I was doing one of my periodic searches on YouTube for the Stan Ward - Jeff Merritt bout, which was on the Foreman-LeDoux card and apparently televised, when I saw a recent video saying that Ward had passed. I went to his BoxRec page, and sure enough, Ward passed away on April 26. For those unfamiliar, Stan Ward was a college graduate, high school teacher, and boxing coach from Sacramento. He was thrown into the deep end early. In his third bout he drew with undefeated 14-0 prospect Johnny Boudreaux. Fight #5 was another draw against former fringe contender Pat Duncan. Fights seven and eight were wins against former contenders Mac Foster and the aforementioned Jeff Merritt. Fight #11, in September 1977, was televised as part of Don King's prime-time network TV extravaganza, "A Night With the Heavyweights," against Ron Lyle (the card also featured Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, and Larry Holmes. Leroy Jones fought in a non-televised bout). It was a close bout in which some observers felt Ward won. Fight #12 was a win over Mike Weaver in January 1978 for the California title. Unfortunately, Ward's time as a prospect/contender ended there. He would go on to become a journeyman, winning more than he lost, but losing when he stepped up. He would lose to Weaver twice, Greg Page, and Gerrie Coetzee. By all accounts, Stan Ward was a good guy. It pains me to see that yet another fighter I'd watch on TV when I was a kid is no longer with us. RIP Coach.
So sorry to hear this. Stan wasn’t world-class but a step below it. As far as I know he always gave a good effort/account of himself and took on some of the big dogs. He was a staple on the Left Coast heavyweight scene for some time. RIP.
Really sorry to hear that, I remember when he was a California champion and a prospect to watch! Wow He was matched pretty heavy from the beginning! A while back I was happy to find some videos of him as a trainer talking about what it was like to spar with Foreman, Frazier etc.
