BN: Six-and-a-half years into retirement, do you miss being an lively fighter?
AW: Man, after all I miss it. Not on a regular basis, although. Not on a regular basis. Most days I’m content material with the choice I made and pleased with my life after boxing. I’m very, very relieved that I’m not on the clock anymore. Even when there’s not a fight developing, my thoughts was all the time, “Okay, what I gotta do now? I can’t eat this; I gotta make sure my weight doesn’t get too high”. I’m not my watch, having to get to a boxing gymnasium, and that’s a reduction. But there are weeks, and there are days, once I very a lot wanna be again in that grind and wanna get my group collectively and I wanna undergo one other mission and see what occurs.
The majority of my days I’m at peace and I’m at relaxation. My resolution wasn’t haphazard. It took a lot of thought – it took years. It was years that I thought of retirement. My plan was to retire on prime. I studied Jim Brown’s retirement, from the Cleveland Browns – American soccer participant. I studied George Foreman and the way he walked away, and I do know he got here again after 10 years, however he left on his personal phrases; he did issues his manner. Rocky Marciano’s life was lower brief however I checked out him retiring undefeated. I needed to go away this manner, however really doing it, staying away, has been one of many hardest issues I’ve ever needed to do. I realised in retirement that my largest fight and my largest opponent wasn’t anyone individual, it was the game itself, and I’m very motivated to beat the game and never be one other statistic or one other particular person or fighter that folks say, “You gotta learn from him and don’t make the same mistakes”.
I stepped away from ESPN – my contract was up – so proper now I’m not broadcasting. [But] recent in retirement I labored for HBO; then the ESPN factor got here. It was pivotal to be that shut however not be within the ring. I nonetheless get a few of the feels, being across the fighters; strolling within the area; listening to the followers. That was wanted, as a result of it’s a detox – you’ll be able to’t do one thing like boxing for 20-odd years after which simply shut the door and by no means be round it ever once more. I needed to slowly get it out of my system. I’ll all the time have a piece in boxing. I don’t know what my subsequent transfer goes to be however boxing’s all the time going to be a a part of my life. It’s given me a life that I by no means thought was potential, and I’ll be endlessly grateful for the game and all the time wanna give again to youthful fighters.
BN: What’s the closest you’ve come to returning?
AW: After “Canelo” [Saul Alvarez] fought [in 2019, Sergey] Kovalev, there was a lot of clamour about us preventing as a result of it was a frequent opponent, and the clamour has continued to be there due to that frequent opponent. But it’s fascinating no one ever talked about us preventing earlier than Kovalev. Right concerning the time I no less than was open to it. “If he calls my name or makes a push for this, that’s something I’m interested in”, and he simply didn’t do it. I used to be at a crossroads at that second, and I selected to go on ESPN and reaffirm, “I’m retired, and I’m going to stay that way”. That’s the closest I’ve ever come.
There’s all the time folks fishing and asking questions. “What would it take to get you back?” This is why it’s laborious to stroll away. You’ve bought folks pushing and prodding and poking; making an attempt to see if the choice you made was real. I gotta inform ‘em, “I am content, and I’m happy with my life”. This is the opposite factor – the transition isn’t seamless. As a lot as I believed I’d ready and thought I used to be prepared, you’re not as ready or prepared as you thought you had been. That doesn’t imply I did the unsuitable factor; it means it’s a lot tougher than I believed. The key takeaway for me is I’m a man who’s all the time had a mission, and most of my mission was to fight; to defend and construct what I had. You have to take that very same drive and refocus it to a different factor. I haven’t stopped transferring, whether or not it’s the documentary [The Book of Ward]; whether or not it’s the ebook [Killing The Image]; being a youth pastor; elevating my household. I discover myself having completely different missions and also you have to refocus the mind.
[Fighting Tony Bellew, then Anthony Joshua] didn’t get shut in any respect as a result of I retired three months after I fought Kovalev, so it didn’t have a probability to catch any steam. Bellew known as my identify after one among his fights in 2018, and I used to be on the set filming The Contender, and that bought my juices flowing a little bit, however it by no means materialised. Those two fights by no means bought to a negotiation or something like that. But if I’d have stayed round they would have, as a result of that’s who we had been focusing on. [Financial security] is a main element. I’m doing very, very effectively for myself – my way of life hasn’t modified in retirement, and the objective is to maintain it that manner. I’ve earned a nice dwelling with out throwing a punch or taking a punch, and I don’t discuss a lot about that – I don’t put it in entrance of the world’s eyes – however I’ve been very, very blessed in retirement and it has nothing to do with me throwing a punch or taking a punch, and that was the objective all alongside.BN: How would you have tried to beat Anthony Joshua?
