WARD SHAKES OFF 19 MONTHS
Andre Ward
Oakland, CA– The “House that Andre Built” wasn’t filled anywhere near capacity as Jay Zee and his Roc Nation Sports promotional group pitched their tent here for World 168 lb. champ Andre Ward in his first fight in nearly 19 months.
RUST EVIDENT EARLY
The 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, thought to be “rusty” was a tad off early on, as he pitched a shutout before stopping unheralded Paul Smith at 1:46 of round nine.
ANDRE GETS “EASY NIGHT” AT HOME
Utilizing his edge in hamdspeed, footwork and overall ability, who are we kidding, Ward clearly outclassed Smith through the first nine frames. The most excitement was a staredown between rounds eight and nine.
BET TELEVISION IN 90 MILLION HOMES
Round nine saw Ward put his foot on the gas, landing clean single shots, Ward began catching the game lad from Liverpool, UK with short combinations. With nobody down and Ward pushing the action, referee Lou Moret stopped the fight with no argument from Smith or his people.
“I DON’T WANNA’ TALK ABOUT GGG”
Andre Ward continued: “I’m tired of talking about him.” When pressed on whether or not he fights again at super middlweight (168) as this fight was at 173. Ward is now 28-0, 15 KOS. Smith declines to 35-6, 23 KOs.
Pedro Fernandez
ANDRE WARD WINS RETURN ON BET TV