ANDRE WARD SPEAKS IN-DEPTH ABOUT HIS VICTORY AND SERGEY KOVALEV'S EXCUSES: "IT'S NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE KRUSHER"
By Ben Thompson | December 21, 2016
BT: Unified light heavyweight champion Andre Ward! Has it sunk in yet?
AW: Not really. I think it might start to sink in when I officially get all of these belts. I haven't gotten all of 'em yet and I've been on my lawyer almost daily like, "Please reach out to the sanctioning bodies and see when I can get all of my straps." People don't know that you don't take the belts home with you the night of the fight unless the belts are vacant. If you take them from a champion, you get to have them in the ring and at the post-fight press conference, but you have to physically give them back and you literally wait until your belts come in the mail, and that's what I'm doing. I'm waiting for them all to come in the mail. (Laughing) It's been a little while since I've had some hardware. I don't remember what year it was when I vacated the WBC belt, but it was time. I had a little bit more room in the trophy case and I felt like I was due, you know, I really did. We made it happen and I can't wait to get 'em all.
BT: When you had the long layoff and you were dealing with the injuries and the promotional issue, were you still confident that everything would work out and eventually you would get to this point in your career?
AW: I didn't know what was going to happen honestly. I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I just knew that I was fighting for what I believed in in the midst of criticism and in the midst of people commenting on the situation without really having any of the details or the facts. I'm a person that will fight for my conviction until the end. That's just the way that I am. So in my natural eyes, no, I didn't see it, but that's where my faith came in place, when I had those moments where I felt like it may be over and I may have to retire. I have people in my life, bro, that kept me encouraged. I can remember a conversation that I had with my pastor. I was like, "Man, this is not looking too good. You think this is it?" He laughed and was like, "Listen, God's got too much glory that he's gotta get out of you. You've got way too much more you need to do in your life and career. This is a season and it's going to pass." I remember thinking like, "He's not hearing me. He doesn't see what I see. This situation is not good." It's just important to have people of faith around you that can sometimes see when you can't see because he was right.
BT: Have you had a chance to watch the fight yet?
AW: Nah. I take a couple weeks to kind of decompress and just get my mind off of boxing, even though that's not going to happen completely because no matter where I go, people are talking about it. Obviously I was in there, so I know what happened, but eventually I'll get by myself and I'll watch it. This fight, for me, was my favorite performance. I don't ever want to be on the canvas, you know, I'm not a fan of that and I don't subscribe to that, but at the same time, these things happen and sometimes God will put you in these situations to show you that you can get through them. When you get through them, I'm telling you, bro, it makes you strong. To be down early against this guy, who everybody said was this big puncher and the best light heavyweight in the world, to basically laugh at the knockdown, get up, and then go to work and come back, man, it makes you feel like there's nothing you can't overcome. I'm happy I got one of those under the belt. I can't even tell you the amount of people, whether it's my peers in the game or just fans in general, who have watched the fight and told me, "I was so inspired by that fight because it taught me so much." I'm like, "What do you mean? I just did my job." And they're like, "Nah, you don't realize how you inspired me, to be down early and have to come back and face a giant, a guy that nobody thought you could beat, and not back down." All these different things that people pulled from the fight really amazed me.
BT: Going into the fight, all of the talk was that he would be the bigger, more powerful man inside the ring. Now that you've had a chance to face him, was that an accurate statement?
AW: Well, he was the bigger man, but I don't know about more powerful. You see, you can't measure the heart of a man, a man's desire, or where a man is willing to go for the victory. Again, I never want to be on the canvas, never, but on that night, that's what it took to break him down mentally and then physically. I wasn't supposed to get up, and I certainly wasn't supposed to do what I did the rest of the fight. He was mentally beaten and physically broken down. That's never happened to him. He's going to have to mentally bounce back if there is a rematch, and I'm not sure he can.
BT: Any time you got inside, it seemed like you were trying to get work done while Kovalev was the one initiating a lot of the clinching and holding. Do you think he called you a dirty fighter before the fight on purpose to maybe put that idea into the referee or a judge's head?
