By Edward Chaykovsky
WBA junior welterweight champion Adrien Broner wishes unbeaten Olympic gold medal winner Andre Ward (28-0, 15KOs) would have signed on with powerful manager/adviser Al Haymon.
Broner, and close friend Floyd Mayweather Jr., are not happy with the way Ward is being positioned among the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. They also believe Ward's career would have received a significant boost with Haymon on his team.
Ward finally returned to the ring last June and stopped Paul Smith in nine rounds. It was his first fight since November of 2013 when he outpointed Edwin Rodriguez. Ward's layoff was due to injuries and a long legal battle with his former promoter, the late Dan Goossen.
Last year Ward signed on with Roc Nation Sports. During his time with Goossen, Ward was one of the few fighters who were not signed with Haymon. Many of the top fighters Goossen's stable with Haymon advised fighters. Ward's managerial team is made up of James Prince and Antonio Leonard.
Ward signed a three fight deal with HBO, which prompts a move in weight to 175-pounds and a fall showdown with champion Sergey Kovalev. Mayweather feels Ward is being positioned to take a loss due to politics, and advised him to take a pass on moving to 175 for Kovalev.
"I'm [going to] be honest, Andre Ward should be the pound for pound king since Floyd is gone. I just wish he would of made a better business decision. Al Haymon over everything in this boxing sh*t......that's the blueprint," Broner told his followers.
