Ward wins 12-round unanimous decision
Victory over Brand propels Oakland boxer to a big-money fight
OAKLAND — Andre Ward was on another level against Alexander Brand, breaking him down over 12 rounds for a unanimous light heavyweight victory Saturday night before 8,653 fans at Oracle Arena.
Ward (30-0) predicted that Brand, from Colombia, would come out swinging wildly from the first round, and that’s exactly what happened after the opening bell. At one point Brand (25-2) almost fell over after launching a left hook over the head of Ward.
“Some of the stuff he was trying to hit me with I was like, ‘Really?’ ” Ward said. “You really think you can catch me with that?”
Fighting for the eighth time in his hometown, Ward was his usual calm and collected self early on, calculating Brand’s attack and scoring points with sharp jabs to the body.
Chants of “S.O.G.” (Ward’s nickname, Son of God) were sparked in the fourth round after Ward buckled Brand with a left hook to the temple. Sensing his opponent was hurt, Ward pounced on Brand against the ropes and unleashed some good hooks to the body, with Brand doing nothing except covering up before the round came to an end.
The crowd came to its feet in the fifth round after Ward continued to apply pressure. He landed a jabhook combination to the body of Brand and followed with a straight left hand right on the jaw.
Despite Ward systematically wearing down Brand as each round went on, even opening a cut over his right eye, the Colombian never stopped coming forward as he swung for the fences, though most of the shots missed Ward completely or landed on his shoulders.
“He was very awkward,” Ward said. “He doesn’t fight like (light heavyweight champion Sergey) Kovalev at all but at the same time he was a good guy to fight because you have to stay alert at all times. He was literally closing his eyes, swinging in hopes of landing something.”
Signs that Ward had Brand hurt showed up in the final three rounds, though Ward seemed content with coasting to the end. He now has a big-money pay-perview fight with Kovalev.
“My coach wanted me to get him out of there in 10 rounds and I really tried,” Ward said. “But at the same time, I couldn’t let him catch me with something stupid and risk losing that fight in November.”
Kovalev was inside the ring for Ward’s post-fight interview to hype the upcoming showdown.
“He showed much better today than he did against Sullivan Barrera,” Kovalev said. “Ward is a great fighter and I’m excited for Nov. 19.”
Ward versus Kovalev was confirmed for Nov. 19 on HBO pay-per-view by Roc Nation President Michael Yorkman, though the venue is still being negotiated.
Maurice Hooker (21-0-2) successfully defended his NABO junior welterweight title with a vicious firstround knockout over Tyrone Barnett (23-5-1) in the co-feature bout.