Andre Ward
Andre Ward | |
|---|---|
 Ward in 2011 | |
| Born | Andre Ward February 23, 1984 |
| Nationality |  American |
| Other names | S%2EO%2EG%2E (Son Of God)[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Super Middleweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 25 |
| Wins | 25 |
| Wins by KO | 13 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's boxing | ||
 |
2004 Athens | Light heavyweight |
Andre Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American professional boxer[2] and the current WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring super middleweight champion.
Currently, Ward is rated among the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He is rated #6, #7 and #5 by Yahoo! Sports,[3] Sports Illustrated,[4] and The Ring[5] respectively. Ward was a Gold Medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Early life
His father Frank Ward inspired his son by regaling him with stories of hard fought battles and triumphant victories. Given the choice to fight or pursue other sports, the young Andre chose boxing and has poured his mind, body and soul into the sport & became a world champion.
Ward grew up in the East Bay in the Fairview neighborhood of Hayward, in California, where he attended Fairview Elementary, Bret Harte Junior High School and Hayward High School. At Hayward High he starred as a running back and safety on the football team. When he turned 17 he became a close friend to boxer Andre Dirrell.
Amateur career
Ward started boxing in 1994 and had a record of 110–5 as an amateur. From 1998 to 2004 he didn't lose a single match. 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.
Amateur Highlights
- 2001 United States Amateur Middleweight Champion
- 2002 Under 19 National Championship
- 2003 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion
- Won the Light Heavyweight gold medal for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece becoming the first American boxer to capture gold in 8 years.
His results were:
- 1st round – Second Place at the 1st AIBA American 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
- 2nd round – Defeated Clemente Russo (Italy) 17–9
- Quarterfinals – Defeated Evgeny Makarenko (Russia) 23–16
- Semifinals – Defeated Utkirbek Haydarov (Uzbekistan) 17–15
- Gold Medal Match – Defeated Magomed Aripgadjiev (Belarus) 20–13
Professional career
Ward made his pro debut on December 18, 2004 by scoring a second round TKO over Chris Molina. Ward dropped Molina in the first round with a straight left cross to the chin that drove him into the ropes and down on the second strand. Ward, continued to dominate the action and dropped Molina for the second and final time with another sharp left hook to the jaw. The referee waved off the bout at 40 seconds of the second round.
On February 5, 2005 Ward fought in his second pro fight against Kenny Kost. Ward overcame a rocky second round, in which he was hurt by a left hook, to win by unanimous decision. Ward defeated Roy Ashworth on April 7, 2005 by disqualification, after Ashworth committed numerous fouls on Ward, including shoving Ward to the canvas and hitting him in the back of his head.
Ward won his next three fights, all by knockout, before going up against Darnell Boone on November 19, 2005. Ward was knocked down for the first time in his career in round four. Despite the knockdown, Ward went on to win by unanimous decision.
After the fight with Boone, Ward went on to win his next six fights, including TKO victories over undefeated Andy Kolle and Francisco Diaz. On November 16, 2007 Ward beat undefeated Roger Cantrell by fifth round TKO in Saint Lucia.
On March 20, 2008, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, Ward defeated Rubin Williams by seventh round TKO. Ward hit Williams with jabs and straight left hands almost at will, opening a bad cut over Williams' left eye in the process. The cut would force the referee to stop the fight.
Ward faced Jerson Ravelo on June 20, 2008, in Georgetown, Cayman Islands, for the vacant regional NABO super middleweight title. Ward dominated Ravelo for the majority of the fight en route to a TKO victory in the eighth round.
On May 16, 2009, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, Ward defeated Edison Miranda by unanimous decision. The scores were 116–112, 119–109, 119–109 for Ward. Ward showed he had an inside game as well as an outside game. Miranda couldn't stay up with Ward's versatility around the ring.
On September 12, 2009, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, Ward defeated Shelby Pudwill by TKO in the 3rd round.
