Our Top Coaching Course. Dave was the only person who refused to smile. Has God ever told you no? Every time I step in a ring to spar with a young fighter trying to prove something or make a name for themselves. On November 16, 2007, Ward beat undefeated Roger Cantrell by fifth-round TKO in Saint Lucia. I remember Andre and his brother going to swimming pools in Carson City with Frank and there was nearly always a fistfight with Frank defending his children from the comments from white kids at the pool. Yet one face stood out. I easily could have been one of those guys people say, He could have been something. I remember the day he died very clearly. [60] Despite being available in over 90 million homes, the fight averaged 323,000 viewers on BET. Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev have never headlined a pay-per-view fight, so it seems to make sense that the folks co-directing the promotion for their Nov. 19 light-heavyweight title bout on HBO . Unfortunately for Ward, he was tremendously good, and it was detrimental to him as an entertaining fighter for the casual. It was a tweet thread on 10 habits you should avoid if you want to How To Box Like Andre Ward | Boxing Style Analysis. The bout was held on May 14, 2011, at Home Depot Center, in Carson, California and was televised on Showtime. However, as Wards opponents would improve in quality over time, they would for the most part be bigger punchers, better at closing the distance and applying pressure. That I was able to be an inspiration to him on the way up is something Ive always felt honored about.. The prevent defense can also be run in early-game situations. I'm finished. Abraham, a former middleweight titleholder, had moved up in weight to join the Super Six tournament. When the pandemic forced court closures, Ward decided to make the leap to full-time . I dont play the game of me pouring my heart out for 30 minutes and then some writer has his narrative in place and just wants a few of my quotes to validate his story.. Look, its obvious Ward is far from perfect just like the rest of us. With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Vasquez held 78.06 percent of the vote to challengers Christian Blume's 15.14 percent and Jane Lucius' 6.6 percent. For the next 45 minutes, boxings future went at boxings present with a fury that quickly sapped Ward of any illusions that he could safely toy with this young savant. A year after meeting Hunter in 1994, Ward began an illustrious amateur career. [47] The fight started with rough tactics until Jack Reiss made an unprecedented move, penalizing both fighters two points each and warning them that he would end the fight if it did not clean up. We were probably here for three or four years. But there was a twist. I didnt feel like I had to. I sat down to watch him in the third row. Id given my whole life to boxing and I was burned out, he recalled. On February 5, 2005, Ward fought in his second pro fight against Kenny Kost. Andre Ward Continues As Ringside Analyst For Top Rank On ESPN Boxing News Multi-Year Contract Extends Ward's ESPN Tenure - Continues as ringside analyst for Top Rank on ESPN Continues as. For his counter punching, it was more used with opponents who rushed in because of frustration that would be caught by him. [citation needed], Ward started boxing in 1994. It was a magicians grin and it stayed with me a long time after it vanished from his face. Ward looked slow in the victory, not looking like the same fighter he was in 2011. But he didnt die with a needle in his arm, Ward quickly added. Ward landed 166 from 463 thrown (36%) whilst Barrera landed 111 of 722 punches thrown (15%). \"All fighters throw punches but not everyone has learned how to properly defend themselves when punches come back. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey. He had the tuxedo robe. Miranda said of Ward in the post fight, "I thought it was going to be easier, but it was tougher than I was expected. [97] Tony Weeks stopped the fight, with Kovalev sitting on the middle rope, visibly hurt from the strikes he was subjected to. Ward and Froch were rated #1 and #2 respectively by Ring magazine, and the vacant Ring magazine super middleweight title was on the line, as well as Froch and Ward's super middleweight titles. Theres only a few guys that are all-time greats in the sport, he said. And it continued to happen on and off for the next few years., Ward pointed up at his bedroom window. First up, Ward would like to fight on the inside at different points in the fight against specific fighters in his career. I lost the fight, fair and square. Why didnt you move in with any of your relatives? I ask. [72] Ward landed 190 of 490 punches thrown (39%), and Brand landed 45 of 285 (16%). [4] Andre's career started when his father took him to U.S. Karate School of the Arts,[5] a boxing gym in Hayward, California, when he was nine years old. He would also use the jab to set himself up for other punches. Ward is now a retired and former world champion boxer from Oakland, California. The event produced a live gate of $3.3 million from 10,066 tickets sold, including complimentary tickets, the full attendance was announced as 13,310. [77], Boxing experts have claimed that the judging was unfair. Andre Ward fights to avoid a boxers bad ending. The name of the game is to not get hit, and he did that well. They came over and Ward threw his arm around Dave. There was nobody out there like him.. On defense, this means being okay with the offense completing short passes over the middle because it keeps the clock running. Yellow Tee $ 38 USD $ 48 USD. Of course not. 