So, What's Up With Andre Ward?

He's gone from winning the Super Six to fighting on the Canelo-Cotto undercard. Rumour is he'll face someone called Rohan Murdoch. If we gave him Smith as a tune up, what are we to make of this? Can this possibly prepare him for someone like Kovalev?

At present, he seems to be going backwards.

Just seen this before work. Unbelievable.

P4P my arse the guys a joke

Who?

Those promotional issues didn't help, mind you if I was Ward I would be in no rush to face Kovalev either, Ward is a fantastic fighter, but his style is extremely boring at times, if he loses its a long long way back for him.

Sounds like Jay-Z is allowing his missus to dictate Ward's career at the minute

Promotional issues or not no fighter of his calibre should be a) fighting as infrequently as he does and b) be allowed to fight what are effectively 2 nobodies in a row.

Yes the guy is good. He is also extremely dull. There's probably a reason that he doesn't headline events. Nobody cares about him.

I actually feel sorry for him having all that talent and no outlets.

I don't feel sorry for the arrogant jerk. He's made his own bed.

milkyboy wrote:I don't feel sorry for the arrogant jerk. He's made his own bed.

Amusing to see you think that God allowss his son to make his own bed

hazharrison wrote:He's gone from winning the Super Six to fighting on the Canelo-Cotto undercard. Rumour is he'll face someone called Rohan Murdoch. If we gave him Smith as a tune up, what are we to make of this? Can this possibly prepare him for someone like Kovalev?

At present, he seems to be going backwards.

his bank account isn't.

Mr Bounce wrote:Promotional issues or not no fighter of his calibre should be a) fighting as infrequently as he does and b) be allowed to fight what are effectively 2 nobodies in a row.

Yes the guy is good. He is also extremely dull. There's probably a reason that he doesn't headline events. Nobody cares about him.

I actually feel sorry for him having all that talent and no outlets.

Completely agree. He is arguably on the best fighters of the last 25 years but is doing nothing to raise his profile.

Weight drained or not, the Dawson fight was superb and he's beaten Froch but that was long ago and people quickly forget.

He's got big names in Kovaloev and Golovkin who are both winnable fights but faced people 4-5 tiers below him and getting zero praise as should be then case.

Step up S.O.G!!

kingraf wrote:

milkyboy wrote:I don't feel sorry for the arrogant jerk. He's made his own bed.

Amusing to see you think that God allowss his son to make his own bed  

I'm sure god thinks his son is a cnut too.

As people may have gathered from reading between the lines, I don't really like Ward. I would however, be fascinated to see him fight kovalev, stevenson and ggg. Get three wins out of that lot and i will lavish plaudits on him as a genuine modern great.... through gritted teeth obviously.

Not holding my breath though. Paul Smith 2 anyone?

Paul Smith 2 would be a good fight.

"A FORMER MULTIPLE WORLD TITLA CHALLENGER AND REALITY TV STAR FROM THE 1ST CONTENDER SERIES.....FROM THE UK....BAD BLOOD".

I can see it written in his Oakland garden now.

Ring walk expect 21st October 2017

What's up with Andre ward?
He's getting paid millions to fight stiffs, that's what's up with ward. 2 million to fight smith. He's co main of the 2nd biggest fight of 2015. So that's more millions for fighting a tomatoe can.

The guy has no incentive to step it up. If it was normal market forces the guy would be getting paid peanuts for his level of opposition.

Still got a far better CV than most. Worry more about the guys who are big names without having ever beaten anybody world class

Rumours he's signed a 3-fight HBO deal - possibly building towards a Kovalev showdown.

hazharrison wrote:Rumours he's signed a 3-fight HBO deal - possibly building towards a Kovalev showdown.

Now that would be a fight.

Good stuff, just read this on boxingnews24

I don't think the set of fights he has reportedly lined up are going to prepare him for a guy like Kovalev though.....

Ward should fight a Fonfara type opponent before even thinking about Kovalev

It's really exciting news. Having factored in ward's fighting activity I'm not going to book any holidays for the spring of 2019. Bring it on!

