Comments Thread For: Andre Ward: I Don't Have To Fight Anymore, I Accomplished Everything

[Rip Chudd]

I know he says stuff like this more for posturing and negotiations, but it's really disheartening to the fans and one of the things he does that I don't care for. I don't believe for a second that he would retire now or has any plans to, and saying it the way he does isn't coming across the way he might think it does. Just stop it.

Exactly. It makes it sound like he is waiting for fans to beg him to stay or something. On one hand he says the retirement crap but then at the end saying it would be personal to rematch Kov to remove all doubts. Well if it would be personal then why not do the darn rematch? I'll say this as well: If he thinks his career is cemented with the Kovalev win then he is fooling himself. The people that vote for the HOF that are in the media that don't care too much for Andre and don't agree with the decision will not let him in. It just won't happen

[Bronx2245]

Not so fast Andre. You accomplished everything at SMW no doubt. But lets be clear here. You are a light heavyweight. There is still much to be accomplished here. You won the Kovalev fight but ****s are still crying robbery. It was a close win but you did win it. Still, even with beating Kovalev much more decisively in the rematch you won't be the undisputed champ. You can be with the Stevenson fight. That is your legacy fight. I'm not ready to write that fight off as not being able to be made because of the political red tape. I think a good earnest try to negotiate the fight should be made. It unifies the division and shows you could do something Kovalev couldn't do for years. Once you do that I'm ok with you saying you've accomplished everything. I don't really care about you jumping up to heavyweight for a title fight against a weak belt holder. Your legacy doesn't need that. But you can really separate yourself from the guys in this era by being undisputed LHW champion. You were the clear best SMW but also never collected all the paper belts to be considered undisputed. That division isn't a true division to the boxing historian but LHW is. You need to do this.

I agree! He should beat Stevenson before he retires, and that would cement his legacy! Unfortunately for Andre, he has to fight Kovalev before he could get to Stevenson! If he could beat Kovalev again, and then beat Stevenson, then he's an ATG! Roc Nation: PAY THE MAN!

[KillaCamNZ]

Geez, you'd think Ward was ****ing some of your girlfriends/boyfriends..

Both Kov and Ward are disappointing me lately.

[Travycat]

Really sucks that he's saying all of this crap after that fight. He knows he needs the rematch if he wants to prove that he won the first one. Great fighter. Just a bit delusional on the legacy as far.

[Boxing Logic]

Ward already a HOF fighter

[IMG]http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Joe-*****-Laughing-Shaking-his-Head.gif[/IMG]

[Johnny_Roa]

who cares? first fight was boring and he'll beat Kovalev again in another boring fight.

[deanrw]

I am at the point where I don't care anymore. He can fight, or retire and it does not matter. These fights like he had against Kov, GGG vs Jacobs or Canelo, PAC vs Floyd, that take what is literally years to make happen, make me lose interest.

They all come across as a bunch of spoiled b****.

[Boxing Logic]

Geez, you'd think Ward was ****ing some of your girlfriends/boyfriends..

Both Kov and Ward are disappointing me lately.

Nah he's just ruining a good division and contributing to the decline of boxing and the lack of interesting fights for fans to see. You are clearly disappointed too, as you said, but because you're a Ward fan you try to pass it off like Kovalev is equally to blame. I mean, Kovalev keeps tweeting and pushing to give you the fight you want to see, right? That's all he can do. He called out Andre Ward the first time. His promoter pushed to get Ward locked into a contract a year ahead of time because they were worried he would bail and pull a Stevenson later on if they didn't. He's the one who came forward all night and tried to make the fight while Ward retreated and held. He's the one who gave fans the most interesting moments of the fight when he dropped Ward in the 2nd and hurt him in the championship rounds.

What else is Kovalev supposed to do? Don't project the letdown of Andre Ward's career and lack of sporting attitude, and your understandable disappointment resulting from that, onto Kovalev.

Now as for Kovalev and Ward's abilities, Ward looked the same as he always did, and has carried his speed well to 175. Kovalev I agree looks like he might be getting old, which makes gutting out the victory over Ward even more impressive, and makes Ward's reluctance to rematch Kovalev even more lame. The guy got relatively tired after 4 rounds but you still couldn't take over the fight, you still clearly lost at least one of the championship rounds possibly 2 or 3, and you're still scared to rematch him? THAT is disappointing, and makes Ward look like a fake champ who just cares about money, not legacy.

Does that disappoint me as a boxing fan? Of course. But that's why I like Kovalev, not Ward. From the beginning, Kovalev has been offering fights to all the most difficult opponents, like Stevenson, Beterbiev, and Ward. He still is. Ward, from the beginning, has delayed, requested innumerable tuneups, hedged, and talked about retirement. I mean, didn't he just come back from a four year mini-retirement? But now he's already back to that bull****?

And didn't he talk about fighting at heavyweight, but now he's going to say he's done with the sport after one fight at light heavyweight? It's just ridiculous... how could any fan support behavior like this from someone who is supposed to be a hero and inspiration to fans, the living embodiment of a warrior at least in spirit and heart if not in fighting style? But instead he constantly seems reluctant to fight the best, and more willing to talk a big game and try to brainwash people by simply saying how he's accomplished everything rather than actually going out, at 31 years old the prime of his career, and proving it with a string of truly elite opponents? Instead of a 4 year retirement, one fight where he got a hometown decision, and then more retirement talk? That's ****ing ridiculous. What kind of fan appreciates getting no relevant matches from the fighter they like for four years, then one relevant but controversial fight with a biased ref and judges, then more talk of retirement?

Hell, of course you're disappointed in him. That's why you should have been a Kovalev fan this whole time! He will actually push to give you the fights you want, and then he will actually box and fight, and let the match be decided on skills, not fouls. The best man will actually win when he fights, fair and square. You will actually get to see the sweet science, the SPORT you like in action, rather than selectively-allowed MMA in the ring by biased refs. Kovalev is the fighter who deserves your support, not Ward.

[DeLorean]

resume: Miranda, Bika, Abraham, Kessler, Froch, Barrera, Dawson and the boogeyman Kovalev.

that's a first ballot HOF right there.

not rematching Kovalev won't hurt his legacy one bit, that's nonsense. Joe Calzaghe exited the sport with a debatable decision against Hopkins, Sugar Ray Leonard still gets credit for beating Hagler no matter how much crying takes place.

record books will always show a win over Kovalev. was it close? yes..just because a fight is close does that mean it's an automatic robbery? of course not.

do I want to see the rematch? yes. but am I gonna discredit Ward's entire career if it doesn't take place? hell no.

personally I had him winning 7 rounds to 5. so I didn't see any robbery. .Ward has every right to retire or do whatever the hell he pleases.

[.!WAR MIKEY!.]

If you waiting for someone to beg you not to retire dont hold your breath.