One splendid and life-changing night of boxing. So many directions for things to go.

That's the major impression I'm left with after Saturday's World Boxing Classic Super Six match between Andre Ward, the new WBA super middleweight champion, and Demark's Mikkel Kessler at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Ward, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist whose now-21-0 record includes 13 knockouts, with four of those wins coming at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, was marvelous in winning the breakthrough fight - and title - he's longed for since Athens.

He may also be the attraction boxing is looking for after the hype for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. junior welterweight match dies down.

"There's no disputing who Andre Ward is," said Ward's promoter, Dan Goossen. "He is who he speaks."

At the same time, you have to wonder if Kessler (42-2), who'd held the belt for the bulk of the past five years, was ready for what Ward delivered.

Recall before weigh-ins, Kessler's camp had complained about the makeup of the officiating crew.

World Boxing Classic rules call for at least two judges from a "neutral" territory, but a referee and two judges from California, along with a judge from South Africa, were originally scheduled to work Saturday's bout.

One of the Californians was replaced by someone from Sweden the next day, but Kessler's camp raised doubts about the officials again afterward, which was stopped in the 11th round with Ward ahead on all scorecards.

Kessler, who had a lump under his right eye and was bloodied around his eyes, claimed several head butts weren't called.

"I don't mean to sound like I'm piling on, but I felt like he was getting help from the referee from the first or second round on with the head butts," he said.

After a slight chewing out by Goossen, Ward supplied the perfect retort to Kessler.

"I was getting head-butted too. That's boxing," said Ward. "Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a dirty fighter. it's not my style."

Indeed, all eyes will turn to Ward when this innovative tournament featuring the world's top six super middleweights resumes in the spring.

Arthur Abraham, an Armenian based in Germany, leads with three points after his knockout of Jermain Taylor, followed by Ward and England's Carl Frosch with two points.

If anything, interest should be high in the United States. Ward's next two fights are against Taylor and Andre Direll, both Americans, meaning the title belt will stay in U.S. hands heading into the semifinals.

There were some questions Saturday night if Taylor, who was knocked out by Abraham, would be recovered enough to continue.

What's next for Kessler may be up in the air as well. He indicated in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that he'll insist his next tournament fight, against Frosch, be in Denmark, not England, to avoid the feeling of being homered again.

After the first three fights, the field will be cut from six fighters to four, with the two semifinal winners meeting for the title.

Goossen said both of Ward's fights would be in his hometown of Oakland and even hinted that the title fight could be held at the Oakland Coliseum.

The first championship fight held in Oakland in more than 30 years (when boxing's powers that be strippled Muhammad Ali of his heavyweight title) drew 10,227 to the home of the Golden State Warriors, even with the Big Game down at Stanford and the Raiders at home the next day.

It was also, as could be expected, a pro-Ward crowd, easily switching betweeen chants of "USA! USA!" and "SOG! SOG!", Ward's nickname, short for Son of God.

"I feel like I've been given this stage, and I am going to use it to glorify Him," said Ward.

Richard de Give is The Sentinel's sports editor. He can be reached at 583-2430 or rdegive@HanfordSentinel.com.

(Nov. 24, 2009)