By Rick Reeno
For the right price, the venue dispute pertaining to the super middleweight clash between Andre Ward (21-0, 13KOs) and Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13KOs), can easily be solved. Dan Goossen, who promotes Ward, is willing to make the fight in Detroit - if the right offer comes from Dirrell's promoter Gary Shaw.
The fight has a tentative date of September 25 in third stage of Showtime's Super Six tournament. Ward's first fight in the Super Six, against Mikkel Kessler, took place in his hometown of Oakland, California. Against Allan Green in June's second stage bout, Ward is once again fighting in Oakland.
Shaw will not agree to Oakland. He thinks it's unfair to the other Super Six fighters if Ward were allowed to secure the hometown advantage in all three stages of the tournament.
"I won't agree to that. I can guarantee you one thing, you will not see Andre Dirrell fighting in Oakland," Shaw told BoxingScene.com last week.
Goossen doesn't have a problem with the fight taking place in Dirrell's hometown of Detroit, but the number have to make sense for all parties.
"Andre Ward is not afraid to fight anywhere. We have nothing against fighting in Detroit, but Gary has to make us an offer. We've had the fights in Oakland because it made sense financially. If Gary wants the fight in Detroit, all he has to do is make an offer," Goossen told BoxingScene.com.
