Ward wins unanimous decision over Miranda

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Andre Ward remained unbeaten and stayed on course for a 168-pound title shot this year with the biggest victory of his pro career, a unanimous decision over Colombia’s Edison Miranda on Saturday night.

Ward (19-0, 12 KOs), the 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, showed resilience in fighting 11 1/2 rounds with a cut over his left eye caused by a head-butt from the free-swinging Miranda (32-4). Although Ward couldn’t land a knockout, he clearly demonstrated better skill and discipline while thriving in the late rounds of just the second 12-round fight of his career.

Fighting at Oracle Arena in his hometown for the first time as a pro, Ward heard his name chanted during several rounds, and received a standing ovation afterward from the crowd of 7,818.

“This is kind of a bittersweet victory,” Ward said. “I’m happy and excited because the fans had a good time, and there were a lot of people here, but I’m not 100 percent happy with my performance. I’ve got to go look at the tape. I did some things well, but I felt I could have improved in other areas.”

Two judges scored the fight 119-109 for Ward, while the third favored him 116-112. The Associated Press also scored it 117-111 for Ward.

Miranda once was a prime 160-pound prospect, but was knocked out by Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham in the last two years. The loss is his third in seven fights.

“I thought it was going to be easier, but it was tougher than I was expected,” said Miranda, a prodigious pre-fight trash talker. “I don’t feel cheated. Andre is the champion. I have respect for him.”

Miranda represented the biggest professional test for Ward, who has progressed deliberately in the nearly five years since his triumph in Athens, where he won the only gold medal for an American fighter in the last three Olympics. Injuries and overall caution kept Ward from capitalizing instantly on his Olympic success, but Virgil Hunter, his trainer and longtime mentor, believes Ward is ready for every top name in the super middleweight division.

Ward hopes his next fight will be against WBC 168-pound champion Carl Froch of Britain, who dramatically stopped Jermain Taylor in the final round of a bout Froch was losing last month. Ward is expected to be Froch’s mandatory challenger.

Barely a minute into this fight, Miranda lunged toward his retreating opponent and connected head-to-head with Ward, who complained to the referee. Ward fought the rest of the round with blood covering his face, and the cut opened again in the second.

“The cut was never a big factor,” Ward said. “I knew I had to keep my cool. Miranda is an awkward guy with long arms. … I would have liked to have stopped him, but I did what I had to do, and that’s the mark of a good fighter.”

Indeed, Miranda seemed more dazed than Ward from the exchange. He allowed Miranda to stalk him in the opening rounds, but replied with counterpunches and defense until Miranda eased off in the fourth.

Ward began to attack, landing big shots with both hands as he switched stances and broke down Miranda’s defense. Miranda rallied in the middle rounds when Ward wandered off his game plan, but the Olympian quickly got it back together, even while his left eye gradually got worse.

Ward fell to the canvas with about 20 seconds left in the 10th round, but his slip clearly wasn’t a knockdown.

Many top East Bay athletes turned out for Oakland’s biggest boxing event in about two decades, including Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.

On the undercard, John Molina Jr. and Frankie Archuleta were roundly booed after their lightweight bout was stopped in the second round when the referee ruled Archuleta couldn’t continue. Molina improved to 17-0.

Shawn Estrada, the American Olympic middleweight in Beijing, improved to 6-0 with a first-round stoppage of Cory Jones, a late substitute from Brooklyn who barely threw a punch in anger. Estrada has finished every opponent with a knockout since turning pro.