AW: My fluidity, and my bodily power – I do know no one can think about me with the ability to go power for power with Joshua due to his measurement and the way in which he appears, however I don’t suppose I’d have been overpowered from a bodily standpoint. The key factor would have been my motion and my inside preventing, consider it or not, and my objective would have been to put on him down. He has a rocket proper hand that could be very, very robust – in case you stand in line for it. I don’t see a complete lot outdoors of that. His most pure punch is the correct hand. It’d have been a harmful proposition since you don’t wanna get hit with that with a man that measurement. It’d have been to put on him down spherical after spherical after spherical and keep away from his massive photographs in return. I would have let the fight come to me. I’d positively have been making an attempt to win. I’ve by no means had issues with larger fighters – by no means. Amateurs; professionals; sparring; I’ve all the time completed higher in opposition to guys that had been bodily massive, or taller than me. It wasn’t a “gimme” fight, however I’d have come out on prime.
BN: How a lot does your future well being concern you?
AW: I’m not gonna say I fear about my well being. I’ve thought of it infrequently, as a result of I have a household, and also you suppose long-term – I’ve been boxing for a very, very very long time. But I’m grateful for being taught the craft and taught the correct manner, and even that – you’re gonna get hit and take some stage of punishment. God’s bought a lot of labor for me to do, and I can’t try this work if I’m tousled within the ring. I all the time knew I’d be high-quality if I finished on the proper time. We did that. I can’t get the sparring classes and difficult fights again however I’m assured I’m gonna dwell a lengthy life and assist a lot of individuals out alongside the way in which. I’m very proactive [at monitoring my health].
Ward attends the fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia at T-Mobile Arena on April 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada (Mindy Small/Getty Images)
BN: How essential to your general success was profitable Olympic gold at Athens 2004?
AW: It’s all the things, proper? I like to win, and I couldn’t think about life – though it’s a nice achievement – with a silver or bronze. When I used to be a child it was, “I’m gonna win gold”. We by no means talked silver, or bronze. It was about profitable, and representing my nation, and once I come out of it I began to grasp how massive of a feat it really actually was, and that my identify was within the historical past books with all-time greats, it doesn’t matter what I did as a skilled – that’s when it hits you.
I couldn’t think about life [without] that gold medal. If that was my highway, I consider it would have labored out – it would have been tougher; it’d have taken longer for me to get to sure pay and alternatives; it opened a lot of doorways for me – however I couldn’t think about a professional profession with out it.
BN: How essential was getting into the Super Six?
AW: That was a very dangerous proposition, in hindsight. I might have folded in that match. I simply might have been taken out by [in my first fight in it, Mikkel] Kessler. I hadn’t fought at that stage earlier than. He was a very, very, excellent champion. It was a sink-or-swim second in my profession, and it was [via similarly tough opponents following in succession].
It made the entire world grow to be believers. If you don’t consider that Andre Ward is the true deal at that cut-off date, you’re simply hating. My flag within the recreation was cemented. I nonetheless had fights that I needed to win [afterwards], however there’s no query about what I had. The solely man that didn’t make it within the match, Lucien Bute – I gave Carl Froch that chance. That was my fight, however I didn’t suppose it was proper for him to sit down on the skin and get the winner – he can get the man that was the runner up. Carl Froch by no means thanked me for that, by the way in which. We went on to fight the light-heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson. It cemented that I belonged at that stage, and once you come out of one thing like which you can solely be higher; you’ll be able to solely be tougher, and tougher to beat.
BN: Who was the perfect you fought?
AW: Man, that’s a good one. There isn’t any finest – they’re completely different. They’re powerful for various causes. The hardest competitor that I’ve ever fought – the man that jogged my memory most of myself from an intangible standpoint and a man that doesn’t wanna stop, and also you gotta actually knock him out to show him away – would be Carl Froch. You really feel the competitiveness about him. Kovalev was very, very sharp early on in our fight. Very crispy punches; very compact. He wasn’t the largest puncher however his punches had been very, very sharp and correct. But he didn’t have the identical drive and competitiveness that Froch had. I felt [Kovalev] break early in our first fight. “This is harder than I thought – he’s not staying down after I knocked him down. What’s going on?” I by no means felt that about Froch. One of essentially the most skilful needed to be Chad Dawson, and the toughest puncher was positively Edison Miranda – little doubt about that. The dirtiest fighter was Sakio Bika – he can have that award.
As a lot discuss as there was of my first fight [with Kovalev being controversial], that’s actually my crowning second. I needed to do one thing I’d by no means needed to do earlier than. Get off the canvas and are available from behind to beat that calibre of fighter. That’s the fight that sealed something for me about the kind of champion I used to be. I made a rookie mistake – we each noticed a possibility for a proper hand, I had my left hand down, I took a half-step to the facet to attempt to get leverage, he didn’t take that half-step, his proper hand was on the runway prepared, he launched his and bought there earlier than I bought there. The first spherical and-a-half I used to be bit tight and considering – making an attempt to get my vary and determine issues out – and stunned at how sharp he was early on. He didn’t have a feeling out course of. He was punching to get his rhythm and vary and I used to be considering and getting hit. When I went down, which sadly was the perfect factor that would have occurred to me, all bets had been off. I went from being shocked, to embarrassed, to offended.
BN: Carl Froch was, final yr, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame…
AW: He deserved it, for positive. Me and Carl have our banter forwards and backwards, and Carl is Carl – he’s gonna discuss himself; he’s gonna discuss concerning the 80,000 [laughs]. It’s humorous, as a result of you know the way he’s and I don’t suppose he may also help it. As a fighter, as a résumé and his physique of labor, I respect him as a result of he was not essentially the most gifted man, by far, and that is a man who wrote down each exercise; who has booklets of each exercise; went about his craft the correct manner. He was very, very powerful; very, very sturdy. He believed in himself and had sufficient braveness to talk and put himself on the market – and more often than not he got here out on prime. He completely deserves to be a hall-of-fame fighter, little doubt about it.
BN: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has succeeded you because the world’s finest super-middleweight. How good is he?
AW: He’s completed a lot for the game. He has a lot of fanfare; he has a nation [Mexico] behind him; his marketability is thru the roof. The eye take a look at, and what you see – he’s a actually, actually good fighter. The solely drawback with Canelo is that due to the marketability and since he can promote out in opposition to anyone, there’s no motivation to go and decide a couple of prime fighters to fight, and danger shedding your standing. I haven’t seen him in opposition to the perfect, persistently, all through his profession, so he’s a excellent fighter – I simply don’t know the way good he’s. It’s related with [Gennady] Golovkin. When you face a sure stage of competitors alongside the way in which it’s, “Dude, you can fight”. But I don’t know the way good – perhaps you wanted these different two or three fighters to convey out the perfect in you and we might have noticed you at one other stage. That’s my solely concern with Canelo. He’s a actually good fighter; I like his model. He hundreds up a lot; he might field a little bit extra and conceal that energy a little bit extra. But he’s been profitable; he’s made a lot of cash. I simply don’t just like the selecting and selecting. You shouldn’t fight a prime fighter each fight – that’s not good. But when you already know that there’s a man on the market – there’s a couple proper now – I can’t assure he’s going to take these fights and danger all of it. His legacy is already set, however what’s gonna be the excuse? If you have the standing that he has, and there’s someone in your neighbourhood – at your weight class – you have to take care of him.
BN: Joe Calzaghe preceded you as the perfect. How good was he?
AW: Man, Calzaghe – he was one other man, a aggressive kind of individual. He didn’t have a lot of punching energy – threw a million punches. Always ready the correct manner; beloved the daddy [and trainer Enzo] doing it together with his dad, and he had that drive about him. He was a canine. I have nothing however respect for Calzaghe – he’s all the time completed it the correct manner.
BN: Would you have crushed him?
AW: Of course I consider I’d have crushed him, however it wouldn’t have been straightforward. You gotta take care of the quantity; you gotta take care of the angles; you gotta take care of the southpaw stance, and also you gotta discover a manner. I’m a qualitative puncher over a qualitative puncher, and he’s the other – he’s punches in bunches, and I’m making an attempt to get my photographs in on the proper time, and hold sufficient distance or smother you to chop down your punch counts. It’d have been a fascinating match-up.
