Andre Ward

Saturday, November 26, 2016

From Roc Nation Sports

When Frank Ward took his nine-year-old son, Andre, to a boxing gym, he couldn’t possibly have known that the youngster would blossom into one of the top amateur and professional fighters in the sport. He asked trainer, Virgil Hunter, “to teach his son to hit and not get hit.” Hunter, now Ward’s Godfather more than delivered on his promise, helping to develop his pupil into one of the most skilled technicians in boxing.

Known for his strong character and integrity outside the ring and his killer instinct inside it, his skill and talent was apparent early in his outstanding amateur career. Ward racked up every title in the books, culminating in a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. As the only American boxer to claim Olympic gold in the past decade, Ward joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya. He is now a regular on HBO Boxing, both in the ring and behind the microphone as an expert analyst on their commentary team.

He entered the professional ranks on December 18, 2004, winning a second round TKO victory over Chris Molina at the Staples Center and live on HBO. He has gone on to rack up 25 more victories since that time, building his ever-growing legion of fans.

In 2009, Ward signed on to join five fellow elite super middleweights in the highly acclaimed SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic. Shortly after, he fulfilled a lifetime dream by winning the WBA Super Middleweight World Championship with a dominating performance over former champion Mikkel Kessler in front of over 10,000 adoring fans at the Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland, Calif.

Yet, Ward wasn’t done there. He has made three successful title defenses of his WBA title since that time, defeating Allan Green, Sakio Bika and former World Champion Arthur Abraham, dominating his competition in all three battles. Ward’s victory over Arthur Abraham extended his 15-year winning streak, which reaches back to 1996.

His Super Six efforts culminated in a dominant twelve round victory over Carl “The Cobra” Froch in the tournament final on December 17, 2011 in Atlantic City, N.J. The victory earned Ward the WBC and Ring Magazine super middleweight belts as well as the highly coveted SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup. Following another dominant win, Ward was named Fighter of the Year by every major media outlet.

However Ward wasn’t done there, while many would have taken on a lesser opponent following his run through the Super Six, the reigning Fighter of the Year chose fellow World Champion Chad Dawson for his next opponent. A fellow pound-for-pound list regular and the light heavyweight champion, Dawson met Ward in his hometown of Oakland for the highly anticipated showdown. Ward didn’t disappoint a packed house at Oracle Arena, stopping Dawson in the 10th round live on HBO World Championship Boxing. The hometown favorite put Dawson down several times and dominated the match-up to add a 26th victory to his resume.

Following 14 months out of the ring due to major shoulder surgery, Ward made a triumphant return on November 16, 2013 with a dominating victory over previously undefeated contender Edwin Rodriguez live on HBO World Championship Boxing. With boxing greats including Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and his childhood idol, Roy Jones, Jr., on hand, the super middleweight kingpin handed the much larger Rodriguez his first professional defeat.

Yet Ward’s goals don’t end in the boxing ring, he is currently building a career as a boxing commentator as well and is now a staple at the commentating table on HBO, the premier network in boxing.

Outside the boxing world, Andre is a loving husband to his wife and high school sweetheart, Tiffiney, and a proud father to their sons, Andre, Jr., Malachi, Micah, and daughter, Amira. A devout Christian, he incorporates his faith into every aspect of his life and is a strong role model to his ever growing legion of fans. He and his family live in Danville, Calif., just outside of Oakland. He regularly visits schools, prisons and youth facilities to engage and uplift those in his community with his inspirational story.

Amateur Highlights

Ward’s hand is raised after winning a decision against Magomed Aripgadjiev in the finals of the 2004 Olympics.

Professional Highlights

Professional Record

Regional & Minor Titles

  • WBO NABO Super Middleweight Title (June 2008; 2 defenses)
  • NABF Super Middleweight Title (February 2009; 1 defense)
  • WBO International Light Heavyweight Title (August 2016; 0 defenses)

World Titles

  • WBA Super Middleweight Super Title (2009-2015; 6 defenses)
  • WBC Super Middleweight Title (2011-2013; 1 defense)
  • WBA Light Heavyweight Undisputed Title (2016-present; 0 defenses)
  • IBF Light Heavyweight Title (2016-present; 0 defenses)
  • WBO Light Heavyweight Title (2016-present; 0 defenses)

The Ring Magazine Titles

  • World Super Middleweight Title (2011-2015)

Transnational Boxing Rankings Board Titles

  • World Super Middleweight Title (2011-2016)

Lineal Titles

  • World Super Middleweight Title (2011-2015)

Awards & Recognition

Pay-Per-View History