Andre Ward said in 2012 he'd fight anyone at 168 or 175

[Master]

Contractual and promotional issues have really halted his career of late and it is difficult for him to stay busy in the ring when he knows he is paying someone he does not want representing him.

[J_Undisputed]

Whenever a fighter says something like that, they rarely ever mean it. They are fishing. Hoping someone responds with a ton of money and an opportunity to fight for 2 belts in one night.
Every fighter grows up wanting to be the best. Undisputed champ of the world. The tough guy people would rather not face than chasing their dream of doing the same. Somewhere along the way things changed. Boxing became a job, a promotion, there is no guts, no warrior spirit anymore. Ask a fighter today, if he wants an opportunity to fight a guy with rep for being a killer, and the response is.. "if the moneys right because boxing is a business" They jabber on about being compensated for risking their health in a dangerous sport. 50 years ago if you asked a fighter the same question, the only question was "is he in my way? ... if so, then yes..."

I'm happy boxers are looking after their own interests now instead of dying poor, with a myriad of health problems... At the same time sport implies certain inherit risks and if you cant accept those as part of being in the ring, then its not the sport for you. Try golf.

Notice noone b*tches about being amply compensated for fighting fringe contenders and no hopers. As if to say, "well the risk is minimal and so i don't expect to get paid well".So what these fighters are they wanted to get paid to take risks or lose. What a crock of $h*t. Boxing is and has always been a sport. Risk was part of it, prizes are part of it. You took the risk to win the prize. We the fans blame the sanctioning bodies, the networks, the promoters... its time to blame the boxers who are under a delusion that boxing is a sport at the bottom and a business once you make it to the top. Those fighters are ruining the sport. They are setting examples for fighters on the way up. Which is why he have idiots like Broner, flushing money down the toilet before hes really fought and beat anybody. This is the future of our sport if we dont weed these "self promoting part time fighters" who want extra money to accomplish what "their dream" was growing up. At least Joe louis has the guts to call them the bum of month, rather than trying to put another wrapper over them and try to build them up as a credible opponent, before fighting them.

Constant Half@$$ing disguised at the "business of boxing" .. Sorry .. Needed to be said. rant over. Carry on..

[Maravilla2012]

Or he can do what Floyd does and come in under 175 like when Floyd goes to 154 he weighs in at 150. Ward is just full of excuses when he's career is over he will hardly be remembered.

Yeah but then he's a SMW fighting a full blown LHW. His point is that if he's going to go to 175, he needs to condition his body to move up there by putting on some bulk and getting there naturally, and if he's going to make the move up, he wants it to be the best thing for his career where he'll not only have the Kovalev fight but other options once he's there. That's not the reality. He'd be better off trying to hook a fight with Froch, more money to be made.

I like how because Pac and Floyd were able to jump weight classes with great success, now everybody is expected to just be able to jump up a weight class and whip one of the top guys there. Not so easy fighting guys with big size advantages on you.

He had no problem making Dawson go to he's weight and fight him tho right? Ward thinks he's special the reality is that he's not.

[ykdadamaja]

Ward should, at this stage, just fight- anyone and anything with a pulse. It cant hurt at this stage. That's what Roy Jones had to do, even though he was criticized for it, we still liked seeing him in the ring as opposed to seeing tweets and shit.

[Spicoli]

Fighters say a lot of things. The game evolves, contract disputes arise, other fighters make change. I mean Hell, Stevenson said he was going to fight Kovalev Ward if healthy needs to fookin fight! He's sitting on the sideline and his style does not grow old well especially with concerns to going up in weight. It sounds to me that while he is fully analyzing the long term he is also assuming a great deal in the first place. Fans for all of their stubborn tunnel vision and opinion don't really care about your next next move and weighted scale as to why or why not you take action, they care about what you do, or should. At the end of the day or career that's all its about.

[cyclone]

Fighters say a lot of things. The game evolves, contract disputes arise, other fighters make change. I mean Hell, Stevenson said he was going to fight Kovalev Ward if healthy needs to fookin fight! He's sitting on the sideline and his style does not grow old well especially with concerns to going up in weight. It sounds to me that while he is fully analyzing the long term he is also assuming a great deal in the first place. Fans for all of their stubborn tunnel vision and opinion don't really care about your next next move and weighted scale as to why or why not you take action, they care about what you do, or should. At the end of the day or career that's all its about.

You're right...people say lots of things...like when GG handlers said he's fight ANYBODY from 154 to 168.

