New interview with Andre Ward

-By Darren Sands From a competitive standpoint I want to be No. 1. That’s why I got into the sport. But I’m OK being No. 2 because of who I’m No. 2 to. That’s Floyd Mayweather. It’s different with Kevin and LeBron because they’re similar in age and they’re peers. But I grew up watching Floyd. So the fact that I’m No. 2 to him right now is a big deal. I’m with that for now. That’s just me paying homage to him. It’s not like he’s fallen off. He’s getting better. He’s creating more revenue, selling more pay-per-views. He’s still dominating these fighters at 35, 36 years old. I’ve been fortunate to do what I’ve done for the amount of time that I’ve done it but he’s doubled that. So I respect that. I think I would be wrong to demand the No. 1 spot with the resume Floyd Mayweather has. How do you put what he’s been able to do in perspective? Well, I think Floyd had a lot of things work in his favor. He started off with Arturo Gatti in his first pay-per-view, so even from the start he had the right opponents. His next fight generated 200,000-300,000 buys, but then came Oscar de la Hoya who is a money-making machine for whatever reason. Floyd also reinvented himself at that time. He said ‘I’m no longer going to be Pretty Boy — nobody’s accepting that.’ He changed his name to Money Mayweather, The Villain. And it worked for him. Then he fought Ricky Hatton … he kind of just built from there. Now he’s the cash cow. So I just think it was the combination of having the right opponents, doing the right things that I wouldn’t be willing to do. Like what? I’m not going to get into Floyd’s business from that standpoint. But he’s just willing to do certain things or say things that I’m just not willing to do or say for another buy or to put another person in the seats. I’m just not. I feel like I have my fanbase and as long as I’m promoted the right way my fanbase is going to continue to grow. But I have to stay true to who I am. If I never sell a million pay-per-views but I stayed true to who I was and never sold out, I think that’s a bonus for me. That’s my perspective on it. Casual fans think it’s either Floyd Mayweather-type numbers for an event or bust. But that’s not true. There’s a lot of guys like me. I’m building a Hall of Fame career. I make a great living. I have great credentials and I’m living my dream. But sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle because it’s Mayweather mania right now. People don’t remember that it took Floyd twenty years to get there. He didn’t start making real money until he was in his thirties. Furthermore, that may not be for everybody. They talk about Bernard Hopkins saying that he never really made it to that point. Well, I disagree. He’s a guy who is living off his interest right now. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s still beating these young guys — that’s a pretty successful career. It may not be a Mayweather-type career, but that’s pretty darn successful. I know God has a plan for me and along that journey I’m going to try to stay true to myself and my faith. The key is to walk away with no regrets. http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/sports-biz-qa-andre-ward-on-floydmania-his-deal-with-brand-jordan-and-his-exit-strategy-from-the-ring/