"I don't feel like I should have to be backed in a corner and be in a situation where I have to fight one fighter," stated undefeated WBA & WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who gave us an update on his future plans during a recent conversation. Although the Super Six World Boxing Classic winner has yet to make a decision on his next move, Ward made it clear that his performances against top-level competition have cemented his standing as the world's top super middleweight, putting him in a position to have a number of options avalaible to him. "I'm not in a Manny Pacquiao situation or a Floyd Mayweather situation in terms of the position that I'm in right now, but I feel like, by winning the tournament, we've earned the right to have some options. There should be multiple options," Ward explained. "I'm looking forward to seeing what those options are. I'm looking forward to seeing where my next fight is going to be held, who my next fight is going to be against, and as soon as I know, the fans will know."
One option that it won't be any time soon, however, is light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins. Although there are some who have suggested a move up in weight to face Hopkins, Ward is much more interested in displaying his talent and skills against younger competition, either in his own division or perhaps one division south. "Bernard Hopkins is either 46 or 47 years old and he's a legend in the sport. I respect what he's done and I respect what he's doing. He and I both publicly said we would never fight," Ward commented, echoing similar statements made by Hopkins, who also said he would never step into the ring with the 27-year-old. "I would prefer to fight these young guys out there, either in a lower division at a catchweight or my own division. We talked about Sergio Martinez or a Chavez Jr. fight if an agreement can be made on the weight situation. Of course Bute is a fight that I want, or Kessler."
Ward continued, "If I beat BHop, what's going to be said is he's too old and needs to retire. I feel like there's really no need to fight Bernard Hopkins. I feel like it's a lose-lose situation. Bernard has put in his time and his legacy is set. I'm trying to build my legacy against fighters in my era. Again, I'm a fighter, so if it comes down to it, I'm going to do what I have to do. That's not a problem, but I would rather fight these younger fighters, like the guy in the UK, Nathan Cleverly, and guys like that. These younger fighters; fights that can be made where he has a country behind him and I got my country behind me and it can be a big mega-fight. I don't think the Bernard Hopkins fight, regardless of how many people want it to happen, is a fight that makes sense."
Indeed, despite the fact that, over the past two years, he's already faced some of the biggest names in his division, there's still a number of options available to Ward, like WBO champion Robert Stieglitz, and the two-time world champion would love nothing more than to return to Oakland to give his hometown fans an exciting performance. "Coming off of the 2 1/2 years that we just came off of, and the type of fights that we just won, I feel like it's only fitting that I come home and give the fans a great performance and a great fight. I live in the Bay Area, I'm around the Bay Area people every day, and I think the buzz is just tremendous. Seeing one of their own fight on the road and win something of the magnitude of the Super Six, they're excited for me to come back here," Ward added. "That's what I'm looking to do in my next fight, regardless of who it's against. I think that we've earned that right...when you get in a situation like we're in right now, everybody's an option. There's a lot of options; in your weight class, in the weight class below, and the weight class above."
BE SURE TO CHECK BACK SOON FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH WBA & WBC SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION ANDRE WARD
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