[84], The fight reported to have done 160,000 buys on HBO PPV. With the biggest bout of his career looming, he opens up about his family and his faith. How many times did they bet against Floyd? . The three judges scored the fight 118106, 117107, and 116108 all in favor of Ward. Ive never talked about my parents before and some of their struggles. Everyone said he did everything wrong, but he got away with it, he said. We told you this is what we wanted to do. Dave pressed harder and a few light shots from Ward stamped the sweat into his eyes and produced tears. He would then use his head to lean on the shoulders of his opponent to apply pressure but also so his chin was protected. They did that to Roy Jones his whole career. Id given my whole life to boxing and I was burned out, he recalled. Then, in the tenth round, Ward dropped Dawson to a knee after a solid combination, which prompted referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight after Dawson could not continue. Atlanta, GA 30315. Maybe Ward has one more profound trick up his sleeve: rising to the top of his craft and claiming a happy ending, not just as his reward, but as a central part of his legacy. But he didnt die with a needle in his arm, Ward quickly added. Every prizefighter crosses his own Rubicon before he climbs half-naked between the ropes and steps foot on an illuminated canvas. Ward earned a purse of $850,000 compared to the small amount of $30,000 earned by Brand. I was getting ready for the Under 19s [amateur tournament]. But for Ward, the jab was a tool to use the opportunity to slip up on the inside on some opponents, much like the great Roberto Duran would do as well. I cramped up, and I got too tense." I sat down to watch him in the third row. That doesnt mean these individuals dont like flash. [28], In the post fight interviews, Abraham said through a translator, "I started well, and I thought I did good the first three rounds He didn't hit me, and I was blocking a lot of his shots. Boxing News", "Duva and Roc Nation start talks for rematch of Ward-Kovalev June 17 The Ring", "Sergey Kovalev indicates he signed deal memo for Ward rematch The Ring", "Andre Ward set to defend title vs. Sergey Kovalev in June ESPN", "Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev rematch set", "Ward agrees to give Kovalev rematch in June", "Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev agree to rematch June 17 in Vegas", "Ward vs. Kovalev II: No Rematch Clause For Third Fight Boxing News", "Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev purses revealed", "Andre Ward finishes Sergey Kovalev in eighth round, retains titles", "Andre Ward Stops Sergey Kovalev in Eight To Retain Belts Boxing News", "Ward vs Kovalev II: Andre Ward produces stunning stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev in rematch", "Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev 2 Disappoints Greatly On PPV Buys", "Ward-Kovalev Rematch Replay Peaked at 947K Viewers on HBO Boxing News", "Ward-Kovalev rematch underperforms at gate", "Ward-Kovalev Rematch: Paid Attendance Was Only 6,366 Boxing News", "Andre Ward says contract with HBO is up", "Ward 'leaving' boxing, says 'desire not there', "Andre Ward: American two-weight world champion retires from boxing", "Andre Ward stuns boxing world by announcing his retirement", "BOXINGTALK: ANDRE WARD ABRUPTLY RETIRES", "VIRGIL HUNTER MENTOR OL' G BOB EXPLAINS WHY ANDRE WARD IS THE MOST COMPLETE FIGHTER TODAY", "ANDRE WARD SAYS HE'S A COMBINATION OF ROY JONES, BERNARD HOPKINS, & FLOYD MAYWEATHER; EXPLAINS WHY", "Kovalev vs Ward: 5 keys to victory for Andre Ward", "The star of 'Creed' wants a sequel here's why it will probably happen", "Ward-Kovalev does just over 160,000 PPV buys, source says", "Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev rematch flops on PPV", "Ward-Kovalev II predictably flops on PPV", Article about Andre Ward's involvement with Victor Conte, Olympic boxing champions men's light heavyweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andre_Ward&oldid=1141337195, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, International Boxing Federation champions, World super-middleweight boxing champions, 21st-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2001 United States Amateur Middleweight Champion, 2003 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion, Won the Light Heavyweight gold medal for the United States at the 2004, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 15:17. Super Middle Weight Andre Ward holds a media day workout at Warzone Boxing Club to promote his November 16 fight with Edwin Rodriguez on November 12, 2013 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Ward was winning every round at the time of stoppage 8072 on all three judges' scorecards. Offers online therapy. Thats a dangerous place to be. He was ready to step up to his biggest challenge against big American puncher Allan Green (25-1, 