Paul Smith says he’ll have good game plan for Andre Ward fight

smith7777By Scott Gilfoid: Britain’s Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) says his trainer Joe Gallagher has a good game plan for his upcoming fight in 10 days from now on June 20th on BET against WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) in their catch-weight fight at 172 pounds at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Smith, 32, sees flaws in Ward’s game that he and his trainer Gallagher will be trying to exploit on 6/20.

Just what those flaws are is the big question. Ward is the superior fighter in close and on the outside. I would venture to guess that Smith will be looking to fight Ward on the outside if he can, because if the American talent takes the fight to the inside, Smith has no chance.

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Paul Smith: Ward can be caught, he leaves himself open

smith342By Scott Gilfoid: Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) has lost his last two fights, and he’s not exactly coming into his non-title fight on June 20th against Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) in the ideal position for their fight at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Smith, 32, is expected to lose and lose big in this fight. The only question is whether he gets knocked out or outpointed. However, Smith doesn’t believe that he has no chance. He’s seen enough of Ward’s fights on video to know that he can be caught from time to time in his fights, and he believes that he’s got a puncher’s chance of winning this fight.

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Paul Smith will need a miracle against Andre Ward

smith455By Scott Gilfoid: If 32-year-old Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) thought he had in bad in his last two fights against WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham in his two defeats in those fights, Smith is really up against it with his 172 pound catch-weight fight against Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) on June 20th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Smith has obviously been brought in as a fodder opponent for the 31-year-old Ward to sharpen up before he goes back to defending his WBA 168 pound title. Smith will need to KO Ward to win this fight because there’s no way that Smith will win a decision against someone as talented as Ward. Indeed, I don’t think Smith will win even a round in this fight.

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Andre Ward should call DeGale’s bluff and agree to fight him

ward56344By Scott Gilfoid: After his victory over Andre Dirrell last Saturday, James DeGale (21-1, 14 KOs) claimed that WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) would never choose to fight him. It’s unclear where DeGale was going with this comment.

Did he mean that Ward wouldn’t waste his time fighting a guy like him, or did DeGale mean that Ward was afraid of fighting him for whatever reason? I can’t imagine a talent like Ward would be hesitant to fight a guy like DeGale, who really just scraped by Dirrell last Saturday.

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Andre Ward: This fight is Paul Smith’s Super Bowl

ward765By Scott Gilfoid: WBA Super World super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) is taking his June 20th tune-up opponent Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) very seriously as a threat to his 168lb title rein despite the fact that the 32-year-old British fighter is coming off of consecutive losses to WBO 168lb champ Arthur Abraham.

The Ward-Smith fight will take place at a catch-weight of 172 pounds. The reason for that is because Ward has been out of the ring since 2013. It doesn’t make sense for Ward to drain down all the way to 168 when he’s been out of the ring for almost two years.

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Andre Ward – Paul Smith at 172lb catch-weight on June 20th

ward54By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward’s June 20th fight against England’s Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) will be taking place at a catch-weight of 172 pounds, according to boxing news from Boxrec.

Ward hasn’t fought in over a year so it’s quite understandable that he would want the fight to be a few pounds over the 168 pound limit. The fight will only be four pounds over the limit. Ward can still make super middleweight, but you don’t want to push the guy when he hasn’t fought in 17 months since his last fight in November of 2013 against Edwin Rodriguez.

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Andre Ward vs. Paul Smith Jnr – June 20th, Oakland, California

ward333By Johnathon Fell: Andre Ward 27 (14) – 0 is finally set to make his return to the ring vs. British challenger Paul Smith Jnr 35 (20) – 5 in his backyard, Oakland, California. This bout marks a return for Ward following an 18-month period of inactivity through injury, promotional complications and difficulty in finding an opponent.

This return for Ward ticks many boxes, a former World Title challenger, a fighter who brings a broadcaster and a substantial fan base and most importantly, a fighter who he will feel he can look good against and control for 12 rounds, if he desires.

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Andre Ward to face Paul Smith on June 20th at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

smith455By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) will be looking to shake off a bit of ring rust on June 20th when he faces 32-year-old British fighter Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The Ward-Smith fight will be televised on BET rather than HBO in the United States.

It’s obviously not the ideal opponent for the talented 31-year-old Ward, as there are much bigger fights for a heck of a lot more money out there than facing a fighter like Smith, who has lost his last two fights against WBO 168 pound champion Arthur Abraham.

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Andre Ward vs. Paul Smith negotiations near completion for June 20th fight

ward44By Scott Gilfoid: Negotiations for a fight between WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) and former two time world title challenger Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) are reportedly close to being completed this week for a fight that will be taking place on June 20th.

The Ward-Smith fight is expected to be announced very soon, according to the Daily Mail. The fight will take place in beautiful Oakland, California at the Oracle Arena. The bout will be 12 rounds, but it’s not likely to go more than six unless Ward carries Smith in order to get in some rounds.

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Andre Ward vs. Paul Smith possible for June 20th in Oakland, CA

ward765By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) could be facing 2nd tier fighter Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) next on June 20th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Smith, 32, has lost his last two fights to WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham. Smith bellyached after the first loss to Abraham in September of last year, so he was given a rematch earlier this year in February.

Unfortunately for Smith, he was beaten again in pretty much the same style as the first fight. At that point there was no way that they could fight each other again.

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