Don't tell me you forgot that already..

[cyclone]

Or he can do what Floyd does and come in under 175 like when Floyd goes to 154 he weighs in at 150. Ward is just full of excuses when he's career is over he will hardly be remembered.

Yeah but then he's a SMW fighting a full blown LHW. His point is that if he's going to go to 175, he needs to condition his body to move up there by putting on some bulk and getting there naturally, and if he's going to make the move up, he wants it to be the best thing for his career where he'll not only have the Kovalev fight but other options once he's there. That's not the reality. He'd be better off trying to hook a fight with Froch, more money to be made.

I like how because Pac and Floyd were able to jump weight classes with great success, now everybody is expected to just be able to jump up a weight class and whip one of the top guys there. Not so easy fighting guys with big size advantages on you.

He had no problem making Dawson go to he's weight and fight him tho right? Ward thinks he's special the reality is that he's not.

Dawson offerd to fight Ward at 168...Andre didn't make him do anything.

At least get your facts straight....mexican.

[erics44]

Listen I heard Ward's explanation for why he doesn't want to go up to 175 and it made perfect sense.

Basically, because of opposing networks and promotions, his only option at 175 is Kovalev, and his logic is that if he goes up and beats Kovalev, which probably wouldn't be a PPV fight, people would then say "well Kovalev is a one dimensional puncher" and he'd be stuck at 175 with no options.

You also have to consider how physically taxing it is jump up and down weight classes, which would involve changing his training regime to strap on muscle, then he's stuck at 175 or has to shed that muscle to get back down to 168, which is extremely taxing on the body (look at what happened to Roy Jones).

This is why forum posters get a bad rep. Nobody bothers to think about things logically from each side or do their research, they just start pounding their chest like monkeys and accusing people of being scared or ducking this guy and that. Give it up.

im not with him on that way of thinking


he has little option other than a big fight against a man who is considered the best (or in the top 2) in the division he said hed be happy to fight in


pretty good option if you ask me


its sounds like a crap excuse to say people would just say kovalev was rubbish anyway after the fight


everyone is saying dawson was weight drained, can he not fight him again at dawsons weight?


or froch in England rather than demanding froch go to America again, hed undoubtably make more money in england


he seems to want all the advantages every time and he seems to be unwilling to give anything

[Silkeyjoe]

Listen I heard Ward's explanation for why he doesn't want to go up to 175 and it made perfect sense.

Basically, because of opposing networks and promotions, his only option at 175 is Kovalev, and his logic is that if he goes up and beats Kovalev, which probably wouldn't be a PPV fight, people would then say "well Kovalev is a one dimensional puncher" and he'd be stuck at 175 with no options.

You also have to consider how physically taxing it is jump up and down weight classes, which would involve changing his training regime to strap on muscle, then he's stuck at 175 or has to shed that muscle to get back down to 168, which is extremely taxing on the body (look at what happened to Roy Jones).

This is why forum posters get a bad rep. Nobody bothers to think about things logically from each side or do their research, they just start pounding their chest like monkeys and accusing people of being scared or ducking this guy and that. Give it up.

im not with him on that way of thinking


he has little option other than a big fight against a man who is considered the best (or in the top 2) in the division he said hed be happy to fight in


pretty good option if you ask me


its sounds like a crap excuse to say people would just say kovalev was rubbish anyway after the fight


everyone is saying dawson was weight drained, can he not fight him again at dawsons weight?


or froch in England rather than demanding froch go to America again, hed undoubtably make more money in england


he seems to want all the advantages every time and he seems to be unwilling to give anything

Thats what annoys me about Ward. He always has to have the advantage. No doubt he is an excellent boxer but hes never had any real adversity for someone ranked so highly in P4P rankings.

[erics44]

Listen I heard Ward's explanation for why he doesn't want to go up to 175 and it made perfect sense.

Basically, because of opposing networks and promotions, his only option at 175 is Kovalev, and his logic is that if he goes up and beats Kovalev, which probably wouldn't be a PPV fight, people would then say "well Kovalev is a one dimensional puncher" and he'd be stuck at 175 with no options.

You also have to consider how physically taxing it is jump up and down weight classes, which would involve changing his training regime to strap on muscle, then he's stuck at 175 or has to shed that muscle to get back down to 168, which is extremely taxing on the body (look at what happened to Roy Jones).

This is why forum posters get a bad rep. Nobody bothers to think about things logically from each side or do their research, they just start pounding their chest like monkeys and accusing people of being scared or ducking this guy and that. Give it up.

im not with him on that way of thinking


he has little option other than a big fight against a man who is considered the best (or in the top 2) in the division he said hed be happy to fight in


pretty good option if you ask me


its sounds like a crap excuse to say people would just say kovalev was rubbish anyway after the fight


everyone is saying dawson was weight drained, can he not fight him again at dawsons weight?


or froch in England rather than demanding froch go to America again, hed undoubtably make more money in england


he seems to want all the advantages every time and he seems to be unwilling to give anything

Thats what annoys me about Ward. He always has to have the advantage. No doubt he is an excellent boxer but hes never had any real adversity for someone ranked so highly in P4P rankings.

if he was willing to give a little it seems like he would have a whole pile of options

[IamInuit]

Contractual and promotional issues have really halted his career of late and it is difficult for him to stay busy in the ring when he knows he is paying someone he does not want representing him.

You know that's factually true but imo he has picked the wrong hill to die on and Goossen has already won part 1. The long and short of it is that he is attempting to use the same kind of arguments that both Oscar and Floyd used in order to buy out their contracts from Arum which was based around the contracts length of time being unreasonable. Trouble is, that was a lifetime ago and scum bag parasitic lawyers have no doubt had that loop hole closed.

He's also got another problem. Evidence. He has gotten everything he's asked for from Goossen including home ice in every fight including the S6 tourney save Froch along with Cali judges and Cali refs. And he's a talent that does not need a stacked deck. Goossen has gotten everything he wants.

Besides at this point what difference does it make? He's composting and wasting away his best earning years on a matter of principle. Only an idiot goes to court as a matter of principle and the principle here is self defeating anyway given his chosen line of work.

The problem for Andre Ward is Andre Ward. There is nobody left at 168 so he sits and waits. He wont go to 175 even though he talked about it as far back as the S6 but of course he beats them all by proxy and instead sits hoping the Kazak moves up even though half the planet calls him a hype job.
He's like a spoiled 12 year old sitting in his front yard staring at his lil red wagon while there is a game going on at the end of the street. The atmosphere is not right for him so he changes the subject to contract issues. Meanwhile his career passes him by. He's a future shoulda/coulda story.

[cyclone]

Listen I heard Ward's explanation for why he doesn't want to go up to 175 and it made perfect sense.

Basically, because of opposing networks and promotions, his only option at 175 is Kovalev, and his logic is that if he goes up and beats Kovalev, which probably wouldn't be a PPV fight, people would then say "well Kovalev is a one dimensional puncher" and he'd be stuck at 175 with no options.

You also have to consider how physically taxing it is jump up and down weight classes, which would involve changing his training regime to strap on muscle, then he's stuck at 175 or has to shed that muscle to get back down to 168, which is extremely taxing on the body (look at what happened to Roy Jones).

This is why forum posters get a bad rep. Nobody bothers to think about things logically from each side or do their research, they just start pounding their chest like monkeys and accusing people of being scared or ducking this guy and that. Give it up.

im not with him on that way of thinking


he has little option other than a big fight against a man who is considered the best (or in the top 2) in the division he said hed be happy to fight in


pretty good option if you ask me


its sounds like a crap excuse to say people would just say kovalev was rubbish anyway after the fight


everyone is saying dawson was weight drained, can he not fight him again at dawsons weight?


or froch in England rather than demanding froch go to America again, hed undoubtably make more money in england


he seems to want all the advantages every time and he seems to be unwilling to give anything

Thats what annoys me about Ward. He always has to have the advantage. No doubt he is an excellent boxer but hes never had any real adversity for someone ranked so highly in P4P rankings.

That goes double for GG and Kovalev.

At least Ward has done something.

[cyclone]

Contractual and promotional issues have really halted his career of late and it is difficult for him to stay busy in the ring when he knows he is paying someone he does not want representing him.

You know that's factually true but imo he has picked the wrong hill to die on and Goossen has already won part 1. The long and short of it is that he is attempting to use the same kind of arguments that both Oscar and Floyd used in order to buy out their contracts from Arum which was based around the contracts length of time being unreasonable. Trouble is, that was a lifetime ago and scum bag parasitic lawyers have no doubt had that loop hole closed.