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. Ward shook his head, smiling. Boxing News", "Duva and Roc Nation start talks for rematch of Ward-Kovalev June 17 The Ring", "Sergey Kovalev indicates he signed deal memo for Ward rematch The Ring", "Andre Ward set to defend title vs. Sergey Kovalev in June ESPN", "Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev rematch set", "Ward agrees to give Kovalev rematch in June", "Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev agree to rematch June 17 in Vegas", "Ward vs. Kovalev II: No Rematch Clause For Third Fight Boxing News", "Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev purses revealed", "Andre Ward finishes Sergey Kovalev in eighth round, retains titles", "Andre Ward Stops Sergey Kovalev in Eight To Retain Belts Boxing News", "Ward vs Kovalev II: Andre Ward produces stunning stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev in rematch", "Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev 2 Disappoints Greatly On PPV Buys", "Ward-Kovalev Rematch Replay Peaked at 947K Viewers on HBO Boxing News", "Ward-Kovalev rematch underperforms at gate", "Ward-Kovalev Rematch: Paid Attendance Was Only 6,366 Boxing News", "Andre Ward says contract with HBO is up", "Ward 'leaving' boxing, says 'desire not there', "Andre Ward: American two-weight world champion retires from boxing", "Andre Ward stuns boxing world by announcing his retirement", "BOXINGTALK: ANDRE WARD ABRUPTLY RETIRES", "VIRGIL HUNTER MENTOR OL' G BOB EXPLAINS WHY ANDRE WARD IS THE MOST COMPLETE FIGHTER TODAY", "ANDRE WARD SAYS HE'S A COMBINATION OF ROY JONES, BERNARD HOPKINS, & FLOYD MAYWEATHER; EXPLAINS WHY", "Kovalev vs Ward: 5 keys to victory for Andre Ward", "The star of 'Creed' wants a sequel here's why it will probably happen", "Ward-Kovalev does just over 160,000 PPV buys, source says", "Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev rematch flops on PPV", "Ward-Kovalev II predictably flops on PPV", Article about Andre Ward's involvement with Victor Conte, Olympic boxing champions men's light heavyweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andre_Ward&oldid=1141337195, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, International Boxing Federation champions, World super-middleweight boxing champions, 21st-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2001 United States Amateur Middleweight Champion, 2003 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion, Won the Light Heavyweight gold medal for the United States at the 2004, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 15:17. Virgil Hunter kept him as an orthodox fighter. He attended Hayward High School. The fight took place on May 14, 2011, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. That same year, Ward was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers' Association of America. Get in here!, See? Ward said and laughed. MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Soaking in the response, Ward shook his head. Kovalev won the fight", Larry Merchant stated after the fight. One day later, Frank Ward signed both his sons into the gym. En route to a wide unanimous decision victory, Ward dropped Barrera to the canvas in the third round as he turned a left hook while on the ropes. Ward knew better than anyone what greatness required. No relationship with God., On Aug. 26, 2002, Ward suffered the biggest blow of his life. Sale. If I seem standoffish, forgive me. As a professional he fought at two weight categories in the Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions, picking up and retiring with an impressive undefeated boxing record of 32 fights and victories (16 KOs). [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. For the fight, Ward earned $1.85 million and Barrera earned a $450,000 purse. Ward's amateur career began in 1994. Indeed, he has not lost a fight since 1998, when he was 13. Ward signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports in January 2015 and this was announced to be the first event under the Roc Nation banner. Theres charm in his smile and a warm handshake. "[76] Ward received Kovalev's WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles and became a two-division world champion. 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. Im going to win a gold medal and be a great man one day. But to see how cold and hard his body was, its something you can never forget.. You gonna get in here or what? the boy yelled. Andre Ward was created with an Irish American father along with an African-American mother. He has perfected a combination of boxing styles over many years. Now when it came to Wards left lead hand it was in fact his natural stronger hand. I give him credit. Faith was a crucial part of his road back. And then hed relapse. 4 KOs) making his first defense against fellow . Super Middle Weight Andre Ward holds a media day workout at Warzone Boxing Club to promote his November 16 fight with Edwin Rodriguez on November 12, 2013 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. It wasnt too often you would see ward stand toe to toe in this stance. The venue was set up to hold 10,748. The three judges scored the bout 120108, 118110, and 118111. Im going to give you a glimpse into boxings future.. 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. All three judges had the fight 120108 for Ward. Indeed, he looked less like a stereotypical boxer than an MTV heartthrob or an Abercrombie & Fitch model. [85][86][87], Kovalev's manager Egis Klimas announced that negotiations had begun for the rematch between Ward and Kovalev. After the bout, Ward gave a victory speech, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it -- it's not so unbelievable that we never thought we were going to win, but now that it's happened, it is unbelievable. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in journey! 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