Besides, Ward, in case you dont know, is also an amazing fighter. 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. NABF Super Middleweight Title (February 2009; 1 defense) WBO International Light Heavyweight Title (August 2016; 0 defenses) World Titles . Andre Ward has never lost a fight in his professional boxing career. He went down. Whether that be gear reviews, fighter analysis, news, training tips, or my own personal journey, I'll be covering it on 'Boxing Life'. Ward went to the body every time he got the opportunity in the early rounds of both fights. In the short term, theyre only one punch away from permanent injury or death. Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. Ward made his pro debut on December 18, 2004, by scoring a second round TKO over Chris Molina. He may not be as flashy as I was, but I wasnt as flashy as Ali was when I came up either, Jones said. [97] Tony Weeks stopped the fight, with Kovalev sitting on the middle rope, visibly hurt from the strikes he was subjected to. [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. Then he grinned and began nodding. [30], Ward won the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament via unanimous decision . Kovalev said the fight could have continued, "I don't know. Ali was silenced and imprisoned in his body. Although Abraham was somewhat passive at times, he gave an earnest effort and frequently threw combinations that were mostly blocked by Ward. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. [105], On September 21, 2017, via his website, Ward announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 33. In total he landed 178 of 444 total punches thrown (40%). This was all while attempting to control and hold at least one arm. Seriously, guys like Mayweather, McGregor, and others behave like kids sometimes. In the co-featured non-televised portion of the card, heavyweight world contender Cristobal Arreola took on Nagy Aguilera of the Dominican Republic. The American finally decided to hang up the gloves in 2017 after retaining his world title belts against Sergey Kovalev in his rematch. A right hand from Ward had Kovalev in trouble, which was followed by several body shots, including a low blow. This time leave the excuses at home." [61], On November 12, 2015, in advance of his upcoming move up to the light heavyweight division, Ward vacated his WBA super middleweight title. Or by being too close for opponents to hit him cleanly or effectively. [52], On February 19, 2015 The Ring stripped Ward of the Ring champion belt due to him not having defended his title against a top #5 contender in the last two years. This was the eighth and final time Ward fought in his hometown. I'm a boxing analyst, amateur boxer, and blogger looking to pass on my boxing experiences and passion to anyone looking to learn or find out more about the sport of boxing. Id given my whole life to boxing and I was burned out, he recalled. If he wins as expected, Ward is slated to fight Russian light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev in Las Vegas on Nov. 19, in what many believe could be professional boxings best fight in well over a decade. He lost that fight in a judges decision that like the other four he playfully questions the legitimacy of to this day. Of course not. [103][104], On August 23, 2017, Ward announced that his contract with HBO had expired, making him a free agent. I was different. I know, I know, we're all supposed to hate Andre Ward. Stop Cop City (SCC) or Defend Atlanta Forest is a decentralized social movement in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, whose goal is to stop construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by the Atlanta Police Foundation and the City of Atlanta.Opponents of the facility are concerned about the growth of policing in the city, which has witnessed several protests against police violence . Andre Ward, S.O.G. Abraham, a former middleweight titleholder, had moved up in weight to join the Super Six tournament. But Ward was always a very good body puncher for the most part throughout his whole career. [10][11], Ward's first fight in the tournament took place in his hometown of Oakland, California, against Ring Magazine #1 ranked and joint tournament favorite Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KO) on November 21, 2009. Required fields are marked *. To me, Jones went on, Wards been the model student, person, and citizen in the sport that I always expected him to be. And a man can be broken. Its in a cul-de-sac on a quiet, narrow street. Ive never talked about my story before, Ward said. But instead of sticking to the southpaw stance. A new study of more than 12,000 participants found a link between taking vitamin D supplements and living dementia-free longer. There was nobody out there like him.. On March 20, 2008, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, Ward defeated Rubin Williams by seventh-round TKO. And it continued to happen on and off for the next few years., Ward pointed up at his bedroom window. We did it. EP 52: Heather Hardy and Ronica Jeffrey on Women Boxing, Tyson Fury On Brother Tommy: "If He Loses To Jake Paul Then Hes Finished With The Boxing", Boxing Insider Fight Night: 8 Rds. When I was a kid, the hill nearby and these streets seemed huge. I rushed to the hospital and had to see him lying on that cold slab. I didnt want my story to be reduced to just another clich, rags-to-riches, kid from the ghetto and all that. [101] The replay was shown on regular HBO averaging 752,000 viewers and peaked at 947,000, which was during the final round. For the most part, the American would float between stances using a. Theres charm in his smile and a warm handshake. 