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By Thomas Gerbasi - In the eight years since he first emerged on the international scene in the 2004 Olympics, Andre Ward hasn’t changed a bit. That may be the most remarkable achievement in a boxing career full of impressive feats. From his Olympic Gold medal in Athens, to his world titles at 168 pounds and his win in the Super Six tournament, to his unbeaten professional record, he’s already compiled quite the resume, but not at the price of his integrity.
In the eyes of many, what that equates to in the lead-up to his Saturday fight with Chad Dawson is that he’s boring. God forbid a boxer carries himself as a gentleman, a family man, and a non-trash talker. Put him in with the soft-spoken Dawson, who is much like Ward in many ways, and you would think that what should be celebrated as a Superfight will be the international cure for insomnia.
That’s a shame.
Maybe it’s because the last highly-anticipated fight between two United States born and bred stars on the rise between Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander in January of 2011 turned out to be a dud both financially and aesthetically, making fans and pundits a little gun-shy. Or maybe watching two of the game’s top talents compete at the highest level of the sport just isn’t enough anymore.
Whatever it is, Ward is not about to change what he’s doing now, not while he’s midstream and especially not while everything is going so well for him. More importantly, he has yet to stray from the course he set for himself all those years ago. Even back in June of 2004, with the Olympics still two months away, a 20-year old Ward gave a quick glimpse into the man he was and who he was going to be. Already pegged as the United States team’s leading candidate for Gold medal honors, he was far from a cocky kid soaking in his moment in the spotlight. He had the serious demeanor boxing fans would come to know pretty well in the ensuing years, and when asked about being the favorite heading to Greece, he told me “I don’t look at myself like that. It’s an honor for people to say that, but all my teammates have the ability to win a gold medal, and I believe that with all my heart.” [Click Here To Read More]
In the eyes of many, what that equates to in the lead-up to his Saturday fight with Chad Dawson is that he’s boring. God forbid a boxer carries himself as a gentleman, a family man, and a non-trash talker. Put him in with the soft-spoken Dawson, who is much like Ward in many ways, and you would think that what should be celebrated as a Superfight will be the international cure for insomnia.
That’s a shame.
Maybe it’s because the last highly-anticipated fight between two United States born and bred stars on the rise between Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander in January of 2011 turned out to be a dud both financially and aesthetically, making fans and pundits a little gun-shy. Or maybe watching two of the game’s top talents compete at the highest level of the sport just isn’t enough anymore.
Whatever it is, Ward is not about to change what he’s doing now, not while he’s midstream and especially not while everything is going so well for him. More importantly, he has yet to stray from the course he set for himself all those years ago. Even back in June of 2004, with the Olympics still two months away, a 20-year old Ward gave a quick glimpse into the man he was and who he was going to be. Already pegged as the United States team’s leading candidate for Gold medal honors, he was far from a cocky kid soaking in his moment in the spotlight. He had the serious demeanor boxing fans would come to know pretty well in the ensuing years, and when asked about being the favorite heading to Greece, he told me “I don’t look at myself like that. It’s an honor for people to say that, but all my teammates have the ability to win a gold medal, and I believe that with all my heart.” [Click Here To Read More]
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