American professional boxing is a special world, full of bright stars and real talents. Their fights are bright and spectacular, the audience literally adores them and always looks forward to the fights with their participation. One of these truly brilliant fighters is Andre Ward, a boxer whose biography will be considered in this article.
Birth
“The Son of God” (this is the nickname that an athlete in the ring wears) was born on February 23, 1984 in the family of an immigrant from Ireland, Frank and an American of African descent Madeline. Unfortunately, the future boxer Andre Ward saw from his parents far from the best example of family life: the couple used drugs, and therefore periodically had problems with the law. In many ways, the current champion explains his strong-willed qualities by his difficult childhood.
Career at the amateur
Boxer Andre Ward began his sporting career thanks to his godfather, who, by the way, today regularly conducts training with him and is always present in the corner of a fighter during fights in the ring.
During his amateur career, Ward fought 119 times with opponents and only four times knew the bitterness of defeat. The peak of amateur performances can be considered the 2004 Olympics, when the martial artist won all his fights and won the gold award of the most prestigious competitions of the planet. Prior to this, boxer Andre Ward three times became the champion of his country in different age categories.
Pro debut
The athlete first entered the ring as a professional in December 2004 against Chris Molina. The first fight for the American was successful - Molina was knocked out already in the second three-minute period. After this, five more successful fights followed, in which Ward easily outplayed his rivals.
However, in his seventh fight, boxer Andre Ward was knocked down for the first time in his life after a missed hit from Darnell Boone. But in the end, Andre was able to gather strength and win the battle on points.
Successful series
A series of victories led to the fact that in the summer of 2008, Ward entered the ring to fight with Jerson Ravelo for the WBO NABO belt. The fight ended with Ravelo throwing a towel in the eighth round, and Andre became the new champion.
The first serious title - WBA - the American won in a duel with Dane Mikkel Kessler. The fight took place in Auckland under the auspices of the Super Six Middleweights Tournament. Then Ward defeated Allan Green, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, and then again went to the champion fight.
On December 17, 2011, in a fight with Briton Carl Frochet, the American won the WBC belt and the vacant The Ring title and thus became the best in the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament.
Then there was the successful defense of the belts in a duel with Chad Dawson, who had been knocked down three times per battle.
Light Heavy Duty
Ward held his first fight in the new weight division against WBO Intercontinental Champion Sullivan Barrera. The fight began actively, and in the third round, the Cuban visited the canvas after missing the left side of the American. Further, Andre also had an advantage and, as a result, came out the winner by points, although he did not show good boxing, as he had a long downtime outside the fights.
Fight of the year
On November 19, 2016, Andre Ward (biography, the boxer's family is discussed in the article), fought with the undefeated then-Russian champion Sergei Kovalev. The fight itself turned out to be very spectacular, and the American was knocked down for the second time in his life, having missed a strong blow of the "Destroyer" in the second round. The subsequent rounds were held in the typical style of Ward: he was at a long distance and worked mainly as a jab, while Sergey walked forward and worked in a forceful manner. Upon completion of all 12 rounds allotted, all the judges preferred the American with the same score 114: 113. The decision was very controversial, many boxing experts and fans were extremely unhappy with it.
For the fight, Kovalev received two million dollars, and Andre - five million. Based on the contract signed before the fight, Ward is obliged to give Sergei a rematch, which again will be one of the most anticipated fights next year.
In conclusion, we note that Andre Ward is a world-famous boxer and a wonderful family man. He has known his wife since school and is raising four children with her.