AW: Let me explain what a dirty fighter looks like! Someone who intentionally hits another fighter behind the head, we call that a rabbit punch in boxing. Someone who intentionally hits another fighter below the belt line, we call that a low blow in boxing. Someone who intentionally hits with elbows or any kind of illegal foul repeatedly, that is a dirty fighter. It's the inside work, bro. It's putting Kovalev in places he doesn't like to be. He can't stand it and wants no part of it. He should acknowledge that instead of making excuses. It's not a good look for the Krusher. This is the first time I have dealt with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and I think they did a great job from top to bottom. The whole week, I felt they handled their business in a professional manner for both camps. I think they also did a great job scoring the fight. Not just because I won (laughing), but because the score was consistent and it was unanimous; not split, not majority, but unanimous. For three judges to score the same fight the exact same way, that says a lot to me.
BT: When they cry robbery as opposed to just saying it was a close, competitive fight, does that take away from what you were able to accomplish?
AW: I have no problem with someone thinking I lost. I disagree, but that's fine. But anyone crying robbery, they just went too far. The last time I checked, this isn't the first close fight in boxing. But many didn't think the fight would be that close. You have to realize, a lot of those who are saying that [robbery] are those who felt I was not going to be standing at the end of the fight. I mean, how could I? I was fighting the "Krusher"! Those same people are not going to come out now and say they were wrong. That just doesn't happen in boxing. My whole career, they set the bar one place and when we reach that goal, they push the bar back and say, "You did that, now try to do this!" (Laughing) Or they take away from it in some way. There is such a thing as a fight being close, but with a clear winner, and that was me. Kovalev saying he lost because he's not American is not a good look for him and his team. He is biting the hand that has been feeding him over the years. This isn't his first fight in America or his first fight in Las Vegas, but it is the first time a fight didn't go his way. Now he's falling apart and blaming everyone but himself. This is showing me a lot about him as a person. It's a weakness of sorts; very revealing. It's a side I've never seen from him before. Not a good look.
BT: When the critics and naysayers don't want to give you credit, even after you proved them wrong, how do you deal with that, knowing that no matter what you do, it'll never be enough?
AW: When I was younger, those that you just mentioned used to grab a lot more of my attention, more of my energy, more of my time. I used to save articles, remember names, and I would literally repeat the things they said as I trained to motivate myself. I simply was bent on proving them wrong at all costs. God had to deliver me from that mindset. (Laughing) I don't need that to motivate me anymore. Just to be clear, we aren't talking about constructive criticism coming from a good place. We all need some of that in our lives. The best way I can describe the one's you mentioned are people who always have a lot to say, and it's typically doom and gloom, but rarely have any suggestions on how to help you improve or get better. They always have a negative forecast. I would rather have the courage to get out of the boat and try to walk on water, even though I might fail, instead of not having the courage to get out of the boat, criticizing the ones who do. Critics come with the territory; it comes with success. Those who are successful in any field are more criticized than those who aren't. They have books out about this stuff. (Laughing) I've had to learn the hard way that not everyone is going to be happy for your achievements in life. It's just the way it is. God bless them! They are who they are, but they don't get much of my time, energy, or focus these days. I'm too busy trying to make something of myself, trying to be great, building a legacy, and trying to touch and influence as many people in life as possible. I won't be distracted by the nonsense. I'm trying to glorify God with my life, not get involved in that kind of stuff.
BT: I hear you, but it seems like there's a lot of over-the-top criticism aimed directly at you, particularly from specific individuals in the boxing media. Don't you think that's a little strange?
AW: Well, I think there are a lot of great boxing writers and great individuals who cover the sport the right way. We need them in the sport just as much as they need us fighters. As far as the over-the-top criticism, I think that goes beyond just boxing sometimes. I don't talk the way they want me to talk, I don't act the way they want me to act, I'm not who they want me to be, and I don't fit in their neat little box, so they attempt to create this character or this narrative and it just doesn't fit who I am. But that's okay because when people get the opportunity to interact with me, they get to experience what I'm really about and I'm cool with that.
ANDRE WARD SPEAKS IN-DEPTH ABOUT HIS VICTORY AND SERGEY KOVALEV'S EXCUSES: "IT'S NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE KRUSHER" || FIGHTHYPE.COM
By Ben Thompson | December 21, 2016
BT: Unified light heavyweight champion Andre Ward! Has it sunk in yet?
