Andre Ward speaks on his lack of fights!

[Beanflicker]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

[ross]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

Its the cheating that makes his fights boring. He mauls, holds, elbows and headbuts to slow the action.

Tiger woods doesnt pick the ball up and place it in the hole with his hand. He doesnt need to cheat. Its Wards cheating that is the main problem.

[Silkeyjoe]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

Its the cheating that makes his fights boring. He mauls, holds, elbows and headbuts to slow the action.

Tiger woods doesnt pick the ball up and place it in the hole with his hand. He doesnt need to cheat. Its Wards cheating that is the main problem.

Its up to the refs to enforce the laws. Athletes will cheat if they think they will get away with it. Its the same in all sports.

[ross]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

Its the cheating that makes his fights boring. He mauls, holds, elbows and headbuts to slow the action.

Tiger woods doesnt pick the ball up and place it in the hole with his hand. He doesnt need to cheat. Its Wards cheating that is the main problem.

Its up to the refs to enforce the laws. Athletes will cheat if they think they will get away with it. Its the same in all sports.

Yes and while he continues to cheat he will be in the shadows because he keeps turning the fans off.

[erics44]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

again tho tiger woods and the basket ball teams didn't need to promote themselves to get a game


in boxing you have to


and as hard as it is to admit boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport in some cases, sven ottke, wlad klit for example

[erics44]

mind you watching the first game of the world cup last night, that was a massive fix

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Yeah I think beanflicker is missing the point on boxing being a show.

Titles and such are secondary now as they always have been.

[IamInuit]

Yeah I think beanflicker is missing the point on boxing being a show.

Titles and such are secondary now as they always have been.

I take issue with that my friend. You cant compare a 15 belt per division world to a one belt world or even a 2 belt world. You are right though that the belts are secondary to the "show" today but the title meant much more in eras past.

That is also the problem. Its been watered down to the point of root rot, with little exposure opportunities and broadcasters more worried about the quantity of knockouts then the quality of the fighters. Its like a slow and steady crawl back to its grappling days.

[J_Undisputed]

I'm not a Brit and I cant stand watching Ward. I'd feel the same if i lived in Oakland. Hell i'd feel the same if i was living in his basement. I've been a boxing fan for decades. It's not his wooden persona or his reluctance to be as d0uchey as mayweather. There are plenty of guys like that all across fight sports...no personality, no interesting quotes, no smacktalk. Hell some of them can't even speak the English language, so they really aren't given the opportunity. However when they get in the ring noone cares, because they make their statements there.
The issue with Ward, is that once upon a time he tried to be the next roy jones jr. He didn't have the reflexes or the athleticism for it and got dropped a couple of times. I applaud him on adjusting his style to fix those kind of errors, however rather than sure up his defense or sharpen his punches or speed up his footwork, he decided he just didnt want to risk any of it and adapted a spoilers style. I didnt have as many objections when he fought Dawson and ko'd him. It was a more open style and he threw counters and punched in combos. So why not fight everyone like that? Because Dawson was ripe, possibly drained and carried his hands low and couldn't take the punches.Everyone else represents too much risk. Now if we consider him a master technician for exploiting the rules and the refs presence with the punch grab smother and hit on the break, doesn't that also make John Ruiz a master Tactician for doing the same?

[ross]

I'm not a Brit and I cant stand watching Ward. I'd feel the same if i lived in Oakland. Hell i'd feel the same if i was living in his basement. I've been a boxing fan for decades. It's not his wooden persona or his reluctance to be as d0uchey as mayweather. There are plenty of guys like that all across fight sports...no personality, no interesting quotes, no smacktalk. Hell some of them can't even speak the English language, so they really aren't given the opportunity. However when they get in the ring noone cares, because they make their statements there.
The issue with Ward, is that once upon a time he tried to be the next roy jones jr. He didn't have the reflexes or the athleticism for it and got dropped a couple of times. I applaud him on adjusting his style to fix those kind of errors, however rather than sure up his defense or sharpen his punches or speed up his footwork, he decided he just didnt want to risk any of it and adapted a spoilers style. I didnt have as many objections when he fought Dawson and ko'd him. It was a more open style and he threw counters and punched in combos. So why not fight everyone like that? Because Dawson was ripe, possibly drained and carried his hands low and couldn't take the punches.Everyone else represents too much risk. Now if we consider him a master technician for exploiting the rules and the refs presence with the punch grab smother and hit on the break, doesn't that also make John Ruiz a master Tactician for doing the same?