18 KOs), with the fight scheduled to take place on February 2, 2008, on HBO. A right hand from Ward had Kovalev in trouble, which was followed by several body shots, including a low blow. But then I tried for the knockout, and I couldn't do it. This isnt to say theyre bad men at heart. Abraham, a former middleweight titleholder, had moved up in weight to join the Super Six tournament. Now when we think of Andre Ward and body attacks, Im not going to say he didnt stray low at times. But while the Germany-based Armenian had lost none of his strength and durability . [83] CompuBox stats showed that Kovalev landed more punches, 126 of 474 punches; Ward landed 116 out of 337 thrown [111] A natural left-handed fighter who boxes in an orthodox stance, Ward's best punches typically come from the lead left, including a sharp, piston-like jab, which he shoots to the body as well as the head. In a way, Ward is very much a blend of modern flashy fighters, but with many old-school traditional fighter characteristics. "It was a classic hometown decision. [54] Roc Nation did reach out to HBO, where Ward had worked as an analyst previously, but upon hearing his opponent, they passed on the opportunity to showcase Ward's long-awaited return. My job is to make it where they cant argue. Guarded is what got me by. Theres a strange metaphor at work as you pull a third U-turn, trying to distinguish one anonymous beige cluster of office buildings and warehouses from the others, all moated with nearly vacant parking lots. First up, Ward would like to fight on the inside at different points in the fight against specific fighters in his career. The ward covers parts of Lincoln Square, Andersonville, Ravenswood, Edgewater, Rogers Park . Ive never talked about my story before, Ward said. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey. Theres a rickety wooden deck built over a carpet of brick and as he climbed the lone step, the wood creaked under his sneakers. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'myboxinglife_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_9',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-myboxinglife_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Some of the greats such as Floyd and or more recently Canelo Alvarez have always been more calculated when they throw punches and would always rather get much cleaner damaging shots. Abraham hurt Ward a couple of times in the final round, but it wasn't enough to finish Ward, who had dominated the fight and won a lopsided unanimous decision. Now probably one of the harder and more complex parts of Wards game was his inside fighting ability. Sharing Jones words with Ward almost has him blushing as he drove us to meet with his dads sister, Sandy Boos, to look over old photos from his childhood. [77], Boxing experts have claimed that the judging was unfair. I know Im very guarded. Seriously, guys like Mayweather, McGregor, and others behave like kids sometimes. "[106][107] Also in the statement read, "As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream. I just came to visit, Dave! Ward shrugged. Much like Joe Louis, he would do it while fencing with his jab, before unleashing his huge power shots. [103][104], On August 23, 2017, Ward announced that his contract with HBO had expired, making him a free agent. Dawson was coming off a big win against future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins in April. ANDRE WARD MASTER CLASS ON DEFENSE: "KNOW HOW TO USE IT AND WHEN TO USE IT" 157,070 views Jul 5, 2020 4.5K Dislike Share FightHype.com 1.2M subscribers "All fighters throw punches but not. "[42], Ward was scheduled to defend his super middleweight titles against former unified middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on January 26, 2013, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Ward was knocked down for the first time in his career in round four. He called and asked if he could take the day off because he wasnt feeling well. Answer (1 of 5): I think Andre Ward may have wanted a 'Super-fight' with Joe Calzaghe - BUT Calzaghe retired. On defense, this means being okay with the offense completing short passes over the middle because it keeps the clock running. But Ive never cheered for or against him. Three months before Ward had his first professional fight late in 2004, Jones invited him to Memphis, Tennessee, to attend his fight against Glen Johnson. Like Joe Louis, he lost his first amateur contest. The next day I got the call from my cousin saying my daddy was dead. The fight was announced in June, with a rematch clause, and both fighters retained their undefeated records through interim bouts. Ward went to the body every time he got the opportunity in the early rounds of both fights. Youre left asking, Who am I? . Every time I step in a ring to spar with a young fighter trying to prove something or make a name for themselves. I've got to go look at the tape. At 9, Ward was