by David P. Greisman
In an interview with BoxingScene.com, veteran cut-man Jacob “Stitch” Duran spoke about the cuts Andre Ward has suffered in the past and whether — if at all — there is any worry about the effect they could have on Ward’s bout with Carl Froch.
BoxingScene.com: What are you expecting in terms of lingering damage, if there’s any at all, from the cuts Andre Ward has suffered in the past, including the cut in training that postponed this fight?
Duran: “Not at all. I came here last night and I checked with Andre today. I looked at him. It’s not going to be an issue. If Carl Froch makes an attempt to make that an issue, it’s not going to be an issue. The cut is closed up. I’ll keep maintenance on it. I told Andre that I’ll be keeping ice on it every round, just to keep the blood vessels closed. And if there’s any swelling, I’ll just keep the swelling down.”
BoxingScene.com: So when you suffer a cut, like Andre did in training camp and, farther back, in the Sakio Bika fight, does that make him more susceptible to suffering a cut in that location?
Duran: “Not necessarily. Not at all. That’s one of the things that Andre likes about me is I’m kind of like the father figure, the veteran guy on the team, and I think I bring the confidence that he needs. I talked to him today and said, ‘Don’t worry about the cut. I’m not worried about it. You shouldn’t worry about it.’ ”
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com
