Things in the rear view mirror appear closer than they are, but when the best of your career as a boxer is continually viewed in such a fashion that the wool eventually falls away, the stark realities of your past and present don’t make for good bedfellows.
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Professional boxer’s like most athletes have a short career lifespan in which to lay down the foundations for current and future generations to lament their greatness, but sometimes talent just isn’t enough.
One such fighter that fits this bill is the brilliantly talented Andre Ward.
From an early age Ward’s talent in the ring was never in question but lately the Oakland fighter’s career and standing in the sport has taken a battering, and it could be about to get worse if the news as reported by West Australian Sport is correct, that the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) will not agree to sanction the Ward-Murdock fight penciled in for the 21st November on the Cotto v Canelo undercard.
The 23 year old Rohan Murdock 18-1, 14 KOs and is WBO ranked #6. The NSAC it would appear are not fooled by one sanctioning body’s over inflated rating of Murdock.
He is unrated in all other alphabelt lists and the generally reliable Box Rec ranks him at #33, a fighter that is a very unpopular choice of opponent for the unbeaten American Ward.
Unfortunately for one reason or another Ward should have gone on to greater things after his impressive showing and success in the Super Six tournament starting in 2009, with his wining opening performance against the highly rated Mikkel Kessler, and on to his eventual defeat of WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch in 2012 to win the overall tournament.
But Ward who was inactive for the whole of 2014 due to injury and contractual disputes, has instead seen his career stagnate.
With his return in 2015 to a backdrop of speculation of will he or won’t he fight middleweight kingpin Golovkin largely fueled by Ward himself, there was hope that this hugely talented fighter was about to get his derailed career back on track.
But in a move that some viewed as contradictory and in distinct contrast to Ward’s willingness to fight Golovkin, the early comments made by Andre Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter who had been quoted saying that, “Andre needs a tune-up fight or two in the near future to avoid issues with ring rust due to his inactivity” – proved to be more appropriate, and a bout at a catchweight was agreed with Paul Smith (a fighter who had suffered two consecutive defeats).
It’s hard to believe now that Ward was at anytime genuinely interested in fighting Golovkin on his return to the ring and an argument could be made that it was just talk on Ward’s part to stay relevant after his period of inactivity.
Now with this latest news that the NSAC are unwilling to sanction Ward’s bout against Rohan Murdock and with little time to arrange an appropriate opponent, it looks like Ward’s troubled career could be in free fall again.
Andre Ward career frustration continues.
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