The massive, one shot would have been my concern with Anthony Joshua. He doesn’t have the model – he’s not like a massive man, like George Foreman. George is aware of methods to tie you up and stroll you again and put on you down. [Joshua’s] making an attempt to field and be cute as effectively. I can look out for that proper hand a lot simpler once you fight like that, so Joe Calzaghe would have been a tougher fight. A special model, and a completely different mentality.
BN: How a lot does your success owe to your coach Virgil Hunter?
AW: I owe him a lot. He’s extra than simply a coach. He was a actual father determine. Key moments in my life, man – outdoors the ring – he saved me. Used his voice; used his phrases. His efforts to steer me again on the correct path – to cease me from taking place the unsuitable path too lengthy. You guys might by no means have had hall-of-famer Andre Ward. I give him immense credit score for what he’s given to my life and I’m simply grateful that we crossed paths.
He was the correct match for me. In my ebook I discuss how my father, Frank Ward, began me out, and my dad was an all-or-nothing form of man. “Throw the jab”, and in case you don’t do it, he’ll allow you to hear. As a younger child I would shut down and couldn’t carry out with that form of ridicule. He was good sufficient to move me on to Virg. Virg had a completely different strategy. Virg was very philosophical together with his strategy; very a lot in his head, and he made boxing enjoyable. I took what he initially gave me and took it to the following stage. I wanted you to encourage me. I wanted you to provide me the correct phrases on the proper time; assist me perceive the magnitude of the second; remind me who I’m and why I’m right here. Virg did these issues excellently. He was a grasp at figuring out what to say to me fight week; proper earlier than a fight; in a nook. He knew what to say; when to say it.
BN: Why has the US struggled on the Olympics for thus lengthy?
AW: It begins with USA Boxing. We’ve had an Olympic coach [Billy Walsh] for years now – he’s doing a good job – however through the years there’s been a lot of turnover. The youngsters don’t know who’s going to be their head coach from quad to quad; each 4 years. A whole lot of that has to do with politics. That’s harm us. We’ve bought the perfect expertise on the earth, however we haven’t all the time proven it. It’s additionally a group effort. You’ve gotta pull on the alumni – individuals who have been there and completed that, to come back in and discuss to the youngsters, as a part of the teaching workers, and provides again in ways in which they can provide again, as a result of the athletes will relate to those folks. Maybe generally extra than the top coach. The mixture of not having stability, and never all the time having the correct teaching state of affairs, together with not pulling on the alumni – which different nations do. That’s a drawback. It’s hurting the athletes.
BN: What didn’t we see when the photograph of you, Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford with Shakur Stevenson – earlier than Stevenson’s fight with Edwin de los Santos – was taken?
AW: It’s fight time for me, so I wasn’t actually doing a lot of speaking. I used to be just about locked in – I really feel it a lot once I bought folks I’m near which might be preventing. I get extra nervous for them than I did for myself. But Floyd simply got here to help – [Stevenson] has a relationship with Floyd; he clearly has a relationship with Terence Crawford. We didn’t count on to take that photograph – it simply form of occurred. It’s simply folks rallying round a younger fighter and making an attempt to provide again and present help.
He’s gonna take a little bit from everyone and he’s nonetheless making an attempt to determine it out. But he’s achieved a lot alongside the way in which. [Observers] overpassed that. He’s bought all the things it takes [to earn parity with the others in that photo].
You have to be very cautious to not pigeonhole everyone, as a result of some don’t really feel this manner. But I’m not going to behave like I haven’t confronted that; haven’t needed to subject these questions, and be pressured – and it’s laborious to know what that strain is except you stroll in our footwear for a younger African-American fighter – to be the following Floyd Mayweather. That’s the type of leisure that a lot of individuals wanna see, so, “I have to talk like Floyd; I have to turn up like Floyd; All Access; 24/7; whatever it is, and I gotta talk like that”. I don’t really feel like we have the correct or the chance at occasions to be soft-spoken, be household males, or to go about our enterprise in a sure form of manner – that’s deemed as boring. Then I see people that aren’t even from our nation that come right here, and earlier than they will discover their voice and discover their footing, a lot of time’s the media’s talking for them. “He’s the most avoided.” I’ve seen this happen for years. These are issues folks don’t discuss or wanna discuss. They appear stunned once I convey it up. I don’t convey it up usually, however it’s a factor and it has been a factor, and everyone, no matter what race or color they’re, ought to be capable of be themselves.
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