Staying in control, its abundantly apparent, is one of the fundamental obsessions of his life. Ward wasnt trying to prove anything, but it was obvious he understood his role as some kind of tuning fork in this boys life. They came over and Ward threw his arm around Dave. I know, I know, we're all supposed to hate Andre Ward. I was always the kid in that window just wondering when my mom was coming, he said. In an interview with Jones last fall, he told me he was still fighting despite his age because it was Gods will. 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. I was different. Throughout the fight, Ward out landed Green by nearly 200 punches. You look at my track record. Now, this wasnt something Ward would use too often toward the end of his career, but more in his amateur days and younger professional career. He is now a boxing pundit on ESPN, with many still calling him out to return one last time. ESPN had it 118110 in favor of Ward. He claimed that it was done to make him look "vulnerable and expose him with weight loss. On my final night with Ward, he had two places to show me before we parted ways. I give it everything I have.. Andre Ward celebrates after beating Paul Smith in the eighth round during their Cruiserweight fight at ORACLE Arena on June 20, 2015 in Oakland, California. This is the first time in his life hes been inside the ring with somebody where he couldnt do exactly what he wanted to, Lopez said. Gods not a genie. Hes a grownup. I always wanted to protect their names and protect who they were. Ward (26-0, 14 KOs), 28, of Oakland, Calif., was training for a Jan. 26 title defense against former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik when he injured the shoulder in a November sparring session. I did some things well, but I felt I could have improved in other areas. 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 later confirmed that he would fight on June 20, against British Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) at the Oracle Arena in California at a 172 lbs catchweight fight. Ward overcame a rocky second round, in which he was hurt by a left hook, to win by unanimous decision. But its a dangerous fight for him too. Jones asked Wards permission to wear his Olympic gold medal into the ring. [93][94] On April 10, Kathy Duva said that there would be no rematch clause in place for a third fight, meaning whoever would win, would not be obliged to fight another rematch. Andre Ward walks to the ring prior to his bout against Carl Froch of England during their WBA/WBC Super Middleweight Championship bout at Boardwalk Hall on December 17, 2011 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'myboxinglife_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_7',114,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-myboxinglife_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); A lot of fighters only get taught to use their hands first and not their feet and is often a part that gets neglected by many fighters. Connecting with his own punches, particularly the short left hook and uppercut, while clinching, weaving and smothering his opponent's punches is commonplace in Ward fights. The American finally decided to hang up the gloves in 2017 after retaining his world title belts against Sergey Kovalev in his rematch. Ward looked at Lopez and tried to keep a straight face. Yet his role in boxing was never descended from Muhammad Alis brash hero, Mike Tysons villain, or Floyd Mayweather Jr.s Money-obsessed anti-hero. Most notable of course was his last two fights against Sergey Kovalev. When his father would refuse to give her money for drugs, Ward remembered her hitting him. [83] CompuBox stats showed that Kovalev landed more punches, 126 of 474 punches; Ward landed 116 out of 337 thrown But there was a twist. Ward defended his WBA and Ring titles against unbeaten Edwin Rodrguez in Ontario, California in November 2013 with a wide unanimous decision. Or of UFC star Conor McGregor gloating essentially for the sake of gloating. But now it is important to go into these individual aspects he used within his style throughout his career. A right hand from Ward had Kovalev in trouble, which was followed by several body shots, including a low blow. [98], Ward praised Kovalev in the post-fight interview, "He's a good fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him. Ward's lead acts as hand feint, measuring stick, and defensive deterrent all at once. He successfully defended his titles in a rematch against Kovalev a year later, after which he retired from boxing. Retained NABF and NABO super middleweight titles. Two steps inside the Lightning Boxing Club, it was if Wards unannounced arrival tripped a silent alarm, freezing all the boxers who were working out there. In this article, we will look at why teams play a prevent defense and its benefits. \"All fighters throw punches but not everyone has learned how to properly defend themselves when punches come back. "[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. Or by being too close for opponents to hit him cleanly or effectively. But I cant say I agree with it.. Ward to this day, is still the last man to win a gold medal at the