But Suazo
would not fold easily, and slowly got his legs
back. In round five he came out aggressively,
looking determined to turn the tide. From that
point on it was mostly the home-town man coming
forward, and he had his share of success doing so.
The second
half of the bout was especially thrilling, with
both men giving as good as they got. Ward didn't
shy away from going toe-to-toe with Suazo, but he
was also effective in picking him off, boxing
excellently on the back-foot at times.
Both men went
all out in the final round, and Suazo deserves
credit for finishing strong in a fight he looked
destined to lose emphatically after the first
three minutes.
After eight
rounds of high-paced action, judges Richard Sells,
Carl Williams and Erik Gilbert all scored it 76-75
for Ward, the knock-down sealing the unanimous
decision victory for him.
Capturing his
first professional title, 27-year-old Ward
improved his professional record to 6-3-1 (2),
modest statistics which doesn't do his abilities
justice.
Suazo (32)
falls to 9-2-1 (7) after winning five straight
coming into the Ward-encounter. A pro for less
than three years, he can certainly come again, and
a rematch would be highly anticipated.
The fight
headlined a show promoted by One Slick Boxer
Promotions.
Photo Credit:
Chris Reid Photo.
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