Well said!

Its just the same as watching Ruiz.

[ruthless rocco]

I really think ward has very little to offer, the only thing being that he is very good at what he does

...which is boxing and winning fights.

I've never seen Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, or any other top athlete have to play a character and act a fool to get signed to the big leagues. People flocked to see those guys because they had talent that was off the charts, and teams signed them because they helped them win.

Nobody shit on Tiger Woods when he was destroying the competition in tournaments where it wasn't even close. Nobody told him "hey why don't you try to putt with your 9 iron to make it more interesting." I've never heard anyone ever tell Peyton Manning that, when winning in the last minute of the game, he should go for a hail mary pass to run up the board instead of taking a knee and running down the clock, because it would be more entertaining.

In all these sports, there's no expectation for an athlete other than to win the game. People flock to see the sport played on the highest level. Andre Ward is boxing on the highest level. He's the best guy in the sport now not named Mayweather. He's whipped almost all the best fighters at his weight class, and his weight class is beaming with talent right now.

So to suggest that he doesn't have a "good product" or that he should be out there playing a character is just sad. It shows that boxing is more pro wrestling than it is a sport.

Jordan, Gretzky, Manning, Woods didn't have to break the rules to achieve their dominance in their respective sports. Woods didn't stand have an air can to blast when other golfers were teeing off. Jordan didn't trip opponents to steal the ball. Manning didn't need to rely on the hometown refs looking the other way at the facemask or jersey grabbing to have a successful offense. These guys were all great because they had the natural talents to be exceptional AND played within the rules.

Ward doesn't have that. Ward is more like the Sean Avery or the Ron Hextall of boxing. Boxing at the highest level means you follow the rules and succeed based what you do within the rules not what dirty tactics you can get away with because the refs turn a blind eye to the local fighter.

[Master]

Ward will not change his style therefore he has to take risks and take on dangerous fighters to get his appeal up again. That means moving up light heavy and go abroad. He should stop feeling sorry for himself and do something positive by being active.

[ross]

Ward will not change his style therefore he has to take risks and take on dangerous fighters to get his appeal up again. That means moving up light heavy and go abroad. He should stop feeling sorry for himself and do something positive by being active.

He needs to push for names in his own division. Try and unify the titles. It will mean going over old ground and probably taking a lesser share of a purse but needs must.

I remember years ago that Jones jr had been a champ for years and his first fight that was televised in the UK was agains Bryant Brannon in 96 on Eurosport. Jones wasnt a big draw back then either. Or at least there wasnt much nterest in the UK otherwise he would have been picked up earlier.

Maybe Ward has time. Maybe not. Hes 30 now and has beaen most of his potential opponents already.

He has ruined a lot of potentially good fights that hes been in with his shit tactics so I have absolutely no pitty for him.

[ross]

In fact an interesting fight for Ward would be Pascal.

Id love to see Bika again. Bika is the only man in the division to make it uncomfortable for Ward.

[powerpuncher]

Do people even watch ward fight? He KO'd Dawson and then had a really good fight with Rodriguez. Neither were bad fights at all. Again, I understand that casual fans may not want to watch his fights because they think that they are "boring" but as a boxing fan you should be happy to watch a great fighter fight.

And the whole cheating claim is ridiculous. There are fighters all throughout history that have done the same thing. Even now there are fighters that do the same things. Ward is in no sense out of control elbowing or headbuttng people. I don't recall any of his opponents stating after the fight that his tactics were the reason they lost.