Examining the 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame class
Andre Ward (32-0, 16 KOs)
As a pound-for-pound elite and the last male U.S. boxer to win an Olympic gold, Andre Ward never seemed to get the proper amount of fan appreciation. No one ever questioned his skills or his resume, but he never was loved by boxing fans as a whole.
This was likely due to the combination of his style, which wasn’t necessarily exciting, and the fact that he did not have an outgoing personality.
Skill-wise, few were better than Ward in his era. He announced his arrival to boxing’s elite tier when he emerged victorious from the Super Six tournament, which featured some of the best super middleweights in the world. In this tournament, he defeated Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, Arthur Abraham and then Carl Froch. These were some of the best fighters the division had to offer, and Ward won each fight relatively easily (although the Froch fight was competitive).
After winning the Super Six, it was clear that Ward was the real deal. He followed up the tournament win with a TKO victory over WBC lightweight champion Chad Dawson in 2012 (the bout was held at a catchweight).
However, following 2013, Ward had a near two-year stretch of inactivity, missing out on some prime time of his career. He came back to the sport in 2015, and announced that he would be moving up to ligh -heavyweight full time. After three fights to essentially shake the rust off (with no disrespect to the very game Sullivan Barrera), Ward would go on to face unified light heavyweight champion and boogeyman Sergey Kovalev.
Their first fight was controversial but saw Ward earn a decision. The rematch, however, had a definitive conclusion, and saw Ward earn a TKO over one of the most feared men in boxing. This was the biggest win of Ward’s career, and moved him to the top of just about everyone’s pound-for-pound list, which is why his retirement a few months later was shocking.
Not many guys retire while undefeated and at age 33, especially coming off the best win of their career. But Ward is not like many guys. He was able to leave on his own terms, with his legacy solidified. He is (hopefully) financially secure, and he got out of the sport relatively unharmed. As a fan of his, it would be awesome to see him come back, but there is really no fight that could bolster his legacy, unless he were to move up and challenge Oleksandr Usyk. A victory over Usyk would likely solidify Ward as fighter of the decade and move him firmly into the all-time great category.