Andre Ward: record, next fight and profile →
Super middleweight king Andre Ward is not expecting to face the winner of the May 31 rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, who battle for the IBF and WBA 'regular' titles before 80,000 fans at Wembley. Ward already holds a decision victory over Froch, who scored a controversial nine round stoppage over Groves last November.
Andre Ward may not have fought in the ring since November of last year but he’s still been fighting outside of it trying to break free from his current promoter Goossen Tutor. There is a pending lawsuit filed in the California Superior Court and while both sides had agreed to continue working together during the proceedings, no fights have been made. When looking at Ward’s options, some have said a move to Light Heavyweight is the next logical move as many feel Ward has exhausted his options at Super Middleweight. But Ward points to the fact that the options are even more limited 7 pounds north.
Andre Ward’s promotional struggles continue as the undefeated Super Middleweight is trying to break free from current promoter Goossen Tutor who he’s been with since his professional debut. Ward has a pending lawsuit against Goossen Tutor that was filed in California Superior court. An arbitration hearing held by the California State Athletic Commission this past Thursday found Ward’s promotional contract with Goossen to be valid until November 8, 2016 but Ward is still pursuing his court case. Despite the lawsuit, Ward informs that he is still free to make fights and work with his promoter but the problem is he has not received an offer since December of last year. Five months later Ward is on the sidelines and frustrated with his current situation.
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Luis Sandoval catches up with WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward to discuss his current contractual situation with his promoter Dan Goossen, thoughts on the California Commission siding with Goossen, what he plans to do in the future, potential opponents to face in the future, possibly heading up to the light heavyweight division for more opportunities and more.
Dan Goossen likes to put out press releases that confuse the issue - so on behalf of Andre Ward, we want to be crystal clear: the 'legal issues' that he referred to are only just getting underway. It is only after a California judge or jury speaks that the legal issues will be resolved.
The California State Athletic Commission handed down the decision today in Andre Ward’s latest attempt to invalidate his promotional contract with Dan Goossen and Goossen Tutor Promotions. The decision by the arbitrator Andy Foster, the Commission’s Executive Director, was a clear victory for Goossen. Ward’s contract, was once again, ruled “valid” and extended to November 8, 2016.
The last time that Andre Ward was in the ring was in November 2013. We’re now approaching May 2014, and nothing has been set yet for the super middleweight champion, whose only appearances on HBO since then have been in his role as a commentator for the network. Ward has been wrangling in court since last year in hopes of breaking with promoter Dan Goossen of Goossen-Tutor Promotions. But Ward says he wants to return in the ring even if that situation isn’t yet resolved.
Now that a unification with Adonis Stevenson is looking more and more unlikely, WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (23-0-1, 21KOs) will have to focus on building up another high profile fight - and that fight may come against WBA super middleweight king Andre Ward (27-0, 14KOs).
Virgil Hunter, trainer of WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14KOs), is very surprised that WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26KOs) and his team are considering the possibility of moving up in weight to challenge Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at 168-pounds. The idea of a Ward-Golovkin showdown has been discussed, numerous times, by both fighters.
Even before Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. stepped into the ring for his rematch with Bryan Vera, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank was already working on Chavez’s next fight. Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported on Feb. 26 that Arum was seeking a bout between Chavez and 160-pound titleholder for this July in the super middleweight division. “It’s a great fight. It’s a fight that’ll do tremendous pay-per-view business,” Arum told BoxingScene.com on Feb. 28. “And both fighters seem to want the fight. … It’s a tough, tough fight. That’s what people pay for.”