“This is what it’s all about,” said Ward would say on a recent conference call. “I’ve been at the highest level as an amateur and now I’m preparing for my first world title fight as a professional. I see all you guys [media on hand] and I know what a big fight is all about. I’m ready.”
Speaking in front of the press today at the final press conference, Ward added “It’s about time. I approach all my fights the same. Every fight I had as an amateur, I took seriously. But obviously the stakes are much higher. I have prepared for a fight like this since I was nine years old.”
“This is just like Andre Ward’s run to the gold medal, but in the pro ranks,” said Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen. “On his path to gold, no one gave him a shot, everyone else was the favorite, and this is the same situation. They are all picking Kessler and for good reason -- he’s a great, experienced champion. We have all the confidence in the world that Saturday night will make history.”
It’s this lack of knowing how good Ward truly is that leaves Kessler promoter, Wilfred Sauerland, picking his man to win but with a side of ‘I could be wrong.’
“Ward has a tremendous unbeaten run” said Sauerland. “His Olympic gold medal as well as his professional record speak volumes about his class. He is certainly a very special fighter but one does not know where his boundaries are. He has never been tested and he has never fought someone like Mikkel, so Saturday will be Ward´s first big test. In my opinion the difference between the two fighters is Mikkel´s huge experience and also his well-known punching power. So for me Kessler is the favorite but only just as you cannot be too sure because we don’t know where Ward is at and what his limits are.”
Ward is an unusual fighter. Trained by his godfather Virgil Hunter, he has been crafted into a thinking man’s fighter. Never locking into any one style, he can fight southpaw, orthodox, play the hit and hold game, and box from long to close range. But all that has only been seen in developmental fights with one exception.
That exception coming in the form of Edison Miranda (33-4 with 29 KOs), a tough Colombian former middleweight title hopeful who gave fellow Super Sixer Arthur Abraham all he could handle and a double broken jaw in their first encounter. Facing off with Miranda, his most dangerous and experienced opponent to date, finally allowed Ward to demonstrate he was ready for prime time as he pulled out all his tools including a few new ones en route to a 12 round unanimous decision.
But still there are critics. Whether it’s because he was dropped early in his career or it’s some ill-conceived notion about fast fighters who like to move, Ward is seen by many as fragile or lacking a certain toughness. Ward doesn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, he seems to love being a surprise.
“People are often surprised when they fight me,” he explained. “You see one thing and get in the ring and see something different. (Edison) Miranda told me in the locker room after the fight that he thought I would be a lot easier than I was and I’ve heard that a lot during my career, even going back to the amateurs. I have no idea what it is about my style, but they would hear I was the No. 1 guy and see me fight and say ‘that’s Ward?’ We do it in such a way that it looks easy until they get in the ring with me.”
One person who has openly questioned Ward’s toughness is Kessler’s trainer who claims Ward’s chin will dent as soon his man hits it. Ward counters that the same question can be asked of Kessler whose biggest test came in a loss to retired super middleweight great Joe Calzaghe.
“I don’t think anybody likes to get hit. Miranda hit me more than I would have liked in my last fight. but I responded and came right back. Who has hit Mikkel Kessler clean? Who has really caught him so we could see what his chin is really like? Joe Calzaghe isn’t a puncher.”
With Kessler being his biggest challenge to date and at least two more tough fights in front of him win or lose, tons of media buzz and fighting for his first world title in front of his hometown fans, the assumption would be that Ward might be a little overwhelmed. That would be wrong. Ward seemed as focused as ever and welcomes not only the cheers of his fans but the opportunity to revive what used to be a fight town.
“It’s incredible to have this fight at home and the support here has been outstanding,” said Ward. “A lot of people say that boxing is dead in Oakland. There used to be two or three gyms full of boxers here. Boxing was a huge thing and to see the excitement for this fight here in Oakland and in the Bay Area and to give them something positive to support, I’m excited about that.”