Seriously, no problem with ward wanting a few fights at light heavy before taking Krusher if that's what this is about, assuming he gets on with it and takes them... but in principle I hate these kind of deals. Guarantees neither fighter takes a live fight in the interim and then one of them will get injured or something. Get fit, get sharp, get happy at the weight... And then make the f**ing fight, if it it's still viable.

Completely agree Milky.

When people step up (as champions or as p4p superstars) they go straight in with the big guns.....usually.

Im sure when Pacman was blitzing through the weights he was having title fights straight away....as was Floyd.

Look at Lomachenko......

But then Ward steps up and HAS to have a couple of tune ups, one of which isn't even a tune up as the fighter he is facing is a nobody in boxing terms.

Just step up, fight Fonfara like already mentioned, then fight Kovalev.

mobilemaster8 wrote:Completely agree Milky.

When people step up (as champions or as p4p superstars) they go straight in with the big guns.....usually.

Im sure when Pacman was blitzing through the weights he was having title fights straight away....as was Floyd.

Look at Lomachenko......

But then Ward steps up and HAS to have a couple of tune ups, one of which isn't even a tune up as the fighter he is facing is a nobody in boxing terms.

Just step up, fight Fonfara like already mentioned, then fight Kovalev.

To be fair Ward hasn't exactly been active recently, but I think he needs to jump into the deep end, Cleverly for example would be a good starter a non stop aggressive fighter with good boxing skills

If he gets past that then go for Fonfara, after that then take on Kovalev.

BoxingFan88 wrote:

mobilemaster8 wrote:Completely agree Milky.

When people step up (as champions or as p4p superstars) they go straight in with the big guns.....usually.

Im sure when Pacman was blitzing through the weights he was having title fights straight away....as was Floyd.

Look at Lomachenko......

But then Ward steps up and HAS to have a couple of tune ups, one of which isn't even a tune up as the fighter he is facing is a nobody in boxing terms.

Just step up, fight Fonfara like already mentioned, then fight Kovalev.

To be fair Ward hasn't exactly been active recently, but I think he needs to jump into the deep end, Cleverly for example would be a good starter a non stop aggressive fighter with good boxing skills

If he gets past that then go for Fonfara, after that then take on Kovalev.

Cleverly or Fonfara would be good fights for Ward. Ward was and probably still is a quality fighter but it's all hypotheticals when matching him and guessing how he'd do against the big names at light heavy. I personally think he'd have all the way to go against Fonfara and Clev even due to styles.

Apparently Wards planned fight with Murdock had to be scrapped as Nevada would not sanction the mismatch. HBO also confirmed that Ward has a three fight deal on the stipulation that the last fight is vs Kovalev.

catchweight wrote:Apparently Wards planned fight with Murdock had to be scrapped as Nevada would not sanction the mismatch. HBO also confirmed that Ward has a three fight deal on the stipulation that the last fight is vs Kovalev.

Not long to pick a top name for the Cotto vs Canelo card, then he has one more fight before facing Kovalev???

Talk about feeding him to the wolves.....

Alexander Brand is the guy he's fighting on the undercard - yep me neither.

Cheers, Rodders

P4p number 2 in some eyes. Last 3 fights in past 3 years consist of Paul Smith, Rodriguez and the mighty Alexander Brand.

Yep.

P4P.

If Ward takes on Cleverley then he'll get even more stick than he did for facing Paul Smith. Kovalev put a big dent in Nathan's confidence and ruined him in much the same way Haye did for Big Enzo. Macc. Cleverley has been found at a levels far beneath Ward and you guys want him to face arguably the best fighter around?

Sadists!

DAVE667 wrote:If Ward takes on Cleverley then he'll get even more stick than he did for facing Paul Smith. Kovalev put a big dent in Nathan's confidence and ruined him in much the same way Haye did for Big Enzo. Macc. Cleverley has been found at a levels far beneath Ward and you guys want him to face arguably the best fighter around?

Sadists!

That "poor fighter" gave Fonfara a tough fight, who gave Stevenson a few scares and flattened Chavez Jr.. losing to Kovalev is no shame, Pascal got KOed Sillakh got KOed Hopkins got dominated...

