By Keith Idec
Paul Smith isn’t naïve.
The British boxer realizes it’ll take the best performance of his 12-year pro career to upset Andre Ward in their light heavyweight fight Saturday night in Oakland, Calif. (BET; 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). Smith is sure, however, that Ward’s 19-month layoff is a distinct advantage for him.
“Inactivity isn’t good for any fighter,” Smith said. “Any fighter will tell you that you have to stay active and you have to stay busy. All the training in the world in the gym is totally different. Any fighter will tell you the same [thing] – it’s different when you get in the ring with 18-ounce gloves on, 16-ounce gloves on, headgear, and then getting in under the lights, with 10-ounce gloves on. … Our view is that we need every advantage in this fight, and the advantage we have in this one is Andre Ward’s inactivity. And that’s what I’ll capitalize on Saturday night.”
The 31-year-old Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) hasn’t fought since he dominated previously undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin Rodriguez (27-1, 18 KOs) in November 2013 in Ontario, Calif. That was Ward’s lone fight since he stopped former undisputed light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (32-4, 18 KOs, 2 NC) in the 10th round of their September 2012 fight in Oakland.
The 32-year-old Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) has boxed four times since Ward defeated Rodriguez, including a pair of unanimous-decision defeats to Armenia’s Arthur Abraham (42-4, 28 KOs) in WBO super middleweight title fights over the past 8½ months.
“We know Andre Ward is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world,” said Eddie Hearn, whose company, Matchroom Sport, promotes Smith. “There’s absolutely no doubt about that. But let’s be honest – if there’s ever a time to fight Andre Ward, it’s right now. And Paul Smith, who has had a stellar career and really a real resurgence in the last couple of years, has massive confidence through the Arthur Abraham fights. He’s a real realist, but he’s also an intellectual fighter. He studies the sport and we’re taking this fight a hundred percent to win this fight.
“We appreciate how tough this fight is, but I think Paul Smith is a very, very live fighter in this fight on Saturday night. And Andre Ward, as I said, is a magnificent fighter. But right about now, with his inactivity, and of course the pressure to perform as well, we really like Paul Smith’s shot in this fight. And you can guarantee one thing – he’ll bring all the action, all the passion and 100-percent desire to win on Saturday night.”
Ward doesn’t think his long layoff will be much of a factor once he and Smith enter the ring at Oracle Arena.
“If you look at some of the greats, like Floyd Mayweather, you know, Ali took three years off,” Ward said. “These guys have come back and they might not be at their best, but Floyd took two years off and took a guy in [Juan Manuel] Marquez, who, you know, was a little bit smaller than Floyd, but if Floyd wasn’t on point he would’ve had some problems with Marquez. So it’s not out of the question. I love that Eddie Hearn and his whole team, they’re banking on [my inactivity]. But if that’s their game plan, they’ve got the wrong game plan come June 20th.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.