Ward fought for the first time as a pro in Oakland against Miranda. While the butterflies in regards to fighting at home have been gotten out of the way and the fight was as one-sided affair, Ward still sees room for improvement.
“We go back and look at every fight,” explained Ward. “We saw mistakes in the Miranda fight and we’ve corrected those.’’
Whether they were corrected or not in his next fight against Shelby Pudwill last September we’ll never know. Ward was more aggressive than usual and bulldozed Pudwill out of there in three rounds. The fight was a tune-up double billed with Kessler’s own European version the same night.
Regardless of the fight being made to look easy, Ward has used the activity and the quick win to his advantage. Hopping right back into the gym, Ward immediately began game planning for Kessler without worry of getting back into shape but merely honing what was already there.
Hunter and Ward approach each fight similarly. They study the opponent, find his weaknesses and work on ways to expose them while canceling out strengths in their game. But once the game plan’s ins and outs are set into Ward’s muscle memory, intelligence, creativity and openness to the moment take over.
“We’ve had a game plan for the past nine weeks, since the last fight,” explained Ward. “We have a general plan but at the end of the day, it’s going to be about getting in there and being myself, being Andre Ward. The days that you go in there and try to be perfect are usually your worst days, but the days that you go in there and say I’m going to have fun and do what I do are generally your best.”
“This has been a very productive camp,” Hunter affirmed. “I see us moving forward with the plan every day. Andre is looking extremely strong and we are building great momentum toward November 21st. We wanted to have this training camp here in Oakland because we really love our gym, King’s Gym, and we have full access to all of our resources here in our home gym."
“As far as the physical side, things have toned down’’ explained Ward. We are at our peak. It is tempting for a fighter to over-prepare. I don’t think we’ve done that. I think we are right where we need to be. That comes with experience. This is my 21st fight and we’re beginning to master all of the aspects of preparing for a fight from the weight to handling media appearances.’’
With the fight days away, all that’s left is waiting for the moment to arrive; it’s possibly outcomes turning over and over in Ward’s head as the seconds tick down to his showdown with Kessler.
“As the fight gets closer, I draw into myself more,” said Ward. “I envision what it would feel like to leave the arena with the belt and what it would feel like to leave without the belt. I’m doing everything I can to leave the Oracle Arena with the WBA strap on Saturday night.”
Despite the differential in pro experience, the fight is an interesting one. Ward, for all his versatility can be hit with the right hand and seems to be open for the jab as he employs head movement and catch and counter techniques as opposed to a high guard or shell-type defense. Offensively he is diverse and fluid but does fall into the trap of either defending or attacking. The two have mixed more and more fluidly over his last few fights but against Kessler that may be a problem. And as for the chin question? Ward took some of Miranda’s best right hands and while he did pause for a bit came firing right back time and again. We’ll see if Kessler can land flush like that and if he hits harder than Miranda.
Mikkel Kessler brings to the table more of a standard European style; upright, not much head movement, solid footwork and a very straight and hard jab/right hand combo. He also possesses a solid uppercut that about dropped Joe Calzaghe in the fourth round of their fight. While Kessler isn’t known for his hook, he employed a very sneaky and powerful one in his last fight against the outclassed Gusmyr Perdomo. On the weakness front, Kessler doesn’t adjust much as he is a straight ahead-minded fighter who believes his strength and power combined with solid technique will do the job just fine. He also falls into patterns and can be confused by movement.
The two should mix well to deliver an exciting display of American vs. European styles. It’s Jazz vs. Classical and only time will tell if Beethoven tame Miles. With two Americans down in this “World Classic,” Ward is once again America’s last shot at glory.
“I definitely feel like I’m back in Greece all over again,” Ward shared. “And even though the Americans fought well, unfortunately we were unable to get a victory in the first two fights. I’m definitely inspired to bring America their first victory in the Super Six tournament.”
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