When Andre Ward won the Super Six tournament back in 2011, defeating Carl Froch in the final, it was widely predicted that he would be the successor to Floyd Mayweather as the Pound for Pound king of boxing. However this did not materialise for various reasons and now Ward is staring down the barrel of a make or break fight with Sergey Kovalev, which is supposedly should take place at some point in 2016. So where did it all go wrong for Andre 'S.O.G.' Ward and what are we to expect from him in 2016?
Andre Ward entered the Super Six tournament in 2009 as a relative nobody and a huge outsider. Although still unbeaten at this point at 20-0, he had fought no-one of significant note and he was about to get put up against the best fighters in the world. In his next five fights he went onto beat Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham and finally Carl Froch and in the process captured the WBA super, the WBC, the Ring and the Lineal Super Middleweight titles. Not bad for someone who did not stand a chance against the worlds best.
However since his victory against Chad Dawson, nine months after the Froch fight, Andre Ward began his long descent into relative obscurity. His recent career has been blighted by injury and failed law suit after failed law suit after he fell out with long term promoter Dan Goossen. In the last three years he has only fought one opponent and that was Paul Smith at a catch-weight of 172 pounds and therefore effectively meaningless.
There is no doubt that 2016 is a make or break year for the 31 year old as he looks to move up to light heavyweight and a fight with Segey Kovalev, as mentioned above, looms. The Andre Ward fans have been lessening and lessening since 2012. I still remain a huge Andre Ward fan, his ring IQ, style, frightening hand speed and timing make him near-on impossible to beat, plus he is one of the most underrated fighters on the inside, and he proved that against Carl Froch.
However it irritates me every time he gets in an argument on twitter or calls out Gennady Golovkin who Ward knows is going to remain at 160 pounds until he has unified the division. Actions like that do not help his cause, but one thing is for sure, I am convinced that Andre Ward remains a world class fighter. He has risen to every challenge that has been put in front of him, throughout his amateur and professional career and I think it will be no different in the Kovalev fight. By the end of 2016. Andre Ward will be a two weight world champion, that, I am convinced of.
Tom Eckett
@boxingguru44
https://twitter.com/boxingguru44
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