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. He very much has a misunderstood boxing style which is a combination of many styles into one. Ward later admitted it was his toughest fight to date, since he became professional. 1030 Grant Street Southeast. First time around, the man is world champion, and he's been on top a long time. Ward showed he had an inside game as well as an outside game. I didnt hear no bell! he yelled. You know who you are. This is the first time in his life hes been inside the ring with somebody where he couldnt do exactly what he wanted to, Lopez said. [48][49], Ward spent all of 2014 inactive, still feuding with Goossen. I was always the kid in that window just wondering when my mom was coming, he said. We visit the house where his father died and then drive to 2656 Pepper Place Street. No warning. Making him one of the best technical fighters there has been in the modern era. Yet his role in boxing was never descended from Muhammad Alis brash hero, Mike Tysons villain, or Floyd Mayweather Jr.s Money-obsessed anti-hero. Daves father was hugging his son in the ring and helping him with his bloody nose. I could not have done this without you." Ward described himself as a pick him type fighter in other words, he likes to pick you off and break you down with strong, accurate, and effective shots with a lower volume of punches. Indeed, he looked less like a stereotypical boxer than an MTV heartthrob or an Abercrombie & Fitch model. Guarded is what got me by. For his counter punching, it was more used with opponents who rushed in because of frustration that would be caught by him. Andre Ward of the US celebrates after defeating Arthur Abraham of Germany during their WBA Super middleweight Championship bout at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California on May 14, 2011. Ward knew better than anyone what greatness required. Birth Name: Andre Michael Ward Hometown: Oakland, California, USA Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA Stance: Orthodox Height: 183cm Reach: 180cm Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record Trainer: Virgil Hunter (1994-2017) Manager: James Prince (2004-2017) Just off Mission Boulevard in Hayward, a faded mural of Ward in his Olympic uniform is spray-painted on the side of the U.S. Karate and Boxing Gym where Hunter was working at the time. One was the church he attends for Bible study, but the other was a surprise. Ward had to adjust his game plan as he was unable to fight on the inside. (Son of God) was regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound champions in his era as a pro. Now probably one of the harder and more complex parts of Wards game was his inside fighting ability. Taking vitamin D supplements appeared to ward off dementia in a new, large-scale study. Kovalev is an absolute device of destruction in the ring. The current president of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association also became a certified mediator in 2016. On May 16, 2009, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, Ward defeated former prospect Edison Miranda by unanimous decision. As I mentioned earlier he would keep his head usually off centre line to his right, but would also sometimes change the level he would throw the punch. Faith was a crucial part of his road back. I didnt feel like I had to. Miranda couldn't stay up with Ward's versatility around the ring. Whats more, he doesnt fight nearly as much as he should (as least he hasnt until recently). This showed in round 7 when Brand's right eye suddenly started to swollen up. How can he be that good while still being a cipher? [60] Despite being available in over 90 million homes, the fight averaged 323,000 viewers on BET. Coming soon,\" wrote future Hall of Famer Andre Ward, who recently took to social media to post video from one of his master classes on boxing that he'll be teaching at the Everbody Fights Fight School. Pre-Fight: Defense - Kovalev B+; Ward A. Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Kovalev A+; Ward A+. On my final night with Ward, he had two places to show me before we parted ways. But Ive taken punishment. Dad was picking me up for a run like he always did. Hed follow alongside me in his truck. Ward advanced to the semi-finals. His African-American mother was rarely present, battling an addiction to crack cocaine and living on the streets of San Francisco for most of 20 years. [95] The fight purses were revealed before the fight with Ward taking a guaranteed $6.5 million and Kovalev, not having a base purse, would receive a percentage of PPV and gate revenue. After he beats Kovalev, if hes still hungry, he can stick around. Sometimes sticking it straight out will help you create the time to move out the way or force your opponent into a punch. After the fight with Boone, Ward went on to win his next six fights, including TKO victories over undefeated Andy Kolle (this fight was the last of five that Ward fought within the middleweight limit of 160 lbs) and Francisco Diaz. [23] Fighting in front of his hometown crowd as part of a dual-site co-main event, Ward didn't land many big shots but repeatedly hit Bika with a stinging left jab that the challenger was unable to counter. Much like Joe Louis, he would do it while fencing with his jab, before unleashing his huge power shots. I'll see you in November." Dave pressed harder and a few light shots from Ward stamped the sweat into his eyes and produced tears. I'm finished. Now when we think of Andre Ward and body attacks, Im not going to say he didnt stray low at times. 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. At 9, Ward was hoisted on his daddys shoulders to peek in the window. Your email address will not be published. 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? 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