posted by Large

As a newly minted Bay Area resident, I was very excited to check out the Andre Ward/Edison Miranda fight this past Saturday in Oakland. Since I moved to Berkeley last year, I’ve gained a little familiarity with Oakland and its boxing scene, the centerpiece of which is the legendary Kings Boxing Gym, a gym that Ward, an Oakland native, is proud to call his fighting home.

The event was a huge success both for Andre Ward and also for the city of Oakland and its boxing culture. Over 8,000 fans came out to the Oracle Arena to see the fight, and I can tell you first-hand that it was a knowledgeable and passionate group. Walking the upper deck of the arena before I made my way down to press row, I saw many a righteous old-timer in Panama hat looking like he’d stepped out of some fight painting from the early 60′s. ‘Double the damn jab, son!” one yelled. ‘Or eat that left hook all night! Your choice.” These men did not start following this game yesterday.

For Ward, it was both a joyful homecoming and an important victory in the progression of his career. In a wholly deserved unanimous decision, he soundly defeated Miranda, ‘La Pantera,” the Colombian killer known for his relentless aggression and decapitating knockouts. It was an exciting, action-packed win on a big stage (a Showtime headliner) and likely will herald the next phase of Ward’s career, one where he challenges for a world title and fights for some big-time money.

No matter how high his star may travel, though, one imagines Ward always will be quick to bring it all back home. His connection to the city of Oakland and to his trainer since childhood, Virgil Hunter, is inspiring. And though it was on a small scale in comparison to the sports world at large, this night at the Oracle Arena was in many ways about as big as sports can be. I tried to convey a little of that sense in the video below (all shot with a Flip, so pardon the image quality… the first voice you hear is that of Hunter, one of the most thoughtful and articulate trainers in the sport. And one final note for all you Masians – check it when Ward gets all Mas-like and references Pryor/Arguello… man knows his shit.)