Ward vs Dawson: SOG Will Prove to Be Baddest Man in the Ring

Saturday night, in what many are predicting will be the fight of the year, Andre “Son Of God” Ward will defend his WBA and WBC super middleweight titles against WBC light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson, who had to drop down a weight class to make this fight possible.

While Dawson has thinned out his extravagant entourage and has reduced distractions, he’s still been incredibly inconsistent in the ring. Ward, on the other hand, is about as consistent a fighter as you can find.

Neither fighter possesses damaging knockout power—something that is shown in their knockout percentages. But these are two technically sound pugilists and sound defenders—though Ward might have the edge when it comes to protecting himself.

Dawson has two advantages over Ward: He’s two inches taller, and he has a reach that is six inches longer.

However, Ward's style in the ring negates them.

Ward loves to get inside and sit on his opponent’s chest—not the most exciting stuff for fans to watch, but it's incredibly effective—and that will force Dawson to show that he can adapt, and adapt quickly.

He needs to be able to take a step back from Ward when he gets inside and get a clean shot in before the Son of God charges forward, once again taking away his advantage.

Even if he’s able to do so, Ward’s superior speed and aggressive style are going to be too much for a lighter Dawson, who is stepping into the ring with a man who hasn't lost a fight since he was 12 years old.

All those things, coupled with the crowd being incredibly pro-Ward—this one is in the Oakland native's backyard—will result in the Son of God defending his titles and proving that he is the baddest man in the ring.

We won't see a knockout, but Ward will win in a unanimous decision with a score somewhere in the neighborhood of 116-112.