He's also got another problem. Evidence. He has gotten everything he's asked for from Goossen including home ice in every fight including the S6 tourney save Froch along with Cali judges and Cali refs. And he's a talent that does not need a stacked deck. Goossen has gotten everything he wants.

Besides at this point what difference does it make? He's composting and wasting away his best earning years on a matter of principle. Only an idiot goes to court as a matter of principle and the principle here is self defeating anyway given his chosen line of work.

The problem for Andre Ward is Andre Ward. There is nobody left at 168 so he sits and waits. He wont go to 175 even though he talked about it as far back as the S6 but of course he beats them all by proxy and instead sits hoping the Kazak moves up even though half the planet calls him a hype job.
He's like a spoiled 12 year old sitting in his front yard staring at his lil red wagon while there is a game going on at the end of the street. The atmosphere is not right for him so he changes the subject to contract issues. Meanwhile his career passes him by. He's a future shoulda/coulda story.

Shoulda/coulda...sounds more like Joe Calzahge than Andre Ward.

He's sitting at the TOP waiting...don't forget that hater.

[IamInuit]

Contractual and promotional issues have really halted his career of late and it is difficult for him to stay busy in the ring when he knows he is paying someone he does not want representing him.

You know that's factually true but imo he has picked the wrong hill to die on and Goossen has already won part 1. The long and short of it is that he is attempting to use the same kind of arguments that both Oscar and Floyd used in order to buy out their contracts from Arum which was based around the contracts length of time being unreasonable. Trouble is, that was a lifetime ago and scum bag parasitic lawyers have no doubt had that loop hole closed.

He's also got another problem. Evidence. He has gotten everything he's asked for from Goossen including home ice in every fight including the S6 tourney save Froch along with Cali judges and Cali refs. And he's a talent that does not need a stacked deck. Goossen has gotten everything he wants.

Besides at this point what difference does it make? He's composting and wasting away his best earning years on a matter of principle. Only an idiot goes to court as a matter of principle and the principle here is self defeating anyway given his chosen line of work.

The problem for Andre Ward is Andre Ward. There is nobody left at 168 so he sits and waits. He wont go to 175 even though he talked about it as far back as the S6 but of course he beats them all by proxy and instead sits hoping the Kazak moves up even though half the planet calls him a hype job.
He's like a spoiled 12 year old sitting in his front yard staring at his lil red wagon while there is a game going on at the end of the street. The atmosphere is not right for him so he changes the subject to contract issues. Meanwhile his career passes him by. He's a future shoulda/coulda story.

Shoulda/coulda...sounds more like Joe Calzahge than Andre Ward.

He's sitting at the TOP waiting...don't forget that hater.

You dont even know what objective means and life is just to short.

[cyclone]

Contractual and promotional issues have really halted his career of late and it is difficult for him to stay busy in the ring when he knows he is paying someone he does not want representing him.

You know that's factually true but imo he has picked the wrong hill to die on and Goossen has already won part 1. The long and short of it is that he is attempting to use the same kind of arguments that both Oscar and Floyd used in order to buy out their contracts from Arum which was based around the contracts length of time being unreasonable. Trouble is, that was a lifetime ago and scum bag parasitic lawyers have no doubt had that loop hole closed.

He's also got another problem. Evidence. He has gotten everything he's asked for from Goossen including home ice in every fight including the S6 tourney save Froch along with Cali judges and Cali refs. And he's a talent that does not need a stacked deck. Goossen has gotten everything he wants.

Besides at this point what difference does it make? He's composting and wasting away his best earning years on a matter of principle. Only an idiot goes to court as a matter of principle and the principle here is self defeating anyway given his chosen line of work.

The problem for Andre Ward is Andre Ward. There is nobody left at 168 so he sits and waits. He wont go to 175 even though he talked about it as far back as the S6 but of course he beats them all by proxy and instead sits hoping the Kazak moves up even though half the planet calls him a hype job.
He's like a spoiled 12 year old sitting in his front yard staring at his lil red wagon while there is a game going on at the end of the street. The atmosphere is not right for him so he changes the subject to contract issues. Meanwhile his career passes him by. He's a future shoulda/coulda story.

Shoulda/coulda...sounds more like Joe Calzahge than Andre Ward.

He's sitting at the TOP waiting...don't forget that hater.

You dont even know what objective means and life is just to short.

Too short to be worrying about Andre Ward's career.

Save you tears for less fortunate fighters...Andre is on the mountaintop.
If he moved to 175 he'll be on top there before long.

Who's gonna' stop him?