Comments Thread For: Andre Ward Talks Sakio Bika, Andre Dirrell Rumors

[BROOKLYN CESAR]

Ward wins this one easy but bika will try rough him up for sure!!! im expecting a few dirty rounds!!!

[Dave Rado]

Neither fighter wants to leave their backyard. Most neutral spot would be any other place in America other than Oakland.

MSG would be the best.

[Hitman932]

MSG would be the best.

Indeed it would be for Bute as his fans would only have to travel a short distance compared to Wards.

People like to give Ward **** for not leaving Oakland but the fact of the matter is that everyone knew he'd stay at home right from the start of the Super 6 but nobody cared because they all thought he was gonna get whooped by Kessler in the opening round.

Ward got in the ring against Kessler when Kessler was the overwhelming favorite to win and he dominated him from the opening seconds.

Whether the fight was in Oakland or Timbuktu didn't matter, the fact is he should still be applauded for being willing to take such a risk so early in his career in his very first title fight.

Bute, on the other hand, shows no such desire to be involved in anything other than a glorified execution of far inferior opponents in front of his adoring fans.

Almost certainly the Super 6 final will not be in Oakland, which means Ward will certainly fight out of his comfort zone sometime soon. Bute will continue to fight in Montreal every time.

So when it comes time to choose a venue Ward will be 1) The only one of the fighters who has traveled for a fight and 2) The only one who took a risky fight in his career. He will have earned everything he had the hard way.

So why should Ward be expected to make any concession on venue to Bute?

Even going to MSG would probably be advantage to Bute, so why expect Ward to do it?

The fight should be in Las Vegas, where it should be. I have no doubt Ward would agree to it, but I would be very surprised if Bute ever did.

[Pullcounter]

who gives a ***** about ward/dirrell. dirrell should retire.

[Dave Rado]

Whether the fight was in Oakland or Timbuktu didn't matter, the fact is he should still be applauded for being willing to take such a risk so early in his career in his very first title fight.

Early in his career? It was his fifth year as a pro.

The fight should be in Las Vegas, where it should be. I have no doubt Ward would agree to it, but I would be very surprised if Bute ever did.

MSG is a proper boxing venue with real atmosphere, whereas Vegas is primarily a ******** venue where boxing is a comparative sideshow; and in distance terms, Vegas would favour Ward as much as MSG would favour Bute. But a major fight like that deserves a proper boxing venue.

[ShoulderRoll]

I hear some rumors about Ward, but not pertaining to Dirrell. I hear he's big into the juice.

Juice? Are you sure you're not confusing Ward with Vitali Klitschko?

[Dave Rado]

Juice? Are you sure you're not confusing Ward with Vitali Klitschko?

He's referring to the fact that Ward is working with Victor Conte.

[SluggerFan]

He's referring to the fact that Ward is working with Victor Conte.

I doubt very much that Andre Ward is on the 'juice'. So, he is working with Victor Conte doesn't mean he is taking anything that Conte makes. If it were me, however, I wouldn't be caught within 10 miles of Conte because I wouldn't want to be associated with him at all. How this guy is even allowed around the sport is astonishing....

[Lorily]

This is a risky fight (in terms of Ward getting injured) IMO. I'm kindof surprised that Showtime would go for it. Especially considering that Bika has proved that he can and will play dirty. What Bika did to Mendy was way more intentional and severe then what AA did to Dirrell. Although I expect Ward to beat Bika, he does risk getting injured and if he does that puts the entire tournament in jeopardy. To me, it just doesn't seem smart to do this fight unless Bika was actually in the tournament.

[Sweet Jesus]

Ward is no longer working with Conte. (According to Dan Rafael about 6 months ago)