OMG, SOG

Time to start filling in the memory blanks about Andre Ward: “Who, ‘S.O.G.’? I’ve been following Andre since Athens. That’s a gold medal, kid; you don’t forget a guy with a gold medal!” If we start now, there’s a chance friends will think we’ve always been on the Ward bandwagon.

We haven’t, of course. Most of us outside Northern California did forget about Ward almost completely. The good thing about a guy whose nickname is “Son of God” is that he pretty much has to forgive us – even if he never noticed us in the past.

Because boxing sure has noticed him now. Saturday at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, Ward soundly whupped Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler, taking Kessler’s WBA super middleweight belt and his favored spot in Showtime’s Super Six tournament. The official result was an 11th round technical decision – scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 98-92 – because of a butt-induced cut over or under Kessler’s left or right eye. The details between TD and TKO only really matter to the Super Six leader board.

By every other measure, Ward outclassed Kessler the Dane in convincing a fashion as possible. One man was in his first world title fight, the other his 10th; one had 20 career prizefights, the other 32 knockouts. Yet it was the inexperienced man that fought like a champion, while the champion fought like a challenger who expects combat to come always on his terms.

Ward roughed Kessler up. He didn’t fight dirty so much as professionally: If an accident has to happen, it won’t be me who suffers for it.

That’s what makes Ward’s development so thrilling. He came out of USA Boxing as a knockoff Roy Jones Jr. – albeit a successful one. He had athleticism, technical flaws and lead left hooks. He was, then, another flashy American likely to be exposed soon as someone pinned him to the ropes. He was fast and cute, sure, but did he have any character?

Now we know he has plenty. He’s taken natural ability and almost shunned it in the gym, not allowing himself to rely simply on quick reflexes. He’s learned how to clinch and in-fight. He’s become a physical presence, taking two world-class punchers – Kessler and Edison Miranda – fighting them chest-to-chest and breaking their wills. If a bully could be humble and gracious, Ward would be that bully.

Kessler was the final test, and Ward passed it without doubt. He might lose his next fight, or more likely the one after that, but he’ll not lose because he’s unprepared. Ward is now a fully developed championship prizefighter, something people doubted he’d someday become.

A few doubts still lingered even into his sixth minute with Kessler, Saturday. It wasn’t that Ward was in trouble or even hitting range. No, it was the way he avoided Kessler’s punches. There was a nervous exuberance to it; a certain unseemly wonder in precluding Kessler’s gloves from touching him.

I watched Saturday’s fight with Big Syl, a friend and former Texas Golden Gloves champion who noticed very early the problem with Ward’s defense: It was inefficient. In many ways defense at the championship level is not about don’t-get-hit so much as get-hit-responsibly. Make your opponent sign a contract that says, “I agree to hit you with these three punches but not with that other one you don’t like.”

Initially, Ward didn’t want to get hit with any punch in his first championship fight. This allowed Kessler to make him work too hard. As Kessler made short squares on the canvas, Ward made wide circles. Kessler cornered Ward with his reputation for right crosses, not any actual punches.

But once Ward settled down, the gig was up for Kessler and Kessler’s reputation. Ward tagged Kessler with right-hand leads. Kessler got queasy. Of a sudden, Ward’s eyes grew: Ah hah, I can hurt you more easily than you can hurt me!

Were there accidental head butts? Yup. Was there clinching? Yes, tactically employed – nothing excessive. But Kessler was vexed. He’d shown up for a game of “Drop the American with 1-2s” and gotten a fight instead. Ward was too far away and then too close. He was also aware of Kessler’s unexpected fragility. Take note: Soon as a puncher makes eyes at the referee, that puncher’s in trouble.

When referee Jack Reiss ended the match in the 11th round, Ward thought he’d won by technical knockout. Instead we learned that of all the cuts round Kessler’s eyes, it was the one officially butt-induced gash that caused the stoppage. Whatever. The scorecards told exactly how close the fight was.

Whither Kessler the Dane? Good question. If he didn’t like the way Ward fought, he’s going to hate how (and where) Carl Froch puts hands on him in his next match. Kessler has approximately twice Froch’s talent, but maybe not Froch’s heart. Expect Froch to be considerably emboldened by what he just saw Ward do.

Far as Ward goes, he needs to handle Jermain Taylor mercifully as possible in his next fight – if Taylor’s people don’t talk Taylor into retirement before then. There’s no reason to think Taylor has a chance against Ward. But Andre Dirrell – Ward’s opponent in Group Stage 3 of the Super Six – just might. We’ll get there when we get there.

Instead, let’s end with a note about world titles. Sanctioning bodies are by no means saintly, but a number of commentators – in their hurry to express disdain for the “alphabets” – have taken to calling world championship belts “trinkets.” I would direct them to this tweet from @andreward (posted round 3:30 AM Sunday):

“I want my belt! When u take a belt from the champ, u have to give it back. The WBA will send mine in 10 days:(( But I want it now!! I’m gonna probably sleep with it a whole week…lol!! I’m just keepin in real.”

And for once, “real” is really likable.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry