Pound for Pound number one in the world Andre Ward retires from the sport of Boxing

[shaz619]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <a href="https://t.co/FTBBwubLsd">https://t.co/FTBBwubLsd</a> <a href="https://t.co/dtQppu8pAZ">pic.twitter.com/dtQppu8pAZ</a></p>— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) <a href="https://twitter.com/andreward/status/910866905522593792">21 September 2017</a></blockquote>
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He just announced it on social media, what an absolutely incredible career; he beat them all at SMW and the best at LHW before finally being given credit for his feats in the ring with the coveted pound 4 pound number one title for being the best fighter across all divisions on the planet. Wish him well. Here is his statement from his website:

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

To the sport of boxing – I love you. You’ve been by my side since I was 10-years-old. You’ve taught me so much. You’ve humbled me. You’ve promoted me. I’ve sacrificed a lot for you, but you’ve given me more than I ever thought possible. You gave me a platform, made me a champion and helped me provide for my family. I am forever grateful to you. You and I will always be synonymous, connected at the hip. Thank you for all the wonderful people I’ve come in contact with because of you. I’ve made friends for life. As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream. I did it. We did it.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey. You know who you are. I could not have done this without you. 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. If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting. Above all, I give God the Glory, for allowing me to do what I’ve done, for as long as I have.

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=131867]London_Lahori[/MENTION] [MENTION=142288]TQ89[/MENTION] [MENTION=396]mani1[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION]

 

[shaz619]

I find this news very shocking, totally unexpected I use to support him long before his feats in the SMW tournament and often felt he never truly was given praise, after years of invincibility he was finally given some credit when he stepped in the ring with the dangerous Kovalev not once but twice and would then break his spirit. Felt he could still go on for another 2-3 years but only a fighter knows when to call it a day given how strenuous the sport can be but totally respect his decision and his legacy has been sealed; an all time great fighter between 160-178lb.

 

[shaz619]

Very shocking, there was talk of him stepping up in class to take on Tony Bellew or even AJ !!!

 

[TQ89]

This is shocking to say the least. I really enjoyed his fighting style which was bit similar to roy jones. Beat Kovalev both times.His body shots were work of perfection in the second fight. True fighter

 

[shaz619]

Andre Ward's accomplishments:

Olympic Champion

Two-weight world champion

As per The Ring and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) ; No.1 Pound 4 Pound rank as the best fighter on the planet

No.1 Light Heavyweight and Super Middle Weight as per The Ring, TBRB and Boxrec

Unified the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring Light Heavyweight titles

Unified the WBA, WBC, The Ring and Lineal Super Middleweight titles

Among the most decorated champions of the last decade with 8 world championships

Winner of the Super Six World Boxing Classic Tournament

Named Fighter of the Year by The Ring and Boxing Writers Association of America

Comeback of the year in 2016 awarded by The Ring following inactivity between 2012-2015 due to promotional difficulties

Notable Wins

Mikkel Kessler
Sakio Bika
Arther Abraham
Carl Froch
Chad Dawson
Sullivan Barrera
Sergey Kovalev (twice)

 

[shaz619]

This is shocking to say the least. I really enjoyed his fighting style which was bit similar to roy jones. Beat Kovalev both times.His body shots were work of perfection in the second fight. True fighter

Yeah, his in-ring IQ has been unreal; a highly technical sound fighter who has always overcome adversity in the ring and made the necessary adjustments. Even after losing his prime years between 2012-2015 he managed to become a two weight world champion by claiming the lineal Light Heavyweight titles, just goes to show how exceptionally skilled he was. So shocked and disappointed but respect his decision and he is retiring while on top whilst reigning as the pound for pound number one fighter by respected publications.

 

[shaz619]

Andre Ward says in statement on his website that he's 'leaving' boxing

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/...ld-titleholder-andre-ward-says-leaving-boxing

Pound-for-pound king and unified light heavyweight world titleholder Andre Ward said in a statement on his website that he is "leaving" boxing.

"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," the statement said. "If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."

Last month, Ward told ringside media that his television contract with HBO is up.

He added that, contrary to industry chatter, he remains under contract with promoter Roc Nation Sports, even though rumors have swirled that he was gearing up for a jump to Top Rank.

Ward (32-0, 16 KOs), 33, of Oakland, California, has been with HBO since he knocked out Chad Dawson in 2012, though Ward has had two long layoffs since due to promotional issues.

Ward has fought six of his past seven fights for HBO, including both of his pay-per-view fights with Sergey Kovalev a unanimous decision win in November to take Kovalev's three 175-pound world title belts, followed by an eighth-round knockout victory in the rematch on June 17.

 

[mani1]

Yeah, his in-ring IQ has been unreal; a highly technical sound fighter who has always overcome adversity in the ring and made the necessary adjustments. Even after losing his prime years between 2012-2015 he managed to become a two weight world champion by claiming the lineal Light Heavyweight titles, just goes to show how exceptionally skilled he was. So shocked and disappointed but respect his decision and he is retiring while on top whilst reigning as the pound for pound number one fighter by respected publications.

His schooling of Carl Froch with one arm was an absolute joy to watch.

Though one little correction Superman Stevenson is the lineal at 175.

Would of loved to see Ward against the Chechen Artur.

 

[TQ89]

Andre Ward says in statement on his website that he's 'leaving' boxing

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/...ld-titleholder-andre-ward-says-leaving-boxing

Pound-for-pound king and unified light heavyweight world titleholder Andre Ward said in a statement on his website that he is "leaving" boxing.

"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," the statement said. "If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."

Last month, Ward told ringside media that his television contract with HBO is up.

He added that, contrary to industry chatter, he remains under contract with promoter Roc Nation Sports, even though rumors have swirled that he was gearing up for a jump to Top Rank.

Ward (32-0, 16 KOs), 33, of Oakland, California, has been with HBO since he knocked out Chad Dawson in 2012, though Ward has had two long layoffs since due to promotional issues.

Ward has fought six of his past seven fights for HBO, including both of his pay-per-view fights with Sergey Kovalev a unanimous decision win in November to take Kovalev's three 175-pound world title belts, followed by an eighth-round knockout victory in the rematch on June 17.

That dawson fight was a very good matchup. Enjoyed it very much back in 2012

 

[shaz619]

His schooling of Carl Froch with one arm was an absolute joy to watch.

Though one little correction Superman Stevenson is the lineal at 175.

Would of loved to see Ward against the Chechen Artur.

Seriously he would beat Chickenson with one eye and an arm tied behind back, Chickenson was stripped of The Ring lineal title which fighters tend to value a lot more these days for not facing a fighter ranked inside the top 5 for 2 years !! The TBRB who've provided Chickenson with the lineal title also rank Andre Ward as their no.1 P4P fighter on the planet which just goes to show whom they rate a lot more out of the two, it's just that their rules are completely rigid to the point where you can only take that TBRB lineal title by defeating the fighter or compete for it if it is vacated as a result of a retirement; now I have no problem with these rules but Chickenson is a bad example of the lineal status provided by TBRB.

 

[shaz619]

And [MENTION=396]mani1[/MENTION] he walks through all the fighters between 160-175, there really was nothing else left to prove. And I suspect he would have been too small for Cruserweight although I don't rule out his dominance in that division either but in terms of $$$$ there would have been Bellew for him to face but he moved up to Heavyweight recently and is booked to fight Haye in December.

So if you think about it, there really was nothing left to prove. Yes there was the 3rd Kovalev fight, wouldn't have minded seeing that but he has two victories over him and outside Kovalev there was Chickenson but his stock in my eyes has gone down the toilet and I highly doubt he would ever step in the ring with Ward so I suppose from Ward's perspective there's not a lot out there for him to accomplish, not a big enough challenge or a big enough name and as he said his body is quiet banged up. People also forget he lost 3 years of his prime, am guessing he must go through life and death during training camp to get ready for elite opposition at this stage of his career it must have been very taxing on his body. Am a big fan and would have love to have seen him continue and potentially take on Bellew but he dosnt have the WBC CW title anymore and has moved up to HW, although it would have been a nice pay day for him.

And was he really going to take on Joshua I doubt it, but I could actually see him winning rounds before being stopped; but if anyone had the potential to do the impossible it would be him and that's another fight I'd have looked forward to but other then that nothing else

 

[shaz619]

And [MENTION=396]mani1[/MENTION] he walks through all the fighters between 160-175, there really was nothing else left to prove. And I suspect he would have been too small for Cruserweight although I don't rule out his dominance in that division either but in terms of $$$$ there would have been Bellew for him to face but he moved up to Heavyweight recently and is booked to fight Haye in December.

So if you think about it, there really was nothing left to prove. Yes there was the 3rd Kovalev fight, wouldn't have minded seeing that but he has two victories over him and outside Kovalev there was Chickenson but his stock in my eyes has gone down the toilet and I highly doubt he would ever step in the ring with Ward so I suppose from Ward's perspective there's not a lot out there for him to accomplish, not a big enough challenge or a big enough name and as he said his body is quiet banged up. People also forget he lost 3 years of his prime, am guessing he must go through life and death during training camp to get ready for elite opposition at this stage of his career it must have been very taxing on his body. Am a big fan and would have love to have seen him continue and potentially take on Bellew but he dosnt have the WBC CW title anymore and has moved up to HW, although it would have been a nice pay day for him.

