Ward dictated the fight however with a strong jab. Paulie Malignaggi noted the high degree of difficulty both fighters faced that night and doubted the prospect of a one-sided affair in the case of a rematch. There was also the great use of arm control where he would use his arms against the opponent to move out the way. Every single time. It was a tweet thread on 10 habits you should avoid if you want to How To Box Like Andre Ward | Boxing Style Analysis. Some have called him boring because he limits risk and calibrates the ideal distance to break down opponents while creating angles nobody else in boxing can create. Along with his older half-brother, Jonathan, Ward was raised by his white father in Hayward and North Oakland. [98], Ward praised Kovalev in the post-fight interview, "He's a good fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him. For the most part, the American would float between stances using a. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Interest-Based Ads | EU Privacy Rights | Cookie Policy | Manage Preferences. I wanted to stay numb in this completely surreal way. "[42], Ward was scheduled to defend his super middleweight titles against former unified middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on January 26, 2013, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. In a career-defining performance, undefeated hometown favorite Ward put the U.S. on the board in the Super Six and captured the WBA super middleweight title with a dominant 11 round technical decision over Denmark's Kessler in their Group Stage 1 bout. Our Top Coaching Course. These streets seem so small now, Ward said, almost in a whisper. For more info on the land swap, and to donate to a lawsuit against Millsap, visit StoptheSwap.org. Understanding that past brings perspective. Thats when Virgil took me in. [12] Kessler's WBA super-middleweight championship was also at stake. Ward UD 12 Arthur Abraham. Yet others will actually be happy to see a well known individual acting over the age of seventeen. It may not be the kind of punishment my critics expect me to have taken, lying on the canvas unconscious. Its just that they like something more than mere showiness. If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting. Kessler was the strong favorite going into Showtime's Super Six tournament. He has been quoted saying he was influenced by the top trio of Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, and Floyd Mayweather which I can definitely see in how he fought. It was my mother who was gone. But while the Germany-based Armenian had lost none of his strength and durability . Arthur is strong, and he's a hard hitter, [but] we showed that we can win in a way other than our original game plan [] "I wish the ref had let me fight on the inside, because that's what I had planned for. 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. Lightweights - Heather Hardy vs. Taynna Cardoso, Ryan Garcia On Gervonta Davis: "Hes Explosive And Well Make Fireworks", Subriel Matias Stops Jeremiah Ponce In Furious IBF Title Bout, Tommy Fury Defeats Jake Paul In Exciting Battle By Split Decision. At 9, Ward was hoisted on his daddys shoulders to peek in the window. But as someone who studies and loves the sweet science of boxing, I have to disagree. Everyone said he did everything wrong, but he got away with it, he said. "[29], Advancing to the final of the Super Six, Ward fought WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KOs) in front of 5,626 at Boardwalk Hall on December 17, 2011. Abraham hurt Ward a couple of times in the final round, but it wasn't enough to finish Ward, who had dominated the fight and won a lopsided unanimous decision. [46], Ward spent most of 2013 recovering from injuries, and feuding with promoter Dan Goossen, over the inclusion of a co-manager in Ward's promotional contract. During his reign as light heavyweight champion, Ward was ranked as the world's best active boxer, pound for pound, by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), as well as the world's best active boxer in the division by The Ring, the TBRB, and BoxRec. They did it to Floyd, too. Andre Ward On 10 Habits To Avoid To Succeed In Boxing. [36] In 2013, Dawson spoke out about the fight and said it was a "set-up by HBO and other people." [Update: Ward easily beat Brand in a unanimous decision.]. It just means Ward doesnt have a desire to exert all his energies exalting his own awesomeness. Ward hit Williams with jabs and straight left hands almost at will, opening a bad cut over Williams' left eye in the process. [101] The replay was shown on regular HBO averaging 752,000 viewers and peaked at 947,000, which was during the final round. I did it. I didnt hear no bell! he yelled. Thats my motivation. However, an injury sustained by Ward originally postponed the bout for 4 more weeks and the fight was expected to take place on February 23, 2013. I think about that all the time. Indeed, he has not lost a fight since 1998, when he was 13. I loved the swag, the way he dressed, the country accent, what he said, the way he did it his way. That I was able to be an inspiration to him on the way up is something Ive always felt honored about.. With the grace of God I did.. However, from this one fight alone, we are able to look back to see the intelligent tactics Ward used. In the co-featured non-televised portion of the card, heavyweight world contender Cristobal Arreola took on Nagy Aguilera of the Dominican Republic. In the fight he would fence with Dawsons southpaw jab, with his own, however, he would use it to condition the southpaw into a rhythm over time by touching w with him. Its what I do, its not who I am. Whats that? For his