Andre Ward Proclaims That He's A Racist

[Spray_resistant]

Isn't Ward half white himself?

[Cypocryphy]

im not sure about this, i remember andre ward got a lot of stick from the that young pharoh crowd, forget their names now for backing a white guy in a decision v a black guy (forget the fight too lol), i remember it clearly, ward was very fair about it & made a lot of sense

the young pharoah crowd were mad saying we backed you bro in that close fight with kovalev, ward was like, yeeehhhh okkkk, lol, it was funny

Yeah. Ward has always been really fair and good about things. I remember Barbershop Conversations was trying to get him to get on that Young Pharoh bandwagon crap. I can't remember what Barbershop was saying, but it was some racial thing. And Ward was like: "Look man. I know what you're about. You have to understand that my mother is white and my father is black. So I'm not about that." It was something like that.

Ward was always cool about stuff and really fair, which is why I always had a lot of respect for him. He was a great boxer, despite what some people think, and he was a great commentator (so long as he wasn't talking about Shakur). He was the most fair guy out there. So this is why I'm shocked by his tweet.

I think people listen to a lot of these fan channels out there, who race bait and pollute the mind. If you spend too much time on the Internet, it has a way of warping one's views of the world. The world is a much better place than what the Internet shows IMO.

[PBR Streetgang]

Ward doesn't strike me as a racist. I do think he has bias in favor of certain styles and certain mindsets from fighters (specifically fighters that he felt were similar to how he perceived himself).

It was very evident to me in his fight commentary, he seemed to prefer gritty, tricky fighters who he felt had strong mental fortitude. In my opinion this bias spanned across racial lines.

[Cypocryphy]

Isn't Ward half white himself?

Yeah. But whether he's white or black or part this or part that, I just don't see why he had to get triggered and go in that direction. Even though he wasn't explicit, everyone knows what he's talking about. It's a really bad look, especially after he just published his book and is trying to promote it. Seems like he shot himself in the foot. He needs a PR person to manage his social media.

[Cypocryphy]

Ward doesn't strike me as a racist. I do think he has bias in favor of certain styles and certain mindsets from fighters (specifically fighters that he felt were similar to how he perceived himself).

It was very evident to me in his fight commentary, he seemed to prefer gritty, tricky fighters who he felt had strong mental fortitude. In my opinion this bias spanned across racial lines.

I mean, we all know what he's saying. In the words of Wilder, "I don't have to explain what is understood." And by some strange chance he meant something else, to not have the self-awareness or social awareness to know how his words will be perceived would mean he's an idiot, and Ward is definitely not an idiot.

But yeah man, I'm with you. He's one of the least biased analysts out there (or was) unless he's talking about Shakur. When it's Shakur, the bias is off the chart. But other than that, he's a very fair man. That's why I find this disappointing.

[eco1]

I saw this today and found it extremely disappointing. Dan Rafael posted twee and said Andre Ward lost to Kovalev. I'm not sure why he posted that but, honestly, who cares what Dan Rafael thinks. That man always has strange takes on boxing matches. Sometimes he's right, and sometimes he's wrong. But for whatever reason, Andre Ward decided that he'd reply to Rafael in the most triggered way possible.

Andre Ward decided to make it racial and talk about black supremacy, and for me, anyone who talks about racial supremacy over another race is flat out, point blank, a racist. And that's really disappointing because I liked Ward. I think there's a good argument that he got lucky with both of his fights against Kovalev, but that's not a reason to get upset and make it racial.

If you want to see what this is all about, I suggest you watch the video, but for me, Andre Ward is done. Definitely not buying his book. I can't support that.

Maybe Dan Rafael said Ward lost to Kovalev because, as a matter of fact, Ward lost to Kovalev and should've been DQ'd in the second fight.

[Cypocryphy]

What did he actually say?

Something like "We know what 'type' you like. We know what's up. But I'm with Floyd, Hopkins, etc. and our 'type' will ALWAYS beat YOUR 'type.'" It was some crap like that. He didn't have the cajones to be completely unambiguous, but he didn't have to because everyone is going to understand what he's saying given the the context and history of the discussion.

So it's really disappointing to me. Maybe others are fine with it, but I'm very disappointed. I expect Ward to rise above the sewage we find on the Internet. Instead, he decided he was going to dive into the sewage.

[Spray_resistant]

Yeah. But whether he's white or black or part this or part that, I just don't see why he had to get triggered and go in that direction. Even though he wasn't explicit, everyone knows what he's talking about. It's a really bad look, especially after he just published his book and is trying to promote it. Seems like he shot himself in the foot. He needs a PR person to manage his social media.

He got in his feelings and triggered by someone discrediting one of his most notable wins. I had Kovalev winning close but idk why he is mad, he had Kovavlev figured out by the 2nd half of their first fight and it showed in the 2nd fight.

[Cypocryphy]

Maybe Dan Rafael said Ward lost to Kovalev because, as a matter of fact, Ward lost to Kovalev and should've been DQ'd in the second fight.

Yeah. I think the fight was closer than some people believe, but it doesn't change the fact that most believe he lost. It also doesn't change the fact that---not for the first time---Tony Weeks made a bull**** stoppage for the A-side fighter. I think Weeks did Ward a tremendous disservice in stopping that fight prematurely. It's too bad.

[Cypocryphy]

He got in his feelings and triggered by someone discrediting one of his most notable wins. I had Kovalev winning close but idk why he is mad, he had Kovavlev figured out by the 2nd half of their first fight and it showed in the 2nd fight.

Yeah. Exactly. He was coming on in the back end, doing much better. That's why I tell people the fight was much closer than most realize. Maybe we can get the Jabbr crew to do an analysis of that fight. I think that'd be awesome. I do believe people will be surprised by how close it really was.