Andre Ward: "Other fighters are using my lawsuit as an excuse not to fight me"

EXCEPT:

Ward, coming off an injury and an extended layoff,

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and more money than HBO was willing to pay for.

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. Then in August, super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez informed his hometown newspaper that he’d turned down a Sept. 28

 

[url]http://www.boxingnews24.com/2013/06/andre-ward-to-begin-sparring-on-saturday/[/url]

Ward did not begin sparring until the end of June. From the horses's ****ing mouth again. So he was not fully healed in May.

This Saturday, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s) will begin sparring for the first time since injuring his shoulder last December. Ward, 29, had surgery on his right shoulder on January 4th of this year to repair a small tear. The surgery was a success and he’s been rehabbing slowly ever since.
Ward said on his [url]twitter[/url] “Last piece of the puzzle goes down tomorrow morning. First sparring session since the injury.”

 

Sparring at the end of June.

Perfect for a fall fight.

Do you admit now that he was cleared to fight and looking for opponents long before September as you said before?

 

So utlimately you made up the claim that Ward was healed and seeking a fight when he called out Froch/Kessler II and in full training in May.

You also are ignoring this:


Ward, coming off an injury and an extended layoff,

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and more money than HBO was willing to pay for.

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. Then in August, super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez informed his hometown newspaper that he’d turned down a Sept. 28

 

Eh? September was the target in ring return date. Which is what I was refering to.

And digging deeper, we see he was not training until late June, was seeking weak opposition in July, and did not make an offer until August.

 

"Reportedly"...reported by whom?

I said he was healthy and looking for a fight in May. I stand by that.
He may not have been fighting ready, but he was over his injury,and just finishing up his rehab.
He wasnt going to be fighting until the fall, so theres nothing stopping him looking for a fight in May.

He ended up fighting a guy ranked in the top 10 SMW's at the time and who was on a hot streak. An easy fight for Ward sure...then again Froch is an easy fight for Ward as well.

 

Wouldnt September have been perfect for a Froch fight?

Froch fought last in May. 4 months break sounds perfect.

Everything you said, points to Froch-Ward being easy to make for the fall.

Outside of reportedly looking for an easy opponent.

 

you're the 1 incapable of debate, and incapable of grasping some really simple concepts in the face of overwhelming logic.

ward is making a noise now because of jealousy and a need (partially due to injury and partially due to contractual issues largely of his own making) to keep his name relevant. it shouldn't be the case, but it is.

ward wanted a soft touch for his comeback (and so far only) fight, evidenced by his initial 2 choices and eventual opponent.

there has been no chance as yet for a rematch that following their 1st encounter was dismissed by ward fans on here (only froch fans wanna see a rematch in england etc). at 1 point ward himself said he wasn't gonna come over and get robbed, until he saw froch was a draw.

froch is concerned with his own career, not (unlike yourself) ward's. this is utterly reasonable.

now go ahead and type the exact same **** yet again, imagining you're somehow proving your point, but in reality only proving your place on the scale.

 

It didn't even turn out to be perfect for an easy opponent because Ward didn't make an offer until August. That is only one month notice. Ward apparently wasn't in a hurry either and agreed to the Rodrigues' November recommendation.

Then in August, super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez informed his hometown newspaper that he’d turned down a Sept. 28 fight against Ward, a bout that Rodriguez preferred for November in order to have more time before “the biggest fight of my career,” he told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette

Face it, the call out was a bunch of hot air that Ward couldn't possibly have honored. Ward did not return to training until the summer, he wanted a soft opponent and was willing to wait until November to get him.

 

As the interview I posted showed, he wanted to be in the ring earlier but Rodriguez made negotiations difficult.

He was sparring in June, he would have been able to fight any time in the fall.

And we'll never know if Ward was full of hot air, because Hearn certainly wasnt going to try to call his bluff by getting on the phone and trying to make the fight.

Wouldnt it have looked good,if after Ward saying all that stuff on British TV, Hearn could come out in public and say "We tried to make the fight, but Ward didnt want any!"

 

-As reported, he offered the man a September title fight in August. That is going to make things difficult.

-But he didn't. He wanted an easy opponent was willing to wait a very long time for one to be ready.

-Because Froch isn't talking to give ESB posters hard ons. Him and Hearns knew Ward was still recovering, he didn't want to wait on Ward, smart move.

From June 1st.

“Let’s keep [Ward] on ice at the minute because I’ve got other options. He is still in his rehab with his shoulder so I can probably get a fight in before Christmas and then in the spring or summer next year we can have a massive showdown with Ward.”

[url]http://www.boxingnews24.com/2013/06/froch-ive-got-other-options-than-ward-for-my-next-fight/[/url]

-Groves than became Froch's mandatory in July 1st and that is what we have.

 

So what we have:

Dec 2012: An injured Ward whines about Kessler/Ward II even though he is about to have major surgery.

May 2013: A still injured Ward trash talks Froch.

June 2013:

Froch awknowledges that Ward is still in rehab and he has time, proposes a summer 2014 clash.

Ward has just started sparring again with no fight plans.

July 2013:

Ward seeks out soft touch opponents for short notice September fight.

Groves named Froch's mandatory by IBF.

August 2013: Rodrigues turns down an offer for a September clash with Ward, wants November. Ward gives him November.

Nov. 2013

Ward beats Rodrigues

Froch beats Groves

Winter of 2014:

Ward claims Goosen has killed several offers, including a proposed rematch with Kessler.

Froch/Groves II is announced

May 2014

Froch/Groves have a super arena rematch

Ward whines, no opponents announced.

 

Well you've stated yourself that Ward was back sparring by June.

What difference does it make if he was still finishing up rehab in May, he wasnt looking to fioght Froch the week after the Kessler fight! The fight would have been in the fall when Ward would have been perfectly able to fight.

You dont think he would have fought Froch in the Fall for big money in England? He was fit and able to fight in the fall.

The mandatory is largely irrelevant. When it comes to big fights, there's always a way around a mandatory.

I wouldnt call Rodriguez a "soft touch" either. Outside of Froch, he was one of the top ranked fighters at 168. Kessler was coming off a loss, Bute had the Pascal fight for what seemed like forever. Rodriguez was actually one of the toughest guys he could pick at 168.

Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree here...

 

-By June, that would imply before June which is incorrect. It was reported he returned to sparring June 22. And was considering easy come back opponents in July.

-No, because he wanted an easy opponent first and was willing to wait unitl November for the only one HBO oked.

-The rest of your post is a fantasy that contradicts every piece of information presented. The fact is Ward was full of hot air, he wanted an easy come back opponent first and was willing to wait until November to get one. If Froch were to wait on Ward, he would still be waiting, instead he took on his mandatory and has a super fight this weekend that Ward could only dream about.

There's nothing more to discuss on the matter.

Goosen killed Ward/Kessler II per Andre Ward himself. And Ward/Froch II has not been on the table due to Ward's injury and slow comeback.

 

You keep saying he wanted an easy opponent, but yet there he was, on SKY telling Eddie Hearn to call him if he wanted the fight.

The fight that Ward took was arguably the hardest fight he could pick at SMW against someone not named Froch or someone coming off a loss.

If Ward actually wanted a soft touch to knock the cobwebs off, he wouldnt pick Rodriguez, an undefeated top ranked fighter on a hot streak.

Why couldnt Froch have fought Ward in November?, in a fight that would have been bigger and more prestigious than the Groves fight?

Elite fighters rarely care about mandatories.

It would have been a fight between the 2 top guys in the division.

Froch/Ward 2 was not "off the table". He was back sparring in June, so could have fought Froch in the fall or later in the year.