Andre Ward: “I think Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter in the world today”

Ward has lofty words for Mayweather Jr. In a recent interview with Examiner, Oakland’s Andre Ward spoke about a myriad of topics including his bout this Saturday with Allan Green, the other combatants of the Super Six tournament, his learning lessons in the sport of boxing and much more. The WBA Super Middleweight champion was especially vocal when asked his thoughts on the ongoing drama surrounding a potential bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. At the moment Mayweather has been the center of much discussion from flirting with the idea of retirement, speaking to MTV about his collaborations in the music world with rapper 50 Cent, and other rumors circulating that state that a possible clash with Pacquiao is almost a done deal. Ward has always had tremendous respect for Floyd and started off by giving his thoughts on his May 1st victory against Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I think that Floyd’s performance against Shane was very dominant,” Ward stated. “He’s not the young Floyd Mayweather anymore; he’s a 33-year old Floyd Mayweather. He’s settled down a lot and not moving on his feet as much. I’ve heard Freddie Roach say that he has lost his legs but I don’t think he has lost his legs I just think he has matured and he realizes that he doesn’t have to move as much as he used to. He’s just mature. I think he did an awesome job in the fight. He took a great shot and the thing that I took from the fight was that he kept his composure. He did what he had to do and he weathered the storm and he was actually coming back before that round was over. He ended up dominating the last ten rounds.” Mayweather is looked up to from many of today’s aspiring stars because when they were going through the rigors of the amateur system and their early professional careers it was Mayweather who served as a champion they could look up to. Ward’s respect is apparent and he feels that much of the 33-year old fighter’s criticism is unwarranted. “I’ve always loved Floyd Mayweather and right now in my book I feel that Floyd is the best fighter in the world right now,” Ward stated point blank. “You have to give him his just due. I think some people are knocking him for cherry picking now but he earned that right. If you watch Floyd’s first title defense against Genero Hernandez all the way up he fought everybody there was to fight. He fought dynamite fighters, all the top fighters, the champions and he proved himself. Nobody should knock him. He’s beaten everybody they put in front of him.” There is no bigger talk in the sport than the ongoing possibility of Mayweather hooking up with Pacquiao, the reigning WBO welterweight king. There is always much speculation and talk surrounding the possibility of the two fighters meeting but at the moment their have been mixed reports regarding the ongoing negotiations behind closed doors. For his part Ward feels the fight needs to come about but understands how the business works. “This is a fight that has to happen but this is also a business. Most guys can come to terms and I hope that both sides can come to terms on the money. I hope that they can make this fight happen because this is the fight that the world literally wants to see. Even casual sports fans want to see this fight take place.” Las Vegas Boxing Examiner Chris Robinson