By Simon Hirst: It doesn’t take a genius to realize that something is wrong in the boxing life of Andre Ward. Having won the Super Six, the world was Ward’s oyster and yet two fights and two and a half years later, Ward is arguably no better off than when he won it.
Fans won’t be insulted to believe there is a better fighter at 168 pounds than Andre Ward because as things stand, there isn’t. However, there are two worrying aspects to this point. The first is there are more exciting fighters in the division who are not content (some would argue skilled) to box their way to a decision. They like to provide value for the fans and put it all on the line come win or lose. The second point as with time, it is inevitable that challengers rise up and become legitimate opponents. This has clearly happened within the last two years.
We have seen Carl Froch come back from his loss to Andre Ward and beat Lucian Bute, Yusaf Mack, Kessler and George Groves twice. One would argue that he has done more than enough to warrant a rematch for Ward. It is accepted that Ward has the better skills and logic suggests a similar result may follow. This is perhaps the one we can predict with accuracy as they have fought before. Other challengers who have rose up and shown interest are Adonis Stevenson, Gennady Golovkin and Serguy Kovalev.
Admittedly these guys aren’t in the same division, but Golovkin has expressed interest in moving up a division and Kovalev and Stevenson would relish the challenge if Ward was to step up. The boxing fans would love all of these fights if they were to get made, however due to Ward’s untimely dispute with his promoter, it remains to be seen when Ward will step back into the ring.
There appears to be a lot of criticism in regards to Ward’s negotiations and fighting style. It is believed that Ward wants as many advantages as he can muster, for example how he made Chad Dawson fight in his hometown and come down to 168 pounds rather than attempt to fight the best Chad Dawson, become a two weight champion and fight somewhere where more money could be made. The fight could have headlined a bill in Las Vegas or even New York. Two world champions fighting each other is rarely rejected by TV companies and in most cases are easy enough to sell. As for his fighting style, that cannot be helped. If a fighter is effective in a certain style, then why change? However, if that style is not to the fans liking, then that is for the fighter to consider. Fighting styles can impact fans views and even TV companies in how much money they are willing to spend. Look at Guillermo Rigondeaux as another example of this. The theory is Ward fouls far too much, but there is no doubting he is an exceptional boxer. The fouling is for the referee to control. With this said, a fouling fighter can make it harder for another fighter to want to fight them.
Ward recently said in an interview at the Fightnetwork on a fight with Kovalev “… if I fight him and beat him, then what?” Unfortunately, boxing does not work like this. When you sit on top of a division, you simply cannot dismiss challenges and claim they are not worthy and would be beaten. New challengers come through and it is his job to fight them and continue to prove himself over and over again. It is one thing to suggest a fighter could beat another fighter and another to actually do it. It is a shame Andre Ward has been reduced to guessing what would happen and not actually being able to get in the ring and producing the goods. Fans will remember wins against world class opposition for titles, not suggestions of it. All talk is very cheap and to my knowledge, does not pay as well as getting in the ring and fighting. If Andre Ward got in the ring and fought against a lower calibre of opposition and criticized his promoter after, fans would perhaps have more respect for him. Kathy Duva has repeatedly called for Kovalev vs Ward to be made and I see no other reason than Ward himself stopping the fight from happening. Is the fight PPV? Maybe. Kovalev is the guy who fans enjoy watching at the moment due to his crushing knockout victories. Is he a legitimate opponent for Ward. Definitely. Fans will pay more for Kovalev than Ward.
Another point of interest in this argument is when Ward beat Dawson, he seemed on the way to great things only to need shoulder surgery. Upon his return, he asked his promoter and HBO to allow him to have an easy fight back, which was promptly rejected as he still wanted the same sort of money as if he was fighting someone decent.
This brings me to another point about Ward. From his tough negotiations, fighting style and his unwillingness to get in the ring nowadays, he does not bring money to the table. Fans don’t get excited to watch him box. That’s fine if he is cool with that, but he then has to accept that fighters who may be less talented as himself, but more exciting are going to receive bigger paydays than himself. Boxing is a sport, but it is also entertainment and if people aren’t entertained, they won’t pay. Take Carl Froch, he is a warrior loved both sides of the Atlantic, not the most skilled but as tough and granite chinned as they come. Accepting his days in the sport are coming to an end, he wants big paydays. Does Ward represent that? Unfortunately not. He admits he lost fair and square in the first fight, but the numbers don’t add up for a rematch. Again, fans would rather pay to see him than Ward.
This may seem like harsh on Ward, but it is hard to argue with facts. The fact is he is known to be hard to negotiate with. He doesn’t draw big crowds. He values himself higher than what TV companies do. His lawsuit with Goosen is getting in the way of making big fights for himself. Even his Super Six win is tainted as he did not box abroad like he was meant to have done. On the plus side for him, he is still regarded as pound for pound top five in the world and he has plenty of people wanting to fight him despite his lack of monetary appeal.
Ward is quickly becoming one of the most wasted talents in boxing. He has a tough style, but his promotion of himself and his attitude towards fighting the best is what is holding him back. In the last two years, Ward could have fought the likes of Bute (who at the time was considered number 2 at 168 pounds), Froch, Dawson, Kovalev and Stevenson and be a two weight, undefeated pound for pound number one. Instead he is stuck with wins over Edwin Rodriguez and weight drained Chad Dawson and no closer to finding a new dance partner. There are many guys he could fight, although I admit with networks being involved, not all are available at the moment. He could fight Kessler in Denmark, Froch in the UK, either of the Dirrell brothers, Peter Quillin, James DeGale, Groves, Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins, Adonis Stevenson if he lowered his demands and was willing to go out of his way to make the fights. Unfortunately, evidence of his past suggests he won’t and he will continue to be excluded from the big fights in and around his division.
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