Will Andre Ward ever become a PPV attraction?

By Boxing News - 05/27/2013 - Comments

ward56344By Dominic Sauboorah: Reigning Ring Magazine Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0 14 KO’s) was ringside for the unification bout between Carl Froch (33-2 22 KO’s) and Mikkel Kessler (46-3 35 KO’s) at the 02 Arena, London, United Kingdom. The No.1 rated super middleweight was talking about talking a potential rematch against Froch at Wembley stadium in front of 100,000 fans after the fight.

It would be a huge event if it is to take place; however, in my eyes, I do believe that Andre Ward is unlikely to become a PPV star.

The only PPV match up at the moment for Ward is that of a rematch against Froch, mainly on the basis that Carl will do his best to make it a fight, thereby adding to the entertainment value. Ward is without a doubt one of the best technical boxers in the game and his record proves that. Despite this however he is unlikely to benefit financially from the sport in comparison to other top pound for pound contenders such as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Why is this you ask? It’s simple, he’s boring, in and out of the ring.

Floyd Mayweather has benefited from the sport the most in terms of finance, mainly on the basis of his controversies outside of the ring, thereby making him the “bad guy” when he steps into the ring, whereby most people want to see him lose. He’s a technical genius, he can be boring; however his controversies make him entertaining and exciting. He has also, at times, had to go toe to toe with opponents, thereby showing how he’s a diverse boxer as well as a diverse character. Most boxers are either entertaining inside the ring, outside the ring or both. Carl Froch is entertaining inside the ring, Floyd Mayweather is entertaining outside the ring and someone like Adrien Broner is entertaining in both departments. Andre Ward is entertaining in neither of these departments. Outside the ring he doesn’t create that much hype and isn’t controversial. Inside the ring he tends to keep at a distance from fighters, whereby he can pick them off every now and then with 2/3 punch combinations at most and not be willing to trade. This then results in 12 monotonous rounds.

I respect the fact that boxing is a sport and that if you can find a way to get the win then that’s the most important thing. However boxing is a money making business more than anything and has been for decades. Andre Ward has very little entertainment value. He’s like Wladimir Klitschko except he hasn’t got the power to knock anyone out. A talented boxer for sure, but the fact that he isn’t an interesting character inside or outside the ring means that he’s unlikely to gain world wide iconic recognition. If the rematch between Froch and Ward happens, which it should, then it’ll be Froch bringing in the PPV numbers, not Ward. Froch brings excitement and adrenaline, Ward doesn’t. As bad as it sounds, considering that he’s such a talented boxer, Andre Ward epitomizes the word dull and because of that is unlikely to win over many fans in the future.



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