hoisted on his daddys shoulders to peek in the window. Ward won the fight via 8th round TKO and defended his WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO titles, and won the vacant The Ring title. but this itself definitely gave Ward an advantage by giving him a much more powerful lead hand earning much respect from opponents. Its a dangerous fight., I know. For a 32-year-old world champion and the last American male boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympics back in 2004, youd expect at least a few barrels of ink had been spilled connecting the dots of his biography. The dip could have been due to 21 million tuning in to the Olympics on NBC. Jones asked Wards permission to wear his Olympic gold medal into the ring. Grant Park Counseling Group. May 14, 2011. In the fight he would fence with Dawsons southpaw jab, with his own, however, he would use it to condition the southpaw into a rhythm over time by touching w with him. Its just that they like something more than mere showiness. It hurt me so bad my dad was taken like that. You know who you are. Most opponents could really not compete with Ward when they were in this situation. Ill never forget that day. One was the church he attends for Bible study, but the other was a surprise. Responds Boxing News", "Andre Ward vs Chad Dawson at Oracle: 'Made In America' Boxing News", "Ward vs Dawson Results: Andre Ward Dominates, Stops Chad Dawson in Oakland", "Andre Ward-Kelly Pavlik fight to be canceled, Ward to have shoulder surgery ESPN", "Andre Ward Decides to Relinquish WBC Super Middleweight Emeritus Title", "Andre Ward tells the WBC to get lost, and hopefully he is the first of many", "Ward to return to action with fight vs. Rodriguez", "Ward dominates Rodriguez with unanimous decision", "Andre Ward speaks out on Dan Goossen, lawsuit The Ring", "Boxer Andre Ward's longtime promoter Dan Goossen dies The Mercury News", "Ring Ratings Update: Andre Ward stripped of title, dropped from ratings The Ring", "Press Release: BET To Air Andre Ward vs Paul Smith, Plus 9 "Throne boxing" events with Roc Nation | BoxingInsider.com", "Ward to face England's Smith in June 20 return", "Andre Ward: Undefeated champion to fight Paul Smith", "Andre Ward beats Paul Smith in comeback fight in Oakland", "Ward TKO's Smith in return from 19-month break", "Paul Smith blows weight for second time for Ward fight", "Ward vs. Smith nets low ratings of 323k in viewership", "Ward vacates belt, eyes moving up weight class", "Andre Ward-Sullivan Barrera Being Finalized For March 26", "Andre Ward: I'm Daring To Be Great By Moving Up To 175", "Ward routs Barrera in light heavyweight debut", "Andre Ward Drops, Dominates Sullivan Barrera in 175 Debut Boxing News", "Ward-Barrera averages 1.064M viewers on HBO Boxing News", "Andre Ward vs. Alexander Brand Officially Revealed By Roc Nation Boxing News", "Ward takes WBO Intercontinental light-heavyweight title from Brand in decision", "Andre Ward outpoints Alexander Brand in California stroll", "Ward routs Brand, setting up Kovalev showdown", "Andre Ward vs. Alexander Brand Averages 742k Viewers on HBO Boxing News", "Kovalev-Ward to take place Nov. 19 in Las Vegas", "Ward-Kovalev was no robbery and everything boxing needed", "The Kovalev-Ward decision was about boxing's fine margins, not corruption", "Andre Ward scores controversial points victory over Sergey Kovalev", "Andre Ward Beats Sergey Kovalev By The Slimmest Of Margins: Live Results And Reaction (VIDEO)", "Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev Deliver Drama, Controversy and an Instant Classic", "[VIDEO] PAULIE MALIGNAGGI DETAILED ANALYSIS OF KNOCKDOWN AND ANDRE WARD'S VICTORY OVER KOVALEV || FIGHTHYPE.COM", "Sergey Kovalev predicts knockout ahead of Andre Ward showdown", "Ward Recovers from Knockdown to Score Close Win Over Kovalev", "Ward/Kovalev does just less than a million viewers on HBO replay", "Ward-Kovalev produced live gate of $3.3m", "Ward vs. Kovalev Rematch Talks Finally Underway For June 17? This was the eighth and final time Ward fought in his hometown. On February 5, 2005, Ward fought in his second pro fight against Kenny Kost. With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Vasquez held 78.06 percent of the vote to challengers Christian Blume's 15.14 percent and Jane Lucius' 6.6 percent. Sports, the fight only generated around 130,000 buys on HBO PPV. How can he be that good while still being a cipher? Id see kids in school and that was the void that I had. The hand was broken in two places. Andre Ward H.O.F. A green-eyed, 85-pound 12-year-old named Dave Lopez was glaring from behind the ropes of an elevated ring at the center of the gym. On my final night with Ward, he had two places to show me before we parted ways. The fight was called off because Green had an obligation with ESPN to fight Rubin Williams on January 4. Over 12 rounds, Ward threw 289 jabs. 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