Andre Ward has once again captured the attention of the boxing world with his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Allan Green on Saturday night. Green came into the Super Middleweight tournament as a late replacement over Jermain Taylor (who called it quits after a brutal knockout defeat to Arthur Abraham).

Green is a puncher, pure and simple. He brought a record of 29-1 (18) into Saturday’s fight. In my opinion, Green was a great replacement for Taylor. He’s what I call a “classy trash-talker” whose personality adds a different type of dynamic to the mix. Regardless, it was Ward who shined on Saturday night.

Afterward, Allan Green told reporters he’d over-trained and did not have his usual strength going into the fight. Whether that is true or not doesn’t change the outcome. Once again, Ward produced results when it really counted. After all is said and done… that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

On the other side of the coin, some are already criticizing Ward’s boxing style. This is common. Everyone likes to see knockouts and I’m no exception. While Ward’s style may not cause the casual observer to gasp in awe, he’s not exactly pillow-fisted either. Ward’s a boxer – pure and simple. And it seems like he continues to get better at what he does with each passing fight. He may not be invincible, but at this point, I’d confidently pick him as the favorite to win the whole Super-6 tournament.

For a fighter like Vitali Klitschko, it remains to be seen how much longer he can maintain his ability atop the Heavyweight mountain. At 38, he’s the second oldest Heavyweight Champion in history – tied with Jersey Joe Walcott. Big Vitali relies upon his jab to set up his heavy, ponderous punches. Once the reflexes wane, however, it’ll be interesting to see just how effective the jab remains – especially against an opponent who isn’t a stationary target.

I’m still enjoying the Super Six Middleweight tournament. I’m curious to see how Carol Froch and Mikkel Kessler are going to fare against Arthur Abraham. Abraham’s a bigger puncher than either man but not as active when it comes to punch output.  Meanwhile, Andre Ward has displayed the type of speed, defense and counterpunching ability that makes him very tough to bet against at this point. Allan Green, Jermain Taylor’s replacement, is a real x-factor in the overall equation. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs at this top level.

In more recent action, Rafael Marquez (former Bantamweight King and younger brother of Juan Marquez) defeated a way past his prime version of Israel Vasquez. Vasquez, a ghost of his former self, went out like a champion.

You can’t help but feel a little sad as you watch the once formidable champions of late 1990’s all nearing the end of the line. It’s the circle of life – boxing style, taking place right before our eyes. The sport is now wide open to usher in a new generation of champions. However it plays out, one thing is for certain – we’ll all be watching.