Andre Ward vs. Sakio Bika: Round-By-Round Recap

Gus Johnson, Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver are live on Showtime, all set to call the action from the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Hometown boy Andre Ward puts his WBA super middleweight belt on the line against Sakio Bika in a fight he can't afford to look past.

Ward knows now that he'll face Arthur Abraham in the Super Six semifinals early next year. But if he's caught with his mind on that bout, he could be in for trouble with the rugged Bika, who is getting his third shot at a belt in the 168-pound division.

Bika is originally from Cameroon but now fights out of Sydney, Australia. The 31-year old fighter is 28-4-2, but he's 0-1-1 in world title bouts. Johnson and Bernstein tout his experience and say he's the second-toughest opponent Ward has faced thus far.

Ward gets a warm reception from the Oakland crowd as expected. Only 26, the man nicknamed "S.O.G." is 22-0 with 13 KOs and 2-0 in world title fights.

The tale of the tape shows that both men are roughly the same height, thought Bika has a significant reach advantage. Danny Miller formally introduces both men, and we are set for a scheduled 12 rounds of boxing for Ward's WBA belt.

Round One

Bika attacks with a double left hook. He's throwing punches with bad intentions early on. Ward settles down with a jab and a quick clinch. Ward backs Bika up with a left hand, but Sakio comes forward as soon as he gathers himself. The ref is going to earn his money if they keep grabbing like this. Bika swings away with hooks with both hands. That was an awkward round and a tough one to score.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bika

Round Two

The ref warns Bika for using his forearms. He tries to flurry but Ward covers up well. Ward lands a sharp jab twice in succession. More rough action on the inside, and the possibility of a clash of heads is very real. Bika lands a quick right hook. Ward is staying elusive but having trouble finding his own range.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round Three

This is a big change of pace from the lethargic Allan Green for Ward. Bika goes right on the attack again. He's whacking Ward with body shots inside. Both men land glancing hooks. Bika flicks out hooks and tries to follow with more hooks. Both men just miss with hooks at close range. Ward backs up and makes his man miss badly, but he can't get his hands free when they close in. Ward backs up Bika with a left hook, momentarily getting the crowd into the fight.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bika

Round Four

This kind of fight favors Bika so far. Ward lands two jabs after dodging two shots. Bika goes down, but the ref calls it a trip. Ward clocks Bika with a left hook as soon as he gets back up. Andre puts his head down and digs with his right hand. Left hooks land in both directions. They stand and trade slinging power shots in the middle of the ring. Bika charges in wildly and is tied up. Ward lands a left hook before barely evading some return fire.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round Five

Ward finally looked comfortable about halfway through that last frame. The ref has to get involved early as they wrestle on the inside. Bika flurries as Ward dances with his back to the ropes. Andre comes out connecting with a left hook. Ward jabs and throws another left hook. Bika shrugs it off and lands his own big hook. Ward crashes home an uppercut at close range. A two-punch combination has the crowd cheering Ward too. They rumble right up to the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round Six

Ward is responding well to the challenge of fighting such a scrappy style. He's stuck trying to work at very close range in the first 90 seconds. Ward jabs while Bika tries to hook around them. Bika digs to the body but Ward stays mobile. Andre has some blood coming from both sides of his face. Ward avoids some very wide hooks and pops a jab.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round Seven

Bernstein has it even through six rounds. Ward lands a hook as they rotate around, then complains about getting hit behind the head. Andre connects with a right and quickly has to cover up from counter shots. Neither fighter is getting cheated on their swings when they get space. Bika fires two right hooks after a clinch. Ward lunges for a right hand in the closing seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round Eight

The ref breaks the two men up early, but Bika is trying to work with his right hand. Ward ducks in and lets his hands go for a combination. Andre literally shoves Sakio back to the ropes and tries to bully him. Bika winds up for a big right hook. Ward jabs to the body and gets tied up. Bika hooks around the card and goes upstairs twice. More hooks from Bika and he dodges a counter. Hooks and uppercuts for Bika are mostly blocked. Ward tries to answer to the body in the last 10 seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bika

Round Nine

Ward tries to let his hands go inside. Bika takes a big swing as he steps back. The ref warns Bika for forearm shots again, and the fans don't like those tactics. Ward smokes a right hand and forces his man back to the ropes. Andre may have thrown his own elbow during the wrestling. The referee admonishes both men for complaining. Bika looks like he may be getting a little tired. An "S.O.G." chant arises but the round mostly peters out.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round 10

The press row scorers have it wider for Ward than Bernstein does. He lands a nice right hand before both men do some shoving. Ward jabs and keeps his guard high. Bika complains of a head butt and is very unhappy. Ward goes to the body, then throws a body-head combination. Andre gets a short left hand to score as the range closes. Bika is bleeding from somewhere near his left eye.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round 11

Ward is able to step through more of Bika's shots now to land his own. Sakio tries to free his hands up on the inside to throw uppercuts. Short shots land in both directions. The ref is still earning his money, separating multiple clinches. Bika's right hook is answered by two Ward punches. Andre jabs twice while avoiding a return shot.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Ward

Round 12

Three minutes to go, and trainer Ronnie Shields told Bika he needs a knockout. Ward is staying light on his feet, dancing away from Bika's desperation shots. It's still awkward on occasion. Bika is still going for it, throwing wide hooks with both hands. Ward laughs as his foe is scoring around his guard. A right hand seems to stun Ward a bit, but the ref pauses the action to warn both fighters. Blood is flowing from each man's face. Ward backs Bika to the ropes and tries to fire. Bika lands a mean right hook but it's too little, too late.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bika

Tylwalk: 116-112 Ward

The judges score it 120-108 and 118-110 twice, all for the winner and still WBA super middleweight titleholder, Andre "S.O.G." Ward.

Nick Tylwalk is the editor and co-founder of BoxingWatchers.com. Follow his Twitter feed @Nick_Tylwalk or the site's feed @boxing_watchers.