ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Andre Ward had his hands more full on stage than he ever did in the ring against Carl Froch.

Ward walked in holding two championship belts, had to clear space for a trophy, and another title belt was buckled around his waist.

Undefeated and, now, undisputed - the best super middleweight fighter around.

Ward shook off an injured left hand to stake his claim as the top 168-pound division fighter, using his speed and a combination of lefts to defeat Froch in a unanimous decision on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in the Super Six super middleweight tournament final.

Ward kept his injured left hand a secret during training camp.

With each left hook and quick jab, he could have fooled Froch there was anything wrong with that dominant hand.

"I figured out during the fight I could explode with a left hook," Ward said. "I know he felt some of those hooks."

Ward, the Olympic gold medalist from Oakland, Calif., retained his WBA championship and won the WBC super middleweight belt in the final bout of the inaugural tournament that stretched out over two years. He was awarded the vacant Ring Magazine championship and the Super Six championship trophy.

Fighter of the Year could be ahead.

"One of the strongest assets I have is my mind. I kept my composure, I kept things under control. And we pulled it off," Ward said. "I hope I did a good job. But we can still get better, believe it or not."

Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) dictated the pace from the opening round, connecting on a series of left hooks to rattle Froch. Froch, out of Nottingham, England, never came close to getting knocked out. Froch (28-2, 20 KOs) could not unleash his power punches until late, though, finally showing some overdue aggression in the 10th.

"I wanted to put my shots together, but he moves around, and slips and slides. He's very good at that," Froch said. "And that's why it was a bad night for me."

Ward dominated the six-man, 168-pound tournament, backed by premium network Showtime. And he did so - on this night, at least - despite injuring his left hand in camp, and then again after striking the top of Froch's head in the sixth round.

Associated Press

(China Daily 12/19/2011 page23)