By Jake Donovan
Anyone who thinks that Andre Ward enjoyed spending any part of the past 19 months on the sidelines would be sadly mistaken.
Such a belief would also have to come with rationalizing why a reigning World champion—one considered by many to be no worse than the second best fighter in the world—would want to sacrifice the best years of his career. You’d then also have to rationalize why he would do so following a 14-month break from the sport, which followed a nine-month absence, both of which were spent rehabilitating separate injuries.
Life hasn’t been grand for Ward following a career-defining run during the Showtime Super Six tournament, in which he claimed wins over Mikel Kessler, Allan Green Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch during a 2 ½ year period. All but Green went on to win or reclaim major titles after losing decisively to Ward, speaking volumes to his level of superiority.
So again the question begs asking—why would anyone willingly give up such a lofty position?
“It was devastating,” Ward (27-0, 14KOs) admits of his extended time spent outside the ropes. “My profession and my job, I’ve learned to develop a poker face through the pain and discomfort. I didn’t feel it was like the appropriate time (when asked about the reasons why he chose to remain sidelined). I had to be careful about what I said publicly.
“I didn’t want to walk away, but was on the verge of walking away. I didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. I did all I could to rectify. I sat up and wrote rertirement speeches. I’ve spent my whole life and didn’t want to retire on anyone’s terms but myself.”
Whether or not the sport appreciates his change of heart remains to be seen. For now, the last American fighter to capture an Olympic gold medal returns to the ring this weekend. The occasion comes in the form of a homecoming, as he faces England’s Paul Smith at the Oracle Arena in his hometown Oakland, California.
The bout—a non-title fight at a maximum catchweight of 172 lbs.—is his first since signing with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports earlier this year. His RNS debut also helps kick off a new boxing series on cable network BET.
It’s perhaps a far cry from his time spent headlining shows on Showtime and HBO, but still a big deal for his new promoter, and for the unbeaten fighter himself. The only thing maintaining Ward’s sanity over the past couple of years was his attachment to the sport, even if spent just outside the other side of the ropes.
“As far as just missing the sport, the positive was that I was able to broadcast and be around the fans,” Ward acknowledges, having served as an expert analyst for HBO. “I had to be there and I had a job and obligation to HBO. But I also wanted my fans to be there to see me. I wanted the people to be there and reach out and touch me.”
While separate extended absences following his post-Super Six run were due to injuries, the recent hiatus came from a legal dispute over the terms of his promotional contract.
Ward was co-promoted by Goossen-Tutor Promotions and Antonio Leonard’s TnT Promotions since his pro debut in 2004, following his Olympic Gold medal winning effort in Athens. The relationship with the late Dan Goossen appeared firm through his first seven or so years in the pro ranks, but differences between the two came to light in recent years.
Sadly, the legal battle kept Ward out of the ring since a Nov. ’13 points win over Edwin Rodriguez, remaining unresolved through Goossen’s untimely passing last fall. The matter was finally settled earlier this year, after which Ward exchanged his free-agent status for a lucrative deal with Roc Nation.
It’s not the path he desired to take in leading to this point, but a sacrifice he was forced to make for the sake of his future
“You have to be willing… I could’ve accepted a lot of things along the course of my career,” Ward explained in why he didn’t simply settle out of court for the sake of returning to the ring sooner. “You can’t look for the road that’s the easiest to travel. Any time you’re willing to step out on a path and trail blaze, there’s always going to be opposition.
“We made an educated decision. We sought counsel before making that move that some question. Regardless of what was written, people didn’t have the full story. Being away from the sport shows you a lot of things. It brings the sport of boxing into a reality. Suddenly the phone stops ringing. Certain people in my career continued to call. Others chose to be distant because there was no money to be made.”
Even through the exposure of all that’s wrong with boxing, Ward still longed for the day he could finally return to the sport at which he hasn’t lost since he was a 13-year old amateur.
“Did I hate every minute of it? Yes. What compounded this layoff was the last layoff. I thought I was on my merry way after the Rodriguez fight. Then came this layoff.”
With all of that in the rearview mirror, Ward embraces this fight week like no other.
“It’s been a while,” Ward acknowledges of being days away from a fight. “It’s starting to feel like the fight is right around the corner. I’m feeling the emotions (that come with it). It’s a good feeling.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox