Andre Ward: Boxing's Future

Andre Ward in his battle with top-ranked Mikkel Kessler (11/21/09)

"Andre Ward the Super Six Champion and future of professional boxing."

“Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bro.” 

“Bro, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the only fight boxing has left, after that the sports dead.”

“The only way boxing survives is if Tyson makes a comeback and starts knocking people out in 10 seconds again.” 

These are the types of ludicrous statements I hear while watching a fight at a bar, and one of the reasons why I despise going out to public places to watch sporting events. 

Added on to the fact that I'm surrounded by sloppy, breath stinking “experts” who claim to know everything about the “sweet science” known as boxing, but meanwhile can't name five other marquee prize fighters other than the two ESPN and HBO shove down our throats. 

One “genius” I had the pleasure of watching the Super Six Finale with on Saturday, was yapping in my ear the entire night of why the bar was showing old replays of the Golden Gloves Classic (idiot). 

While I am aware that boxing has suffered a major decline in viewership and appeal, mainly because of the lack of a marketable Heavyweight Champion presence in the States, and also because most of the up and coming fighters are following the trend into MMA, boxing is still very much alive and is not dead as most extra small Ed Hardy wearing, tribal tattooed, have three shots of Jack Daniel's and they're falling down the stairs, bar room “experts” acclaim. 

There are many great, exciting boxers competing at the highest level today such as Sergio Martinez, Lucian Bute, Miguel Cotto, Carl Froch, Juan Manual Marquez, Bernad Hopkins (my all time favorite) and the two Heavyweight kings, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. However, the most exciting prospect by far, is the man who won the Super Six Tournament on Saturday, Andre Ward. 

The WBA, WBC, The Ring Super Middleweight & Super Six Champion.

For most people, this might be the first time ever hearing the name Andre Ward, and that is unfortunate.

An undefeated (24-0, 13 KO's) Super Middleweight American boxer, Ward is also an Olympian Gold Medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics. 

A fighter with a pure classic boxing style, Ward is an exciting technical boxer who is good everywhere between the ropes. 

A punishing puncher who wares on his opponents and takes their will away, Ward can fight on the inside with crushing body blows, on the outside with devastating hooks and is composed while leaning on the ropes. He sets a frantic pace from the opening bell, and never takes his foot off the gas, always coming forward applying pressure, which breaks and tires out the competition. 

Ward's speed both in his hands and defense, keep his opponents off balance, making them easier targets and him more elusive. Constantly moving, Ward slips and slides around the ring and does what he needs to do in order to win. 

He is by no means the flashiest boxer in the sport today, but like Tim Tebow he always wins. However that is where the comparisons end as Ward is terrific and accurate from the opening bell to the end and sadly no one talks about him after his performances. 

ESPN and the rest of the sports world, only seem to talk about outlandish athletes with unnatural athletic abilities, who have everything handed to them on a silver spoon, but always seem to pass on the hard working individuals who have to earn everything they achieve. 

Ward is obviously the latter, having had to change his whole boxing style from amateur to professional after he made the leap. (Olympic style boxing is much different than the actual sport we are used to seeing and is a whole different game in terms of practicing and scoring.)

Ward is also soft-spoken and humble, so he is never going to go on a Mike Tyson-esque post-fight rampage telling reporters he will only give them interviews in return of “fornication” or telling the world he is going to eat his opponents children. 

Instead, Ward praises the efforts of the man he just went to war with and contributes all his success to hard work and the Lord above. 

The Super Six Tournament was a great platform for Ward, and he was really able to shine, despite almost getting looked over and conceived to be an afterthought. He dominated each and every opponent he faced in the two and a half year tournament and Saturday night laid the smackdown on Carl Froch, outboxing Froch for 12 rounds and landing almost every vicious left hook he threw.

The scores of the contest were closer than how the fight actually went down (115-113, 115-113, 118-110), as Ward put on a one-sided performance, landing shots at will by being the busier, faster, and mentally tougher fighter. Ward frustrated Froch by constantly moving, not allowing Froch to ever find his rhythm, while connecting with the cleaner and harder punches for the duration of the fight. 

On my scorecard, I gave every single round but one to Ward and scored the bout 119-109. 

Ward reminds me very much of a young Bernard Hopkins, in that he knows every trick in the book and uses them to his advantage. Besides his impeccable skill, Ward is a very smart and cerebral fighter, which has cost every single opponent he has ever faced, since they underestimated his boxing prowess. 

Andre Ward should be rewarded as the 2011 Fighter of the Year and is a name any so called “expert” boxing fan should know, as he is the future of the sport.