By Ryan Maquiñana
Andre Ward hasn’t stepped in a boxing ring for an official bout in over one year, but the super middleweight world champion vowed that his absence from the sport has only strengthened his resolve.
“One thing I accepted a long time ago is that this is my story. This is part of my journey,” Ward said. “Floyd (Mayweather), Bernard (Hopkins), they’ve all had moments in their career where things happened, and they had to overcome … They mentioned Kobe (Bryant) earlier. Not just injuries, but life. Stuff happens.”
Ward (26-0, 14 KOs) will travel to the Southern California city of Ontario on Nov. 16 to face unbeaten challenger Edwin Rodriguez in a bout that will air on HBO. The defending champion from Oakland, Calif., has fully recovered from a tear in his right shoulder that derailed a clash with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.
“This was an old injury. I partially tore my rotator cuff 16, 17 years ago, and we just dealt with it,” the 29-year-old Ward said. “I just had to build the muscles up around the rotator (cuff), and as the Pavlik fight was approaching, it got to the point where the doctor said, ‘OK, we need to go in there and fix it.’”
In January, Ward underwent surgery on the shoulder and did extensive rehabilitation with Lisa Giannone of Active Care San Francisco. Giannone is well-known around Bay Area sports circles as the woman who helped NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice return to the field mere months after tearing his ACL. In 2012, Giannone was a key factor in Robert Guerrero’s recovery from shoulder surgery.
Ward even claimed that the rehabilitation stint has improved his physical capabilities.
“I’m able to do things with this right hand, and I have power in this right hand, that I never had before,” Ward said.
The layoff also allowed Ward to reflect and reignite his desire to prove he still belongs among boxing’s best.
“I thought I was hungry before this happened, but when something’s taken away from you against your will, and you’re reading things, and you’re around the sport, you can’t participate,” Ward said. “That’s either going to make you stronger or you’re going to fall by the wayside.”
Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KOs) has battled his own shoulder issues in the past. However, he put any concerns about his seemingly waning punching power to rest with a first-round destruction of Denis Grachev in Monte Carlo, Monaco, earlier this year.
Of course, the 29-year-old from Worcester, Mass., acknowledged the chasm in talent between a solid brawler in Grachev and Ward, considered by many the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world to Mayweather. But Rodriguez, who held training camp in Houston with Ronnie Shields, is aware of the task at hand.
“Mentally, I’m prepared and ready,” Rodriguez said. “I understand that Andre Ward is at a whole different level, but I have proved that also at a different level with all my opponents that I have faced.”
Rodriguez even offered a counterpoint to the invincibility Ward has displayed in his last few outings.
“I understand that Andre Ward is undefeated, but so am I,” Rodriguez added. “He has to figure me out just as much as I got to figure him out. I’m not worried about all the hype. I’m ready, and it’s a week away. It’s on.”
The call grew testy when one reporter offered a question regarding drug testing. During the fighters’ initial press conference in September, Rodriguez proposed the two sides undergo random testing under the supervision and sponsorship of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). Ward, in reply, opined that Rodriguez was merely grandstanding.
Neither side softened its stance Thursday.
“I got a sponsor that was going to sponsor me and sponsor Mr. Ward,” Rodriguez said. “(Ward) came on and said that he was willing to do drug testing, but after this fight, so it makes no sense. Why not do it for a fight that is going to be paid for? That’s one thing."
“And then he had the opportunity to say yes or no when I had (nutritionist) Victor Conte contact him and his team to say yes or no. Then it wouldn’t have become a publicity stunt. … (Ward’s trainer) Virgil Hunter kept saying, ‘Talk to Ward on Friday before the press conference, and it never happened. We never got a word from it.”
Rodriguez, who revealed that VADA has tested him twice during camp (the first time four weeks ago and the second occurrence on Wednesday), did acknowledge Ward’s integrity throughout his career.
“I’m not saying that Andre Ward is not a clean fighter. Not at all. I was just bringing it up because I had the chance to get it paid for, and it wasn’t going to come out of his pocket, and he’s a clean athlete. He’s always shown that. Then why not take it? Why would you say that you’re going to do it for other fights, but you’re not going to do it for this fight?”
Ward reiterated his position, and pointed out Conte’s presence on Rodriguez’s team. Though Dr. Margaret Goodman asked several people including Conte for advice during the initial stages of founding VADA, Conte has constantly stated that he has no further association with the day-to-day operations of the agency.
“In negotiations, it’s simple,” Ward said. “Just like you negotiate for your money, if it’s something that you got a concern about or something you want to do, you don’t wait until you get in front of the media and try to pull some publicity stunt and try to look like, ‘I’m going to save boxing,’ and be the clean guy here.
“You bring it up. You say, ‘This is what I want to do. Is he willing to do it?’ That wasn’t done, and I don’t know how many months we were in negotiations, and everybody knows it was a long, drawn-out negotiation,” Ward said.
Ward also commented on Rodriguez’s assertion that Conte and Hunter were in communication regarding testing. Hunter trains several fighters that work with Conte, such as Amir Khan, Alfredo Angulo and Karim Mayfield.
“Furthermore, I was not privy to anything Victor said to Virgil, or whatever,” Ward said. “You understand that Virgil has other fighters in the Bay Area that work with Victor. I’m not one of them, and that being said, I don’t need Victor to sponsor me. He’s on the other side right now. I’m going up against his fighter, so I don’t need Victor to sponsor me and do me a favor. It’s going to be done the right way.”
Ward did leave the door open for VADA testing for future fights but chastised Rodriguez in the process.
“When I have an opportunity to sit down with Margaret Goodman, and talk to her, and things get done the way they’re supposed to be done, then I’ll do what I want to do when I want to do it,” Ward said. “But you’re the challenger coming up to this fight. You don’t make demands, especially the way you made them, and expect to get stuff done. If you were serious about it, and professional about it, you bring it up the right way.”
Eventually, the tenor of the call subsided into its previous mental state and the nature of the questions reverted to the fight in the ring.
Ward, a master craftsman in the pocket, has neutralized many a puncher on the inside. Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham and Allan Green ultimately were rendered unable to operate in range. When asked how he could buck the trend, Rodriguez referred to his ability to make adjustments in the heat of battle.
“Andre hit it right on the nail,” Rodriguez said. “It doesn’t really matter how much tape you watch when you step in there. It’s about adapting and staying ahead of your opponent, and I plan on doing that November 16.”
Rodriguez enters the tilt as a heavy underdog, but has found fuel in his detractors.
“I’m looking to make a statement and become champion of the world against a great fighter,” Rodriguez said. “I’m ready to show the world that don’t believe that I can’t get it done. I can get it done November 16th.”
The defending champion had the last word.
“I’m excited, hungry. I’ve prepared my mind and my body for battle,” Ward said. “Don’t miss it. It’s going to be a great show on HBO, ‘The Return.’ I got a hungry challenger, I’m a hungry champion and those are ingredients for a tremendous fight.”
Ryan Maquiñana was the boxing producer for NBCOlympics.com during London 2012 and writes a boxing column for CSNBayArea.com. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine's Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com , check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net or follow him on Twitter @RMaq28.