And was he really going to take on Joshua I doubt it, but I could actually see him winning rounds before being stopped; but if anyone had the potential to do the impossible it would be him and that's another fight I'd have looked forward to but other then that nothing else

168-175*

 

[mani1]

Seriously he would beat Chickenson with one eye and an arm tied behind back, Chickenson was stripped of The Ring lineal title which fighters tend to value a lot more these days for not facing a fighter ranked inside the top 5 for 2 years !! The TBRB who've provided Chickenson with the lineal title also rank Andre Ward as their no.1 P4P fighter on the planet which just goes to show whom they rate a lot more out of the two, it's just that their rules are completely rigid to the point where you can only take that TBRB lineal title by defeating the fighter or compete for it if it is vacated as a result of a retirement; now I have no problem with these rules but Chickenson is a bad example of the lineal status provided by TBRB.

TBH to me lineal means the man who beat the man. Dawson was the man until Superman knocked him out.

Also didn't Duva pull out of the purse bids after she lost.

 

[shaz619]

TBH to me lineal means the man who beat the man. Dawson was the man until Superman knocked him out.

Also didn't Duva pull out of the purse bids after she lost.

Chickenson didn't want a piece of Ward or any of the top fighters in the division, he won't take on Jack or a Kovalev who has just been beaten.

I agree with that definition although a little extended to doing that lineal status justice, Chickenson is an insult to it. Also, may I add that Ward schooled Dawson before Stevenson came for the left overs.

 

[shaz619]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">23yrs Strong <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Re2pect?src=hash">#Re2pect</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hardware?src=hash">#Hardware</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/P4P?src=hash">#P4P</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jumpman23">@jumpman23</a> <a href="https://t.co/9OyDT1UYsR">pic.twitter.com/9OyDT1UYsR</a></p>— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) <a href="https://twitter.com/andreward/status/909951087204982785">19 September 2017</a></blockquote>
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[Dios]

Why did he never fight GGG?

 

[TQ89]

Why did he never fight GGG?

Are you serious?

 

[shaz619]

Why did he never fight GGG?

A better question would be, why did GGG not fight Ward? You see GGG campaigns at 160 while Ward is at 168, GGG simply did not want to take the risk of moving up in weight only to be be defeated by the highly skilled Ward. Ward's team relentlessly chased the fight and when GGG would not accept the Ward Challenge, he would decide to move up to light heavy weight to take on an even bigger challenge in Sergie Kovalev

 

[shaz619]

So in other words, Triple G ducked Ward.

 

[shaz619]

Instead of facing Ward, Team GGG decided to take on the 147lb Kell Brook instead

 

[Haroon786]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION], Ward or Mayweather?

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION], Ward or Mayweather?

Ward by late stoppage at Super Middle Weight but doubt Floyd would move up another two divisions because he is too small and Ward is too big to move down.

In terms of skill Ward is up there with Floyd, no doubt about that

 

[Da_Future_Knick]

My favorite boxer of all time, gonna miss him so much.

 

[shaz619]

My favorite boxer of all time, gonna miss him so much.

Me to this totally took me off guard, it still hasn't sunk in. A part of me feels like this has been an announcement only for him to return at a later date, retired fighters tend to demand a bigger pay day and a spectacle is usually created out of their comeback and with Ward leaving as the no.1 P4P who knows it's possible. But then again I look at what he has accomplished and there's nothing left to prove, great career and a first ballot hall of famer

 

[Da_Future_Knick]

Me to this totally took me off guard, it still hasn't sunk in. A part of me feels like this has been an announcement only for him to return at a later date, retired fighters tend to demand a bigger pay day and a spectacle is usually created out of their comeback and with Ward leaving as the no.1 P4P who knows it's possible. But then again I look at what he has accomplished and there's nothing left to prove, great career and a first ballot hall of famer

Yeah I agree but who does he have left to fight? I remember he said he wanted atleast one fight at HW but that doesn't look possible now.

The guy is a monster, he perfected Virgil Hunter's gameplans.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Very surprised by this, Ward has plenty left in the tank. I guess he has decided there is no real challenge for him and has made enough money from the sport now.

Great fighter, technically perfect and very smart.

 

[shaz619]

Very surprised by this, Ward has plenty left in the tank. I guess he has decided there is no real challenge for him and has made enough money from the sport now.

Great fighter, technically perfect and very smart.

Thing with Ward is he lost 3 years of his prime mostly due to contract issues and then his promoter passed away leaving him in more trouble, at his peak he destroyed the SMW division and was ready to do just that at LHW; then he returned after 3 years to beat the best at LHW. I think at this stage of his career when you factor in his inactivity and all the battles he has been involved in, it must be incredibly taxing physically and mentally getting ready for elite opposition. 2-3 years ago he'd have barely lost a round or two to Kovalev, I have no doubt that he'd have reigned as no.1 for a while but as you say there's no real challenge left for him out there. It's sad to see him go and while he can bow out with his head held high am still upset that he's gone and feel he deserves so much more credit, he was a genius in the ring.

