Could Andre Ward become one of the biggest waste of talent ever?

[powerpuncher]

i am a fan of ward. unlike most people, i enjoy watching him fight. he does so many things well. during the super 6 tournament, i honestly thought that ward was going to be the undisputed #1 p4p in a few years and stay at the top for years to come. he could have gone down as the best SMW in history IMO. he has so much talent.

obviously his career isnt officially done, but he has been inactive for so long that he is wasting his prime years. also, he always mentions how he doesnt want to fight for too much longer. if ward only fights a few more times and retires, i will say that he was the biggest waste of talent that i have ever seen. i have seen and heard of very talented boxers that ruined their careers because of this or that, but i have never heard of someone ruining their career that was so close to becoming the best boxer on the planet. its sad because i really wanted him to succeed but it has been so long that i have lost all hope that ward will live up to what i thought he would be.

[beenKOed]

No! He's already had a great career, but he could wind up wasting the rest of his career.
Hope not, I like the man even while disliking his fighting style.

[Master]

Ward has achieved a lot and can achieve even more. I think he will need to “bite the bullet” to resolve his management issues and just get back into the ring. I think fighters have caught up with him and some overtaken him in terms of money and profile.

[erics44]

its isnt really a waste

tyson was a waste, and exciting fighter who self destructed in his prime

pavlik was a waste, a knock out specialist whos career should have lasted a lot longer

theres probably a lot of other exciting fighters could be named in the same vein

not ward tho, he might come back and beat a few top quality fighters

i dont really care if he does or he doesnt tho, they will be shit fights

[J_Undisputed]

Talent no, Opportunity yes..

To me talent is something that's undeniably yours and sets you apart from everyone else. A combination of speed, agility, power, footwork. Its an uncanny knack for being able to so something no one believes they seen before and would gladly pay to see again. You can do it within the rules and do it just as well anywhere.
Ward doesn't fit into that category for me, yet. He uses a frustrating style that takes advantage of smothering the guys he fights. He gets a free pass for hitting on the break and butting people. He doesn't fight anywhere outside of Oakland.

[powerpuncher]

Well ward has already accomplished a lot but basically I'm saying that he could become an ATG but is wasting away his prime years. I honestly believe that if ward really put in the effort to get fights, he would definitively be the best SMW in history and a sure first ballot HOFer. Right now though I don't know if he will even get into the HOF.

I haven't seen such a great fighter not take advantage of their opportunities.

[OMGWTF]

no that would be scrap except he isn't talented

[bradlee180]

I don't give a $#!t because his fights are effin' boring, they're off-putting... and so is his personality. Promoter's nightmare to have a top talent with those qualities.