AW: Not really. I think it might start to sink in when I officially get all of these belts. I haven't gotten all of 'em yet and I've been on my lawyer almost daily like, "Please reach out to the sanctioning bodies and see when I can get all of my straps." People don't know that you don't take the belts home with you the night of the fight unless the belts are vacant. If you take them from a champion, you get to have them in the ring and at the post-fight press conference, but you have to physically give them back and you literally wait until your belts come in the mail, and that's what I'm doing. I'm waiting for them all to come in the mail. (Laughing) It's been a little while since I've had some hardware. I don't remember what year it was when I vacated the WBC belt, but it was time. I had a little bit more room in the trophy case and I felt like I was due, you know, I really did. We made it happen and I can't wait to get 'em all.
BT: When you had the long layoff and you were dealing with the injuries and the promotional issue, were you still confident that everything would work out and eventually you would get to this point in your career?
AW: I didn't know what was going to happen honestly. I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I just knew that I was fighting for what I believed in in the midst of criticism and in the midst of people commenting on the situation without really having any of the details or the facts. I'm a person that will fight for my conviction until the end. That's just the way that I am. So in my natural eyes, no, I didn't see it, but that's where my faith came in place, when I had those moments where I felt like it may be over and I may have to retire. I have people in my life, bro, that kept me encouraged. I can remember a conversation that I had with my pastor. I was like, "Man, this is not looking too good. You think this is it?" He laughed and was like, "Listen, God's got too much glory that he's gotta get out of you. You've got way too much more you need to do in your life and career. This is a season and it's going to pass." I remember thinking like, "He's not hearing me. He doesn't see what I see. This situation is not good." It's just important to have people of faith around you that can sometimes see when you can't see because he was right.
BT: Have you had a chance to watch the fight yet?
AW: Nah. I take a couple weeks to kind of decompress and just get my mind off of boxing, even though that's not going to happen completely because no matter where I go, people are talking about it. Obviously I was in there, so I know what happened, but eventually I'll get by myself and I'll watch it. This fight, for me, was my favorite performance. I don't ever want to be on the canvas, you know, I'm not a fan of that and I don't subscribe to that, but at the same time, these things happen and sometimes God will put you in these situations to show you that you can get through them. When you get through them, I'm telling you, bro, it makes you strong. To be down early against this guy, who everybody said was this big puncher and the best light heavyweight in the world, to basically laugh at the knockdown, get up, and then go to work and come back, man, it makes you feel like there's nothing you can't overcome. I'm happy I got one of those under the belt. I can't even tell you the amount of people, whether it's my peers in the game or just fans in general, who have watched the fight and told me, "I was so inspired by that fight because it taught me so much." I'm like, "What do you mean? I just did my job." And they're like, "Nah, you don't realize how you inspired me, to be down early and have to come back and face a giant, a guy that nobody thought you could beat, and not back down." All these different things that people pulled from the fight really amazed me.
BT: Going into the fight, all of the talk was that he would be the bigger, more powerful man inside the ring. Now that you've had a chance to face him, was that an accurate statement?
AW: Well, he was the bigger man, but I don't know about more powerful. You see, you can't measure the heart of a man, a man's desire, or where a man is willing to go for the victory. Again, I never want to be on the canvas, never, but on that night, that's what it took to break him down mentally and then physically. I wasn't supposed to get up, and I certainly wasn't supposed to do what I did the rest of the fight. He was mentally beaten and physically broken down. That's never happened to him. He's going to have to mentally bounce back if there is a rematch, and I'm not sure he can.
BT: Any time you got inside, it seemed like you were trying to get work done while Kovalev was the one initiating a lot of the clinching and holding. Do you think he called you a dirty fighter before the fight on purpose to maybe put that idea into the referee or a judge's head?
