Never really a fan of ward, boring, long inactivity, his style, dirty tactics, the SOG tag all got on my nerves.. Never understood why folk bleat about him being p4p either, but hey... There we go. Ta-raaa....
My guess is that he'll take about a year/18 months out, before coming back against a low level guy as a tune up.
In all seriousness, now there's maybe a real probability that Sergey Kovalev can link up with Virgil Hunter.
Really wanted to see him B slap Super Pimp and headbutt him to death. SOG is only like 32 or 33 so he can retire with his mind still sharp and I enjoy him calling fights Best wishes champ and stay above the belt line...LOL
Better you retire than the sport retires you. With the punchers coming up at 175, continuing on with the mileage accumulated from a lifetime of boxing would've been playing with fire. I've played devil's advocate on Ward before, but the man came to fight and gave 100% every time he went in the ring- his will to win was pure iron. Andre's earned enough to take care of his family and is a sure-fire HOF'er regardless of how one views the Kovalev fights. All in all, that's a heck of a run. He's also STILL the last male U.S. Olympic gold medalist. Much respect for that. Enjoy retirement, champ!
It's all a ploy to be offered mega bucks for a comeback. Shrewd business sense. As for him and his career. Meh. Granted he did very well, but he was boring as sin. Will not be remembered.
Never fulfilled his potential. Won't go down as a true great in my eyes. Too many lay offs and controversies in his fights with Kovalev. Lost the first fight and the low blows for the second fight.
the guy was a great fighter, not everyone's favorite but I can't name too many guys with a better list of scalps in recent memory
Ward says he turned down a big money offer for his last fight. Wonder who? Bellew and Stevenson are the only big fights I can think of.
Damn , thats disappointing. Big fan of Ward , loved watching him box , especially at 168. He wasn't the same at 175 and i feel having young killers coming up might have factored into his decision to retire. A true great of the sport and h2h the best at 168 imo. He was sensational at that weight - as complete of a boxer as you can get. I hope he makes a comeback some day.
I'm glad Ward is retiring for the simple fact that I'll never have to hear Max Kellerman talk about him ever again. thank god, it was so tiring to hear.
He will obviously be back. When the money is right and theres a superfight somewhere he will be back no doubt.