Why did Andre Ward retire?
Andre Ward retired from boxing because he felt his body could no longer endure the sport's physicality.
Ward officially announced his retirement from professional boxing on October 21, 2017. He took to his website to reveal that his body couldn't take the punishment from the rigorous regime and that his love for the sport had diminished.
"I want to be clear, I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there. If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."
Andre Ward's perfect record consists of 32 victories and no losses. The undefeated fighter retired as the WBA (undisputed), IBF, WBO and The Ring light heavyweight champion. He later vacated the belts.
BoxRec, a boxing ranking company, still ranks Andre Ward as the fifth-greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
On December 15, 2020, Andre Ward was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.
'Son of God' was known for his speed, ring IQ and counterpunching ability inside the squared circle. The same can be observed from his last two fights against Sergey Kovalev.
#WardKovalev2 June 17th at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas👊🏼 https://t.co/qyW7ZghAcy
The American fought Kovalev twice, first in 2016 and then in 2017. Ward won both fights via unanimous decision and TKO, respectively. Their first fight attracted unwanted attention as it was deemed to have an unfair decision towards Ward.
Ward left no stone unturned in the second meeting with the Russian as he secured a TKO victory in the eighth round.
Watch Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev 2 highlights below:
Andre Ward was accused of being biased towards Deontay Wilder in his fight against Tyson Fury
Andre Ward has put his immense knowledge of boxing to good use. He is often seen at boxing events as a commentator and analyst.
Most recently, he was seen commentating on the trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, along with renowned reporter Brian Kenny and boxing legend Lennox Lewis.
He was criticized by the boxing community for allegedly being biased towards Wilder in the fight.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions to Ward's commentary:
@SteveKim323 Andre Ward was very upset Wilder lost....Tyson Fury won the 3 fights. Wilder was never in it. Lifting weights if you are a boxer make you slower and heavier. Commentators should be neutral
@Tyson_Fury Just wait till you hear the bullshit commentary from @andreward No credit and complete lack of respect! I get pulling for an individual you like, but he needs to quit! What an a subjective calling from an individual who wanted your head knocked off!!
Andre Ward doesnt look surprised at the lost.
But it could be that he betted on the wrogn fighter too lol twitter.com/KakarotMemes/s…