Andre Ward has not lost a fight, a professional or amateur, since he was twelve years old. He was the only American boxer to come home with a gold medal from 2004 Olympics. Andre knows how to win fights; he can outbox you, he can outfight you, he can fight well on the inside, he can fight on the outside. He is well versed in the mastery of defense. Even his long time trainer, Virgil Hunter couldn’t come up with any weaknesses, except, may be lack of professional experience. WBA super middleweight champion and a favorite to win super six tournament, Andre Ward is tough nut to crack inside the ring. That is the problem that Arthur Abraham and his team face on Saturday night.
The two will collide on May 14th, 2011 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. At stake will be Ward?s WBA super middleweight crown and a spot at the final of the Super Six World boxing classic tournament. If you can’t make it to Los Angeles this weekend watch a live broadcast on Showtime. “We know we have a tough fight, said Abraham’s trainer,? during yesterday’s press conference that took place in Burbank at a jam packed Arnie Morton’s Steak House. If the press conference is any indication of what is to follow fans are in for a real treat. Everyone was on the edge and fighting. Promoters were fighting. Camps were fighting. Fighters seemed to be on the edge and anxious. Even media members and fans were fighting for a position at a conference room that was packed like a can of sardines.
“There has been a lot of uproar about us asking for a new referee but that was in the contract – a contract is a contract,? said Abraham?s promoter, Wilfried Sauerland who almost canceled the fight because the referee for the contest was from Southern California. Ward?s promoter, Dan Goossen said that was simply a misunderstanding and he wanted to concentrate on the fight instead of referees.
Ward?s trainer, Virgil Hunter addressed Arthur Abraham from the podium: “Arthur, this is to you: By complaining about the officials, your promoters are saying they have lost confidence in you. Don’t let anyone speak to you about the officials. Your promoters have lost confidence in you. It’s as simple as that.” Advertisement
As longwinded Hunter continued to stress to Abraham that he should be his own man, former middleweight champion interrupted him by saying:? We don?t have all day.?
Even normally talkative and open Andre ward seemed reserved and on the edge.
“I respect Arthur Abraham, it’s going to be a tough fight,? said Ward (23-0,13KO):?I want to be a great fighter, but I’m not there yet. These are the kind of fights that you have to take and you have to win to be a great fighter. I won’t hear the crowd; I won’t hear anybody on Saturday night. I’m locked in. I’m here to defend my belt and to keep my belt right here in America. My first goal is to win and I know winning in this sport takes care of a lot of problems.?
So how does King Arthur Abraham come back from two consecutive losses to deal with Andre Ward?
“I don’t have to speak much. We just want to perform in the ring and we don’t have to do much talking. We’re here to win in the ring,? said Abraham who will bring his own cheering section from Glendale on Saturday night: “I have a lot of respect for Andre Ward. He’s a technically sound boxer. But that talk doesn’t matter when we get in the ring on Saturday. I’m here to win and I’m here to destroy him. I had to make some adjustments to my style for moving from middleweight to super middleweight and then we had to make some more after the losses. We’ve made the adjustments and we hope we don’t have to do it again.”
The second leg of the Super Six semifinal will take place on June 4th at Atlantic City, New Jersey where Britain?s Carl Froch will face American veteran, Glen Johnson.
Contact Igor Frank at [email protected]
