Super middleweight world champion Andre Ward announced on Wednesday that his return to the ring will take place June 20 at the Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland, California.
The fight — no opponent has been announced — will be Ward’s first in 19 months since he easily outpointed Edwin Rodriguez in a November 2013 title defense in Ontario, California.
Ward will be fighting at the Oracle Arena for the sixth time.
Ward has only fought twice since dominating Carl Froch to unify 168-pound world titles in December 2011 in the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. The reason for his long layoffs was partly due to a shoulder injury but mainly because of a protracted fight over his promotional contract with late promoter Dan Goossen, who died in September.
In the wake of Goossen’s death, Ward and Goossen’s family reached a settlement for undisclosed terms and Ward signed with music mogul Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports with fanfare in January.
“I’m excited to be back. We finally have a date,” Ward told ESPN.com. “It’s going to be June 20 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. I wanted to fight at home as a thank-you to my fans for being patient, because I know it’s been a long wait. The fight is not far away and I feel like I’m in great shape already. I’ve stayed dedicated to the sport. I’ve stayed motivated in the gym and I’m just really excited to get back. I can’t wait.”
Roc Nation Sports and HBO, where Ward has fought his previous two bouts and is an analyst, have been in discussions about his next fight but could not come to an agreement on the opponent for a proposed bout on May 30, another date when Oracle Arena was available.
Ward, 31, who had hoped to fight in April or May, wanted a tuneup-caliber opponent following such a long layoff. HBO, which paid around $3 million for a tuneup fight against Rodriguez, was not inclined to pay big again for a lesser fight, especially without the guarantee of a major fight following it.
So Ward’s next fight will not be on HBO, the first time he will fight off premium cable since 2009. Instead, Ward’s fight could headline the first card Roc Nation Sports is planning to do as part of an impending time-buy series on BET. Ward’s opponent is not set, although names such as England’s Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs), a former two-time title challenger, and Mexico’s Marco Antonio Periban (21-3-1, 13 KOs), who has also challenged for a world title, have been mentioned as possibilities.
“Andre’s opponent and the TV coverage for the fight will be announced shortly,” Roc Nation Sports spokesman Ron Berkowitz told ESPN.com.
Ward (27-0, 14 KOs), one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters — although extremely inactive — was the first major signing for Roc Nation Sports, which came into the boxing promotion business in August. Not long after signing Ward, Roc Nation Sports also signed middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Since dominating the likes of Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Froch to win the Super Six tournament, Ward has only fought twice, albeit it in overwhelming victories. In September 2012, he delivered a tour de force in a 10th-round destruction of then-light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, who dropped down to super middleweight to fight Ward. After a 14-month layoff — because of the promotional problems — Ward, who was stripped of one of his belts for inactivity, returned for the one-sided decision against Rodriguez.
Ward, who holds the WBA’s so-called “super” title, has been ordered to make a mandatory defense against Froch, the organization’s “regular” titleholder. The WBA said in its order that the fight should take place by the end of June, which obviously will not happen, although the rematch could take place later in the year.
Ward will fight somebody else on June 20, and Froch (33-2, 24 KOs), 37, of England, is out of action until the summer because of an injury.
“Some people are trying to see if I’ve slipped during this layoff or if I still have it, but my true fans are just ready to see me back in action,” Ward said. “We get to answer those questions on June 20 at Oracle Arena. Let’s get it.”
