Andre Ward is finally scheduled for action this Saturday after a semi-self-inflicted layoff of 19 months. He takes on veteran Paul Smith from Liverpool, who is a much more respectable opponent than most fans are making out to be, at least circumstantially and within the confines pertaining to the layoff.
Smith has five losses in his pro career, but four of them have come against world-class opposition.
Ward needs a fight or two before completely picking up where he left off as boxing’s universally ranked #2 pound-for-pound best. I don’t believe a world class fighter like Ward will experience much ring rust if any, but fans are still being very hard on Ward for choosing Smith as an opponent.
The biggest issue for fans as I see it has to do with Ward’s “big fight” selections down the road. As it stands, there are very few fights that pop out for Ward and he knows that, but that’s not to say his potential big paydays are nonexistent.
Obviously, most would point to middleweight titlist, and boxing’s reigning monster, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. However, it doesn’t seem like that fight is even remotely close to being made for various reasons.
If you look at the timeline of events that have transpired over the past couple years you’ll find out that both sides have their own versions of the truth when it comes to the fight being made. One thing is for certain, it is either Ward or Golovkin’s fault.
The lack of certainty with this fight is having an adverse effect on Ward’s current matchup. Fans are projecting their frustrations onto Ward and being extra hard on his choice of opponent.
Ward was an easy target while he was on hiatus. It was easy for Team Golovkin, especially trainer Abel Sanchez, to attack the idle Ward and blame him for the fight being far off. Gennady could say he wants the fight knowing that Ward was not in a position to fight anyone, that way he doesn’t get the bulk of the backlash from fans.
This entire set of circumstances has troubled Ward while he was on ice, and now he is setting the record straight for everyone that thinks he is holding back on fighting Triple G. The way Ward explains it, he realizes that Gennady is a legitimate attraction in the fight game, but he also knows the tactics that go into preserving a scary fighter’s image.
“I get it, I understand the business of boxing,” Ward said in a video published on ThaBoxingVoice’s YouTube channel. “They’re trying to protect their investment. But the issue that I have is be honest about it.”
Ward feels like honesty is the best policy and that is why he decided to approach Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, in person after a Floyd Mayweather fight in order to refrain from the constant back-and-forth that exists in the online media.
“I talked to Tom Loeffler directly because I don’t play the internet game, that’s an easy game to play to deceive people and say ‘I’ll fight him’ and really you don’t want to fight him. And then, people get into an uproar and you get a couple clicks on the website. That’s easy to do.”
Ward understands the nature of the beast and he has the “game” absolutely figured out. It isn’t uncommon for a writer/editor to highlight a catchy headline that tells a different story then the one that is actually presented.
In fact, Ward even spoke about the fact that some fans will read a headline and not bother to read any of the story. This causes issues that spread misinformation.
So when Ward discussed his conversation with Loeffler, he made it clear that he was only after honesty.
Ward reportedly told Loeffler to “be honest with the people,” and there was no reason to taunt a fight that neither side is ready for.
“If you guys want to build this fight up then say that. Don’t tell these people I’m scared and this and that,” Ward said in his conversation with Loeffler.
Ward says that Loeffler blamed Sanchez for the verbal jabs in the media, although Ward made it clear that each member of Team Golovkin is an extension of one another and reflects on Tom as well.
Golovkin is a talent, and Ward admitted just as much. However, the draw for a fight of this magnitude is not equal to the talents in the ring. Neither Ward nor Golovkin would make as much as they deserve to make. For that reason, this fight doesn’t make all of the sense in the world, not to mention the weight discrepancy that tips the favor scale to one side over the other depending on what weight the fight is fought at.
The truth is neither fighter is afraid of the other.
Still, if both fighters are in the business of proving they’re the best then stepping up to the plate is a necessity. Ward suggests that because Golovkin is “resident monster” he should live up to that reputation.
“You can’t have this monster reputation without backing that thing up. Not just once, but over and over and over again. And if you haven’t done that, how do you justify the reputation?”
