Tweet
They said they did it on purpose, but it still makes no sense. Ward doesn't deserve that spot, he hasn't done anything in years. Oh well.
-
-
This is why they said they did I it, but originally they claimed they stripped it because of opponents he fought. Oh well, it won't last long. He still isn't fighting anyone.
"Ward met with some resistance because of his relative inactivity the past few years and weak opponent in his comeback fight, Paul Smith.
Our response to that is this. First, ask yourself, “Who are the best fighters in the world regardless of weight at this moment?” Second, ask yourself, “Can one truly argue that Ward – layoff or no layoff, Smith or no Smith – is not one of the two or three best fighters?”
We feel the answer to that question is obvious: Of course, he is. That’s why he re-entered the list at No. 2."Comment
-
Ring Contradicts original reason to strip Ward
This was what they wrote when they striped Ward the first time.
"
Rated fighters are given 12 months to have or schedule a fight. If not, they are dropped.
The rules are a bit different for RING champions; they are given 18 months. If at the end of that period they have fought no one and have nothing scheduled, the rules state that they should be stripped of their title.
Which brings us to super middleweight champion Andre Ward.
Ward’s last fight was against Edwin Rodriguez on Nov. 16, 2013 – 15 months ago. That means he’s still inside the 18-month grace period. However, there is also this line in the RING championship policy under the section “… here are the six situations in which a champion may lose his belt:”
The Champion does not schedule a fight with a Top-5 contender from any weight class for two years.
file_179121_3_Dawson-Ward300_EzraShawWard’s last Top-5 opponent was Chad Dawson on Sept. 8, 2012, nearly 2½ years ago. Under the rules he should’ve been stripped six months ago. But Ward’s situation has been unique: injury and legal issues have kept him dormant. To be clear, THE RING does not believe the latter issues were entirely beyond his control.
Not one of THE RING’s panel members wanted to see Ward go and every benefit of the doubt has been given to him. He is an exceptional talent, a superb boxer, and his accomplishments give him every right to be considered the champion of his weight class, not to mention a top pound-for-pound fighter. But, quite simply, rules are rules, and we can’t bend them anymore.
Something further to consider is that even if Ward schedules a fight today – according to veteran boxing writer Michael Woods the Californian’s adviser James Prince says there’s a chance that he could return on a Roc Nation-promoted card in April – it would most likely be another year before he got into the ring with another Top-10 guy, much less Top 5. By any measure this is just too long to keep the title locked up.
Ward’s team was notified of the situation and as of yet they have not replied. And so, the following actions will take place:
Ward will not be ranked in the top 10, having been inactive for more than a year. Upon his return to the ring, ratings panel members will discuss his re-ranking and where he should be placed based on his performance and the quality of his opposition.
Comment
-
That would be a good fight, I'm not sure how big of a fight it would be in terms of popularity.
I used to appreciate Ward, but what he has done these last two years, he doesn't get he needs to get something done.
Also, after his injury, I'm not quite sure he is the same Ward.Comment
-
I wonder how Ward is so dumb and think he can dictate terms with GGG and have him move up to his weight class when Ward has done nothing in 3 years.
Actually he is not that dumb, he just wants to get out to the public and make some of the dumb fans that cannot put 2 and 2 together preach him, also he knows no one cares about his boring azz, so he has to mention GGG all the time.
As you can see it worked for the usual subjects in this forum, we have a couple dumb fans here who cant add 2 and 2 together and might be intellectually on a level of rotten meat.
I wonder why people dont realize its totally obvious that you turn down an offer, that might make no sense whatseover and is totally unrealistic. Specially when the GGG vs Lemieux fight was already set and after that its the Canelo vs Cotto winner and in between probably Lee for all the belts at middleweight.Comment
-
But Roy hasn't accomplished anything major in over 15 years maybe, so it's a little different. The ring gave their explanation on Ward's placement at #2. Layoff or not, he's still one of the best fighters in the game easily. He cleaned out 168, afterwards took on a top 10 fighter at 168, had a layoff due to contractual disputes, took a soft touch as a comeback fight, and is now in talks to fight best LHW on the planet, after failing to get a fight with the best MW on the planet, and he himself is the best SMW on the planet. The guy deserves his placement. The guys under him are nowhere near accomplished as he is, and definitely not as technically sound.Comment
Comment