Andre Ward SHOCKER: He Needs To Update His Passport
By Travis Fleming
Andre Ward is without a doubt one of the top 3 fighters in the game. He entered the Super 6 tournament as a novice in the pro ranks and breezed through it undefeated while outclassing the best Super Middleweight’s in boxing. When the dust settled, the stage was set for Andre Ward vs Carl Froch to crown the king of the division in December 2011 in Atlantic City New Jersey.
Ward would put on a masterful performance, out slicking and out roughing the game Froch over 12 rounds and was awarded the decision and the crown. At just 27 years old, Andre Ward was the king of his division and highly ranked on the pound for pound list. Most felt it was only a matter of time before Ward overtook Floyd Mayweather, JR. and Manny Pacquiao as the consensus best
fighter on earth.
Ward needed some time to heal injuries but upon his return in September of 2012, he would not disappoint. Ward would face lineal Light Heavyweight Champion “Bad” Chad Dawson in a showdown at home in Oakland. Not only would Ward command a hometown advantage but he would get Chad Dawson to agree to come down in weight to face Ward in Andre’s division for his Super Middleweight championship. Ward has faced a lot of criticism for not being willing to fight abroad or to fight out of his comfort zone and these stipulations further extended that criticism, however, Dawson was adamant that he could make the weight with ease and confident that he would be too strong for the smaller Ward, even in Ward’s backyard. Regardless of whether Dawson was weakened by the weight loss or not, Ward once again put on a master class performance. From round 1 he was in control, he out boxed, out roughed, and uncharacteristically out slugged a defeated Chad Dawson, dropping him 3 times over the course of the contest and forcing referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight in round 10. Ward notched his most exciting win to date and elevated his status as one of the best in boxing. Ward has been criticized for being a boring, at times dirty, fighter with no power but a ton of skill, work ethic and smarts. His skill, work ethic and smarts were all on display vs Dawson but the knockdowns and stoppage were a welcome change. A couple months later, Manny Pacquiao would suffer a brutal KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Ward would move to #2 on the pound for pound list. Now recognized as the 2nd best fighter on earth behind Floyd Mayweather, JR., big things were expected of Andre Ward. Unfortunately the only big things Ward would deliver were big periods of inactivity.
Over a year would go by before Ward would step in the ring again. Fans were almost forgetting he existed and his next opponent would do nothing to jolt their memories. After such a long layoff, the #2 fighter on earth was expected to prove it against a top tier fighter, instead he faced fringe contender Edwin Rodriguez in a fight no one could get excited about while once again fighting in safe territory at home in California. Ward would cruise to an easy unanimous decision against a clearly over matched Rodriguez to little fanfare.
Boxing fans were begging for Ward to show them why he deserves to keep his lofty ranking by fighting a top challenger or moving up in weight. Instead what they got was another year and 4 months of inactivity. Enough time to not only frustrate fans, but to have Ward removed from the pound for pound rankings due to inactivity until he fights and beats another top tier fighter. Ward doesn’t deserve all the blame for this inactivity as he was in a contractual dispute with his promoter which forced him to sit out or give in to demands he deemed unfair. Sit out he did, until earlier this year when he announced he will be making his return to boxing as the star fighter in Jay Z’s new Roc Nation boxing promotions.
Fans were excited to have Ward back and to see what Roc Nation might be able to do for his career and the sport of boxing. 2 months later there was still no fight set for Ward but just over a week ago something happened to change that.
The WBA ordered that in order for Ward to hold on to his WBA Super Middleweight championship, he would have 30 days to negotiate a rematch with current WBA belt holder Carl Froch for a fight that must take place within 120 days or the negotiations will go to a purse bid.
Stylistically and in many ways, Carl Froch and Andre Ward are polar opposite. The brash, at times cocky Froch from Nottingham England is the type of warrior that fans worldwide adore. Rather than relying on a sublime skill set, Froch uses his incredible chin and punching power to knock out opponents and beat foes into submission while absorbing their best shots and he willingly takes on all comers. He does possess skill and a great jab, but Froch is known for his blood and guts, never say die style and he’s not afraid to travel and fight at a disadvantage in an opponent’s hometown. He has, however, proven that at home in Nottingham with his rowdy crowd of Englishmen behind him, he is a whole different beast.
Since the end of the Super 6 final, Carl Froch, unlike Ward, has done everything he can to enhance his legacy in the twilight of his career. He had already faced a who’s who of his division but he was desperate to regain glory after the loss to Ward. Just 5 months later he would fight Canadian Lucien Bute who was heavily favored to beat Froch at home in Nottingham. The fight had a rematch clause stating that if Bute wants a rematch he could have one at home in Montreal, Bute would never exercise this clause. Froch would lay a horrific bloody beating on Bute, tagging him with hellacious lead uppercuts and stopping him in round 5. Bute has never been able to bounce back from the massacre. Froch was now back in the ranks of the elite and he would continue to remain active.
Next Froch would destroy journeyman Yusaf Mack in tune up to set up a May 2013 rematch with Mikkel Kessler who handed Froch his first professional loss in the super 6 tournament. Froch would get his revenge earning a unanimous decision over the great “Viking Warrior”. He would follow this up by 2 consecutive come from behind KO’s against bitter domestic rival, and top rated Super Middleweight, George Groves, the latter of which occurred in May of 2014.
Froch has been inactive himself since May of 2014. He has contemplated retirement due to the lack of big money fights available at super middleweight. Froch is at the stage of his career where he only has a couple fights left in him and he has earned the right to hold out for a big money fight. He owes it to no one to face another high risk low reward opponent where a loss could hurt his legacy. He has tried to secure a showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and when negotiations fell through, Froch has stated he will remain inactive and possibly retire if a big fight doesn’t present itself. Froch has even secured an acting role in an upcoming gangster flick to keep occupied and plant the seeds for a post boxing endeavor. He has stated that at this stage of his career he could only get motivated for a big money fight or one that could greatly enhance his legacy. Luckily the WBA has presented him with such a fight.
Upon hearing the WBA had ordered a rematch with Ward, Froch must have felt his inner warrior emerge because he instantly took to social media inviting Andre Ward to show that he’s not afraid to fight away from home by facing Froch in a rematch in Nottingham. Andre Ward responded by basically stating that he’s the man who won the first fight and that Froch isn’t going to dictate anything.
This fight could be huge for both men. It’s obvious that the boost to the legacy of Carl Froch would be astronomical if he somehow beat Andre Ward in a rematch. With the Super Middleweight division lacking in established top tier fighters, Carl Froch is the only fight at Super Middleweight that could elevate Ward back to the top half of the pound for pound list. Facing another Rodriguez type would do nothing for Ward but garner warranted criticism. The only other options for Ward to get back in the fans’ good books would be a showdown with
