Former pound for pound number one boxer Andre Ward while now retired from the sport still keeps a vested interest in the game as a manager and a pundit. He’s had some very insightful takes today on how the best fighters in the sport often perform.

Ward is a co-manager to Shakur Stevenson who recorded another impressive win this past weekend on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s fight in Omaha.

In his own career, Andre Ward faced many top-level fighters in his time.

The likes of Sergey Kovalev and Carl Froch spring to mind straight off the bat in that regard.

So he, unlike very few in the world, knows a genuine thing or two about how the very best fighters perform when under pressure.

On that subject, a lot of people have been in agreement with him today with the following:

Elite fighters and Blue Chip prospects (really athletes in general) typically perform better against better competition. It’s just in their DNA. A Bigger stage & Brighter lights, demand a bigger and brighter YOU! It’s called, “Rising To The Occasion”

— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) October 16, 2018

This is why it’s hard to judge Top Tier athletes on performances against competition that is so so. Sometimes they will fight/play down to their competition. Not a good trait, but it happens ??‍♂️

— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) October 16, 2018

And to the contrary, sometimes athletes who are masking as Elite Top Tier….will look like monsters against so so competition….but disappear in the Big Moments against better competition ?

— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) October 16, 2018

Some interesting food for thought there and on the whole, it’s rather hard to disagree with what he’s saying.