I was on business travel when I found out about Andre Ward’s retirement yesterday morning. Needless to say my emotions ranged from shock to a bit of sadness.
Shock, because Ward is retiring during the apex of his career. He has a 32-0 record and 17 KOs – and is only 33 years of age.
Sadness, because I didn’t really get to see him fight much at all. I guess I took him for granted and my cheap ass didn’t get around to purchasing the pay-per-views.
Being a light-heavyweight, Ward was the closest thing to being the baddest man on the planet, typically reserved for the heavyweight champ. Nevertheless, him having unified belts gives him the moniker only reserved for a a select few.
Undisputed.
An undisputed champ who can knock you the BLEEP out. An undisputed champ who can take you the distance while running a boxing clinic.
These are the reasons why Ward is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. Unfortunately there are many (like me) who either didn’t follow him closely because he wasn’t so flashy or they just took him for granted.
Now unless he pulls a series of “un-retirements” like past champs, we may never see another fighter who can win with knockout power and pure boxing skill – and do so with class…
Categories: boxing
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