AW: Let me explain what a dirty fighter looks like! Someone who intentionally hits another fighter behind the head, we call that a rabbit punch in boxing. Someone who intentionally hits another fighter below the belt line, we call that a low blow in boxing. Someone who intentionally hits with elbows or any kind of illegal foul repeatedly, that is a dirty fighter. It's the inside work, bro. It's putting Kovalev in places he doesn't like to be. He can't stand it and wants no part of it. He should acknowledge that instead of making excuses. It's not a good look for the Krusher. This is the first time I have dealt with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and I think they did a great job from top to bottom. The whole week, I felt they handled their business in a professional manner for both camps. I think they also did a great job scoring the fight. Not just because I won (laughing), but because the score was consistent and it was unanimous; not split, not majority, but unanimous. For three judges to score the same fight the exact same way, that says a lot to me.
BT: When they cry robbery as opposed to just saying it was a close, competitive fight, does that take away from what you were able to accomplish?
AW: I have no problem with someone thinking I lost. I disagree, but that's fine. But anyone crying robbery, they just went too far. The last time I checked, this isn't the first close fight in boxing. But many didn't think the fight would be that close. You have to realize, a lot of those who are saying that [robbery] are those who felt I was not going to be standing at the end of the fight. I mean, how could I? I was fighting the "Krusher"! Those same people are not going to come out now and say they were wrong. That just doesn't happen in boxing. My whole career, they set the bar one place and when we reach that goal, they push the bar back and say, "You did that, now try to do this!" (Laughing) Or they take away from it in some way. There is such a thing as a fight being close, but with a clear winner, and that was me. Kovalev saying he lost because he's not American is not a good look for him and his team. He is biting the hand that has been feeding him over the years. This isn't his first fight in America or his first fight in Las Vegas, but it is the first time a fight didn't go his way. Now he's falling apart and blaming everyone but himself. This is showing me a lot about him as a person. It's a weakness of sorts; very revealing. It's a side I've never seen from him before. Not a good look.
BT: When the critics and naysayers don't want to give you credit, even after you proved them wrong, how do you deal with that, knowing that no matter what you do, it'll never be enough?
AW: When I was younger, those that you just mentioned used to grab a lot more of my attention, more of my energy, more of my time. I used to save articles, remember names, and I would literally repeat the things they said as I trained to motivate myself. I simply was bent on proving them wrong at all costs. God had to deliver me from that mindset. (Laughing) I don't need that to motivate me anymore. Just to be clear, we aren't talking about constructive criticism coming from a good place. We all need some of that in our lives. The best way I can describe the one's you mentioned are people who always have a lot to say, and it's typically doom and gloom, but rarely have any suggestions on how to help you improve or get better. They always have a negative forecast. I would rather have the courage to get out of the boat and try to walk on water, even though I might fail, instead of not having the courage to get out of the boat, criticizing the ones who do. Critics come with the territory; it comes with success. Those who are successful in any field are more criticized than those who aren't. They have books out about this stuff. (Laughing) I've had to learn the hard way that not everyone is going to be happy for your achievements in life. It's just the way it is. God bless them! They are who they are, but they don't get much of my time, energy, or focus these days. I'm too busy trying to make something of myself, trying to be great, building a legacy, and trying to touch and influence as many people in life as possible. I won't be distracted by the nonsense. I'm trying to glorify God with my life, not get involved in that kind of stuff.
BT: I hear you, but it seems like there's a lot of over-the-top criticism aimed directly at you, particularly from specific individuals in the boxing media. Don't you think that's a little strange?
AW: Well, I think there are a lot of great boxing writers and great individuals who cover the sport the right way. We need them in the sport just as much as they need us fighters. As far as the over-the-top criticism, I think that goes beyond just boxing sometimes. I don't talk the way they want me to talk, I don't act the way they want me to act, I'm not who they want me to be, and I don't fit in their neat little box, so they attempt to create this character or this narrative and it just doesn't fit who I am. But that's okay because when people get the opportunity to interact with me, they get to experience what I'm really about and I'm cool with that.
ANDRE WARD SPEAKS IN-DEPTH ABOUT HIS VICTORY AND SERGEY KOVALEV'S EXCUSES: "IT'S NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE KRUSHER" || FIGHTHYPE.COM
They could fight in March at the very latest. Lara is already in camp, Andrade is already in camp....they could fight now, but nope. Lara wants to delay the fight "supposedly" that's he wants because fighting The Rabbi is more important
"
"
....Lara is delaying the fight but Andrade taking 8 months to get a fight done with a euro bum 