Super Six
WBA Super Middleweight Championship
Andre Ward defeated Mikkel Kessler on November 21, 2009 for the WBA super middleweight championship in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Kessler was the strong favorite going into Show Time's Super Six Middleweight tournament. 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 11th-round technical decision over Denmark’s Kessler in their Group Stage 1 bout.[6] The fight was stopped in round 11 due to cuts on Kessler's face caused by what was deemed unintentional headbutts by Ward. The fight went to the scorecards and Ward was far ahead by scores of 98–92, 98–92, and 97–93 at the time of the stoppage.
Ward vs Green
In January 2010 Jermain Taylor announced his exit from Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. Allan Green was selected as his replacement and challenged World Boxing Association super middleweight champion Andre Ward on June 19.[7] Ward, defending the WBA super middleweight title, outclassed an opponent who spent most of the fight with his back against the ropes. Ward defeated Green by unanimous decision on June 19, 2010.[2]. And though the 30-year-old gamely fought on, the knockout he needed to win never appeared remotely likely and he looked a spent man by the end as he picked up the second loss of his 31-fight pro career.
Ward vs Bika
Ward successfully defended his WBA super middleweight title, unanimously outpointing Sakio Bika in front of a sparse crowd at Oracle Arena on Saturday night. Fighting in front of his hometown crowd as part of a dual-site co-main event, Ward didn't land many big shots but repeatedly hit Bika with a stinging left jab that the challenger was unable to counter. Ward won all 12 rounds on one judges scorecard and was ahead 118–110 on the other two.[8]
Ward vs Abraham
Ward started out slow with Abraham, trying to find a way to penetrate his tight defense. After a competitive first few rounds, Ward seized control of the fight, using his ring savvy and instincts to control Abraham. Although Abraham was somewhat passive at times, he gave an earnest effort and frequently threw combinations that were mostly blocked by Ward. 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.
Ward vs Froch
Andre Ward win the super six tournament after a dramatic bout against Carl Froch , in the first 7 rounds Ward outboxed Froch in dramatic fashion , but the champion maybe run out gas in the late rounds and Froch started to dominate the rounds . The judges scorecards are 115-113 , 115-113 and 118-110 in favor of him.
Professional boxing record
Personal life
Born in San Francisco, California, Ward currently lives in Dublin, CA and trains in Oakland, CA. He has two sons and a daughter.
Andre Ward made an appearance in the 2008 documentary, Beyond the Ropes.[9]
Connection to Victor Conte
On December 4th, the LA Times ran a story connecting Andre Ward with former convicted doping provider Victor Conte. Andre Ward was quoted saying:
"Victor, I like you man, but don't go down that road with me," Ward said he told Conte. "Victor's a brilliant guy when it comes to this stuff (sports science), but I was still going to be watchful. I did my due diligence. I read all the labels. And I feel he deserves to be forgiven."
References
- ^ Andre Ward - BoxRec Boxing Encyclopaedia. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-08.
- ^ a b c Andre Ward's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-08.
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=AioCnsHfnQhsfMmKR7FEkNmUxLYF?slug=ki-iole_boxing_rankings092111
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/boxing/pound-for-pound-ratings/index.html
- ^ http://ringtv.craveonline.com/ratings
- ^ Gonzalez, Edgar (2009-11-29). "Ward defeats Kessler". MyBoxingFans. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ^ Tulsa's Allan Green Tulsa World accessed 17 February 2010
- ^ Rafael, Dan (2010-11-28). "Andre Ward defeats Sakio Bika". ESPN. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ^ Beyond the Ropes (Video 2008), IMDB.com
External links
- Andre Ward's Official Website
- Andre Ward's U.S. Olympic Team bio
- Boxing record for Andre Ward from BoxRec (registration required)
- Andre Ward's Official fan site
- A Fighter's Heart Andre Ward covered in this book by writer Sam Sheridan
- Recap of Ward's gold-medal winning bout in '04 by Sports Network
- A Fighter's Heart Andre Ward covered in this book by writer Sam Sheridan
- Scandal-plagued Victor Conte is back by LA Times
1920–1936: 160–175 lb (72.6–79.4 kg) · 1948: 73–80 kg · 1952–2012: 75–81 kg · 2016–2020: 76–81 kg | |
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- 1984 births
- Living people
- African American boxers
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- Boxers from California
- People from Oakland, California
- People from Hayward, California
- Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers
- Boxers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Olympic boxers of the United States
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States
- Olympic medalists in boxing