Olympics. You aint gonna get away with anything. His pastor, former NFL running back Napoleon Kaufman, has played one of the biggest roles in Wards life since he got his life back on track after his fathers death. I wanted to stay numb in this completely surreal way. Im trying to avoid those same demons. In Defense Of Andre Ward - Grown Up By: Sean Crose. [84], The fight reported to have done 160,000 buys on HBO PPV. The man from Oakland defeated the likes of champions Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Chad Dawson, and Arthur Abraham in this division. [74], Ward fought the unified IBF, WBA (Super) and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2016. He has perfected a combination of boxing styles over many years. [72] Ward landed 190 of 490 punches thrown (39%), and Brand landed 45 of 285 (16%). He did this in his world title fight vs Kessler and more notably at the end of his career vs Brant. For his counter punching, it was more used with opponents who rushed in because of frustration that would be caught by him. But just like the great champions, his defense was just very good fundamentals for the most part. As the high-tech Aerospace and Defense Industry continues to advance, organizations are constantly seeking ways to increase efficiency and productivity while improving safety for their employees. Yet there are those who actually find Wards lack of swagger refreshing. Of course not. First up, Ward would like to fight on the inside at different points in the fight against specific fighters in his career. Although Abraham was somewhat passive at times, he gave an earnest effort and frequently threw combinations that were mostly blocked by Ward. Later that night I was walking around downtown Memphis feeling depressed. 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. Theres a math equation very few people have solved. You can watch my video version or continue reading below:if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'myboxinglife_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-myboxinglife_com-medrectangle-4-0');https://youtu.be/MEFkGSCqfFIVideo cant be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Andre Ward Boxing Style A True Pugilist | Full Breakdown (https://youtu.be/MEFkGSCqfFI). I wanted to be a kid. Ward described himself as a pick him type fighter in other words, he likes to pick you off and break you down with strong, accurate, and effective shots with a lower volume of punches. The three judges scored the fight 117109, 119109, and 117108. Which doesnt mean I dont take it seriously. In 2015, Ward made his acting debut in the American sports drama film and Rocky franchise spin-off, Creed, as the light heavyweight boxer Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler. As Ward finished his workout, he offered to drive me around Oakland to the many homes where he lived growing up. But after years of struggle, his mother, Madeline Arvie Taylor, is clean now. Im chasing greatness. Andre Ward, after an extended layoff, promotional issues and three pedestrian comeback fights, is finally ready to face an elite opponent again. He would also use the jab to set himself up for other punches. Back in 2018 former pound-for-pound star, two-weight world champion, and Hall of Famer, Andre Ward, really caught my eye on Twitter. From beginners to champions, learning defense takes time. Ward is not a brawler, despite all those knockouts. He would touch with Dawson before instead quickly changing the route of attack by throwing a right to the body before going up top again. Ward shook his head, smiling. 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. Yellow PO Hoody $ 85 USD. His father remained a functional addict for years, but as his illness worsened the family home was lost. I'm finished. Everyone said he did everything wrong, but he got away with it, he said. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Your email address will not be published. He looked good. [110], His trainer, Virgil Hunter, says Ward harnesses his speed and ring intelligence to control distance and pace in fights while maintaining high punch accuracy and counterpunching skills. Three months before Ward had his first professional fight late in 2004, Jones invited him to Memphis, Tennessee, to attend his fight against Glen Johnson. To me, Jones went on, Wards been the model student, person, and citizen in the sport that I always expected him to be. He was out cold. From fifth round until the end of the fight, Ward was able to neutralize Dawson's jab and work rate, seemingly out boxing and frustrating Dawson throughout. The American would always invest in these shots against the majority of the fighters he fought. We wanted to fight on the inside and on the outside, and we pulled it off tonight. For more info on the land swap, and to donate to a lawsuit against Millsap, visit StoptheSwap.org. In boxings family of messy, dark characters, Ward is a virtual unknown, despite his success. The Las Vegas Sun confirmed the bout will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. But he went on to fight 119 times in all as an amateur and lost only four more bouts. 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