I hope sky give him more contracts to work as a pundit when he is over in the UK because his insight is amazing

 

[shaz619]

If he stays by his word, this would be very refreshing from a boxing POV; often fighters go on too long way past their best and Ward is bowling out as the undisputed P4P King just like my favourite wrestler shawn michaels at wrestlemania 26 lol

 

[KingKhanWC]

Thing with Ward is he lost 3 years of his prime mostly due to contract issues and then his promoter passed away leaving him in more trouble, at his peak he destroyed the SMW division and was ready to do just that at LHW; then he returned after 3 years to beat the best at LHW. I think at this stage of his career when you factor in his inactivity and all the battles he has been involved in, it must be incredibly taxing physically and mentally getting ready for elite opposition. 2-3 years ago he'd have barely lost a round or two to Kovalev, I have no doubt that he'd have reigned as no.1 for a while but as you say there's no real challenge left for him out there. It's sad to see him go and while he can bow out with his head held high am still upset that he's gone and feel he deserves so much more credit, he was a genius in the ring.

I hope sky give him more contracts to work as a pundit when he is over in the UK because his insight is amazing

I read some of his quotes, and you were right the toll of training on his body made the decision for him and I guess he understands the dangers of boxing for longer than one should.

There is so much you can say about Ward but I will remember most the way he used to beat boxers to the punch. When he fought Froch, who had a significant reach advantage, Ward was easily able to beat him to the punch, it was art in motion.

 

[shaz619]

I read some of his quotes, and you were right the toll of training on his body made the decision for him and I guess he understands the dangers of boxing for longer than one should.

There is so much you can say about Ward but I will remember most the way he used to beat boxers to the punch. When he fought Froch, who had a significant reach advantage, Ward was easily able to beat him to the punch, it was art in motion.

In many ways he reminds me a little of Ali, invincible during his prime and then even after a long time out of the ring was able to beat elite opponents. In Ali's case he unfortunately continued, in the long term this could be a great move for Ward and his family.

I loved that performance, have you read the article on sky ? lmao Froch with sour grapes I love it Man, Ward barely broke a sweat and Froch was someone incredible dangerous.

Here's a fantasy question for you KingKhan, who you got during their prime; Ward or Joe Calzaghe ?

 

[KingKhanWC]

In many ways he reminds me a little of Ali, invincible during his prime and then even after a long time out of the ring was able to beat elite opponents. In Ali's case he unfortunately continued, in the long term this could be a great move for Ward and his family.

I loved that performance, have you read the article on sky ? lmao Froch with sour grapes I love it Man, Ward barely broke a sweat and Froch was someone incredible dangerous.

Here's a fantasy question for you KingKhan, who you got during their prime; Ward or Joe Calzaghe ?

Ha I can recall some of Froch's words after the fight, he was schooled, taught a boxing lesson so really should have shut up and accepted the class of Ward.

Joe is hard to criticise, he remained unbeaten and took apart a lot good fighters. But imo Ward raises his game when required, even against Kov pundits thought he would only use his defensive game but he surprised many by actually having a few tear ups throughout the fights. I think the same would have happened to Joe,he would have become more aggressive, having a good chin helps too.

 

[shaz619]

Ha I can recall some of Froch's words after the fight, he was schooled, taught a boxing lesson so really should have shut up and accepted the class of Ward.

Joe is hard to criticise, he remained unbeaten and took apart a lot good fighters. But imo Ward raises his game when required, even against Kov pundits thought he would only use his defensive game but he surprised many by actually having a few tear ups throughout the fights. I think the same would have happened to Joe,he would have become more aggressive, having a good chin helps too.

Even recently in his column with sky, after he got the news Ward retired this is what Froch wrote:

I won't be sad to see the back of him. It's not sour grapes. I know he beat me, but I never really got that excited when he boxed. Andre Ward used to nullify his opponent and don't get me wrong, he's a class act

It's a shame that he's such a big scumbag because he's one of my favourite british fighters ever. You will never hear Rigo berate someone if he was defeated, but I suppose not everyone is a class act in that way.

It's a tough one to call and a genuine 50/50 super-fight at SMW. Joe had blinding speed and a fantastic chin, he just kept coming at you and was relentless; Bernard Hopkins has a high in-ring IQ and Joe managed to beat him with those raw tools although it was a close fight. I'd probably edge a little towards Ward as well myself because he always finds a way to adjust and I don't think Joe will be compatible with Ward's work on the inside.

 

[shaz619]

Outside Claressa Shields, Andre Ward was also the last male American to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the USA back in 2004.

Shakur Stevenson came close in 2016 but had to settle for Silver and ironically he idolises Andre Ward himself ! Shakur is an exceptional talent with a very high in-ring IQ; has a lot of potential and is one to watch out for in the future.