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Andre Ward
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About eight months ago Andre Ward was heard to say "I have a bit of Floyd Mayweather, a bit of Mike Tyson when I need it, and a bit of Roy Jones".
Eight months ago Andre Ward was a long way from the company of such greats, and still is, but after a handful of fights in Athens, numerous rounds of pure brilliance and one Olympic Gold Medal, Andre Ward is an American hero with a resume boasting credentials a fighter has not brought upon American shores since David Reid won gold in Atlanta eight years ago.
Like the great ones, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya, Andre Ward is an Olympic gold medallist.
And with the boxing shedding its darkest light over its most celebrated fighters in 2004, now is the perfect time for the emergence of a new and exciting force in the sport.
For the first time in his life, this Saturday night Andre Ward will enter the ring without a padded helmet, without a red or blue singlet and without the punch for point scoring system. The comfort zone which saw Ward undefeated in the past six years as an amateur will be gone forever, but he has his sights set firmly on emulating past gold medallists and translating his Olympic success into professional fortune.
I have got no doubt Ward will not have any trouble achieving this goal, and neither do his management, Roy Jones’ “Square Ring Inc.”. They’re so confident of his abilities he will be pitted against a fighter who in all his seven bouts has never once tasted defeat. It’s a dangerous move, but when a fighter possesses as much talent and skill as does Andre Ward, it is a move his management can afford to make.
Watching Ward’s amateur career it is clear he has ring smarts far beyond his twenty years, he has footwork as slick as a lightweight and hand speed which hasn’t been seen north of 160 pounds since Roy Jones Jnr dazzled all before him.
Andre Ward also has a waist destined to become home for many world championship belts.
His future is exciting, look for-Ward to it.
Andre Ward fights Chris Molina this Saturday night on the undercard of Antonio Tarver versus Glen Johnson. It is a scheduled super-middleweight meeting at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The bout will be broadcast live on HBO.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
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By Luke Dodemaide (December 15, 2004) 