Ward has proven absolutely nothing at Light Heavy, its better than the guy he selected

Ward shouldn't be fighting Cleverly, you're right, but why not if he's fighting the Paul Smiths and that other no hope that he tried to fight.

Going just off the Fonfara fight, Cleverly would give Ward a decent enough fight in a losing effort. Ward would likely get 12 rounds as he's not stopping Cleverly.

Ward might well be way above fighters of that calibre but how will any of us know unless we see him compete with some quality. Im sure he's still good but p4p number 2? No chance. He's done nothing for years.

Is Paul Smith perceived as a better win than Cleverly would be?

Can't see it myself.

BoxingFan88 wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:If Ward takes on Cleverley then he'll get even more stick than he did for facing Paul Smith. Kovalev put a big dent in Nathan's confidence and ruined him in much the same way Haye did for Big Enzo. Macc. Cleverley has been found at a levels far beneath Ward and you guys want him to face arguably the best fighter around?

Sadists!

That "poor fighter" gave Fonfara a tough fight, who gave Stevenson a few scares and flattened Chavez Jr.. losing to Kovalev is no shame, Pascal got KOed Sillakh got KOed Hopkins got dominated...

Ward has proven absolutely nothing at Light Heavy, its better than the guy he selected

It isn't conkers mate....a guy who struggles with the game but ultimately limited Tony Bellew is going have his backside handed to him by Ward.

AZZJ44 wrote:Is Paul Smith perceived as a better win than Cleverly would be?

Can't see it myself.

Cleverley had a loss to Bellew and Fonfara and a 20 second blowout sandwiched in between. Smith had two fights with Abraham and a the Ward fight. It's the width of a cigarette paper as to which one is seen as the "better fighter"

AZZJ44 wrote:Going just off the Fonfara fight, Cleverly would give Ward a decent enough fight in a losing effort. Ward would likely get 12 rounds as he's not stopping Cleverly.

Going off the Fonfara fight, Ward puts Cleverley's nose into the third row

Ward out of Canelo/Cotto card

ROC Nation Sports regretfully announces that due to an injury sustained while training, Andre Ward will be unable to participate in his previously scheduled Saturday, Nov. 21 bout at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas. A replacement fight for the HBO Pay-Per-View produced and distributed event is currently being worked on.

Ward has been suffering from significant inflammation and constant pain in his right knee that is severely restricting his mobility. He has been advised by his physician to immediately rest and begin rehab on the knee to reduce the inflammation.

“I’m extremely disappointed that I’m missing this opportunity on November 21, but at the same time, I’m encouraged,” said Ward. “Anytime I have had a minor or major setback in my career, by the Grace of God, I’ve come back stronger and this will be no different. I’m looking forward to a big 2016. Thank you to all my fans for your support and patience.”

“Andre’s injury is a huge disappointment not only to him, but all of us involved with this promotion,” said David Itskowitch, COO Boxing of Roc Nation Sports. “We have no doubt that Andre will come back stronger than ever once his knee heals and that he will be a force in the light heavyweight division. We are working diligently to make an intriguing fight that will deliver a level of excitement commensurate with this great event.”

“While we feel terrible for Andre that he has encountered this setback, we have no doubt that Andre will return stronger than ever in 2016,” said James Prince and Josh Dubin, Ward’s management team.

That's a convenient injury...

Pulled out again zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Big 2016" - here's hoping it is!!!

Just saw the Cotto card though, that looks like quite a good set of fights!

Oh dear. What a joker.

Can't wait for him to retire.

What is he talking about? When I'm injured I come back better? So after fighting the likes of Froch Dawson and Kessler......you fight Smith? Rodriguez?

Whatever mate you bore.

You won't be back in 2026 let alone 2016.

mobilemaster8 wrote:Oh dear. What a joker.

Can't wait for him to retire.

What is he talking about? When I'm injured I come back better? So after fighting the likes of Froch Dawson and Kessler......you fight Smith?  Rodriguez?

Whatever mate you bore.

You won't be back in 2026 let alone 2016.

Haha