderfield) and 98-90 (Mike Contreras).
Fighting for the first time outside of the UK and with only four early wins on his ledger, Ward made sure that these supposed disadvantages would not factor into the actual bout. With a poise that belied his 24 years of age, Ward calmly picked apart Hernandez with a repertoire of pinpoint punches that would make any amateur coach proud. In addition, Ward’s feints and his discrete half-steps kept Hernandez’s offence in check all night. Indeed, the disparity in skills guaranteed that no amount of heart or courage from Hernandez could make up the difference.
The first three rounds were closely contested, with Ward controlling the pace for the most part with a busy jab and the occasional left cross. Things heated up in the fourth. Perhaps heeding the criticism that he has no punching power, Ward dropped his southpaw opponent courtesy of a picture-perfect left hook. From that point on, Ward was in cruise control. In round five, Ward followed up with knifing digs to the body. With an educated left hand, Ward showed an ability to switch from jab to uppercut to body punch, all on a dime. Even when Ward decided to stand his ground and exchange, Hernandez was not able to win those battles either. Toward the end of round eight, Hernandez lunged forward with a barrage of looping punches, but Ward calmly answered with a quick cross and a short hook.
“I came to America and fought a home fighter and won quite comfortably, I even got a knockdown,” Ward said after the fight. “[Hernandez] was supposed to be the puncher and I was supposed to be the boxer. A lot of people think I can’t punch, then they get overconfident and get clipped. Then they realise I can punch. Look at his face compared to mine. That will tell you something.” Though he came up short of a stoppage, Ward delivered a proper pasting, earning stateside recognition in the process. His skills figure to make him competitive with any of the other top contenders in his division. Bill Clancy officiated.
In a clash between two undefeated southpaws – billed as the main event – the much-hyped Uzbek Shohjahon
Ergashev decisioned Mykal Fox in what was a ponderous 10-rounder at a catchweight of 142lbs. All three judges scored in favour of Ergashev, though it might be pointed out that the 98-92 scorecards that Ms Holderfield and Jeff Sinnett turned in could be considered a bit wide. Mr Sutherland saw the bout more accurately at 96-94.
At nearly 6ft 4ins tall, Fox (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) is a stylistic anomaly for a super-lightweight. Predictably, the shorter Ergashev, who fights out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit, had trouble negotiating the distance all night. But what does it say about Ergashev’s amateur background – around 250 bouts under his belt – that he showed little ability to work around this problem? Unlike the dexterous, Ward who has a variety of punches in his toolkit, Ergashev brandished little else other than an inaccurate left cross. The jab was non-existent. In-fighting, moreover, was an alien concept.
Ergashev came out like a bull possessed but landed little of consequence. Fox had some success in tempering Ergashev by moving around and popping his jab, but his reluctance to fight ultimately worked against him. In the end, when it came down to the harder punches, it was Ergashev who was able to land them. To be sure, there was nothing pretty about the fight. Referee Clancy had his hands full all night trying to dislodge Fox’s head from under Ergashev’s armpit, the result of Fox ducking underneath Ergashev’s repeated left hands.