counter punching, it was more used with opponents who rushed in because of frustration that would be caught by him. Then, in the tenth round, Ward dropped Dawson to a knee after a solid combination, which prompted referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight after Dawson could not continue. I can work with that.. But Ive had many. Joe Louis was left a coked-out wreck. Look, its obvious Ward is far from perfect just like the rest of us. At this point, Ward's record was 14 wins, no losses. Whats more, he doesnt fight nearly as much as he should (as least he hasnt until recently). (see below). Theres only a few guys that are all-time greats in the sport, he said. It wouldve been nice to see Ward box a couple more years, but I have nothing but respect for all he achieved, in particular, his gold at Athens, coming out on top in a competitive super middleweight division and finishing off by defeating the much-feared Kovalev at the time. But Ill be long gone by then, he said and grinned. It would give his opponent a false sense of security that he only has one arm available to use, so cant do anything. He would very much use his lead hand almost like he was fencing with it in three ways: For defence, he would use the jab as I mentioned as a way to create distance between himself and the opponent. Ward defeated Roy Ashworth on April 7, 2005, by disqualification. [30], Ward won the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament via unanimous decision . All three judges scored the fight lop-sided 120108 for Ward, who said post-fight of his win, "This means a lot to me. For a 32-year-old world champion and the last American male boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympics back in 2004, youd expect at least a few barrels of ink had been spilled connecting the dots of his biography. Indeed, he looked less like a stereotypical boxer than an MTV heartthrob or an Abercrombie & Fitch model. Miranda couldn't stay up with Ward's versatility around the ring. I came from some really tough circumstances and almost didnt make it out. Really down. Ward faced Jerson Ravelo on June 20, 2008, in Georgetown, Cayman Islands, for the vacant regional NABO super-middleweight title. In 2002, he won the Under 19 National Championship and was also a two time U.S. National Champion in 2001 and 2003 at middleweight. The same year Wards father died, he met his boxing hero, Roy Jones Jr., for the first time. Hes not exciting, after all. A 30-0 record, a super six championship, and appearances on numerous pound for pound lists can attest to that fact. This pattern was repeated for many years over the course of Wards adolescence. Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. The Las Vegas Sun confirmed the bout will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. First up, Ward would like to fight on the inside at different points in the fight against specific fighters in his career. Ward was winning every round at the time of stoppage 8072 on all three judges' scorecards. The fight took place on May 14, 2011, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Nearby Areas. They came over and Ward threw his arm around Dave. Ward was introduced to the sport of boxing by his father at the age of 9 and then taken under the guidance of boxing trainer Virgil Hunter who became his godfather and trainer for the rest of his career. A right hand from Ward had Kovalev in trouble, which was followed by several body shots, including a low blow. We did it. I know Im very guarded. 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. In this breakdown, I will look at how mashing fighting styles no doubt helped him with his dominating displays over his career. In my opinion, Andre Ward was a true pugilist and once in generational talent who I believe couldve fought in an era of boxing. Barrera became the mandatory to Kovalev's IBF title when he stopped German Karo Murat in December 2015. I want to end up in that category.. Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles; Retained WBA (Super) super middleweight title; Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. The venue was set up to hold 10,748. What you waiting for? Dave hollered, the voice like his physique still untouched by puberty. In boxing, I was so dominant, but everywhere else there was such bitter sweetness. 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. I sat down to watch him in the third row. He's very good defensively. With the biggest bout of his career looming, he opens up about his family and his faith. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Most notable of course was his last two fights against Sergey Kovalev. But we made adjustments and got the win. Ward then would eventually move up to Light heavyweight after getting through some legal issues and surgery. The fight was called off because Green had an obligation with ESPN to fight Rubin Williams on January 4. As Ward finished his workout, he offered to drive me around Oakland to the many homes where he lived growing up. One is by simply touching up his opponent with the jab to make them react, before quickly moving out of distance before attacking again. In a statement, he said, "I want to be clear I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there. [81] Promoter Eddie Hearn added that Kovalev lacked a sense of urgency after the halfway point. Of punishment my critics expect me to have taken, lying on the inside at andre ward prevent defense points in sport... Move out the way Arreola took on Nagy Aguilera of the card, world. Armenian had lost none of his career looming, he doesnt fight nearly as much as he should ( least... 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