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From the day that the late Frank Ward took his nine-year-old son to meet veteran trainer Virgil Hunter at King’s Gym in Oakland, CA for his first boxing lesson - learning how to hit without getting hit – he knew that his son had the desire and raw talent to do something special in the sport.
Combining that desire and talent with a lightning-quick left hand and a strong faith in God, Andre “S.O.G.” (Son of God) Ward worked his way from the streets of San Francisco and Oakland to Olympic Gold to an unbeaten professional record as a superstar in the making promoted by Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions.
Once introduced to boxing in the gym where he first hit the heavy bag and looked for and received Hunter’s approval, Andre was hooked and dedicated. According to Hunter, who doubles as Andre’s mentor and godfather, Andre arrived at the gym to work out at 5:00 am every day – three hours before the start of school. He outworked everybody including Hunter’s teenage fighters, showing maturity well beyond his years. Andre and Hunter have been inseparable ever since.
At the age of ten, Andre lost a controversial split-decision in his first amateur fight. But young Ward had no time for disappointment. Instead, he re-dedicated himself to training and in a rematch, beat his opponent so badly that the kid retired from the ring—bloodied and disillusioned by Andre’s superior attack.
Over the past dozen years, Andre has had his way with his opponents – both winning and looking good.
He was the California Silver Gloves Champion for three consecutive years before winning the 2001 U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs.
His crowning moment as an amateur came at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece when he beat Magomed Aripgadjiev, of Belarus, for the Gold medal in the light heavyweight division. In the process he kept alive a winning streak in amateur boxing that began as a 14-year-old in 1998, and culminated with “The Star Spangled Banner” being played on the victory stand.
Confident—but not cocky, Andre is well aware of the historical significance of his Olympic Gold medal and is prepared to fill the shoes of those who have gone before him, such as Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) won the Gold in 1960, Joe Frazier in 1964… George Foreman in 1968… Sugar Ray Leonard in 1976… and Oscar de la Hoya in 1992—all great Olympians, who went on to have great professional careers.
Andre used his Olympic success as a springboard to a pro career in which he is currently 16-0 with eleven knockouts as a super middleweight. Managed by James Prince and trained by Virgil Hunter, Andre kicked off his professional career with a second-round technical knockout of Chris Molina in an HBO-televised bout from the Staples Center in Los Angeles in December 2004. He then stopped three straight opponents before pounding out six-round, unanimous decision victories over Darnell Boone and Kendall Gould.
Back in April, 2006, Andre appeared in the co-feature on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” and stopped undefeated Andy Kolle in the sixth round of his first scheduled eight-rounder in Connecticut.
While training for an August fight set for Reno, Nevada, Andre sustained a hand injury forcing postponement of the bout.
Andre Ward is dedicated to his craft. He has studied all the great fighters, and tries to take something from all of them en route to the standard he has set for himself to become the best boxer - ever. For style and foot-speed: Muhammad Ali. For hand-speed: Roy Jones Jr. For longevity: Bernard Hopkins. For passion and commitment: his father—Frank Ward.
And, in addition to Andre and his handlers, the legions of Ward’s believers are starting to line up.
The principals at Jordan, a division of Nike, Inc., named after the great Michael Jordan, so impressed by his limitless potential and tremendous work ethic, made Andre only the second professional boxer to be signed to an endorsement deal with the Beaverton, Oregon-based company. In signing the three-year deal, Andre joined his friend and co-promoter Roy Jones, Jr. as the only participants in the “Sweet Science” so honored by Jordan, joining the likes of other sports superstars Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and Ray Allen (NBA); Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones (MLB); and Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss and Jason Taylor (NFL).
MOST RECENT BOUT:
Andre had his most impressive outing as a young pro against former world title challenger, Rubin Williams in front of 5,000 screaming fans at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Williams provided Andre his toughest challenge to date, although Andre controlled the match from the onset and stopped Williams in the seventh round in a fight scheduled for ten. The Ward-Williams bout was the main attraction on the very successful and long running “Best Damn Sports Show Period” televised on Fox Sports Net.
Toping that dominating performance, Andre captured his first belt by knocking out his tought opponent to date in former Olympian Jerson Ravelo. Andre won the NABO Championship with his virtuoso performance that night in the Cayman Islands.
FAMILY:
Andre was raised in the Bay Area by his parents, Frank and Madeline. His godfather, trainer and mentor Virgil Hunter has long been a father figure in Andre’s life, especially after his dad’s passing.
Along with his wife, Tiffiney, and sons Andre, Jr. (age 5), Malachi (4) and Amira Lecian (1), Andre lives a pure Christian life, with another child on the way.
EDUCATION:
Andre attended public school in the Hayward, California school system. He went to Fairview Elementary School and the Bret Harte Middle School before going on to Hayward High School. He left school a year before graduating and says he plans on finishing someday, although his education in the Christian faith is ongoing.
A multi-sport athlete, Andre was an All-Star baseball player in Little League and Pony League, but concentrated on football in school. As a running back and strong safety, Andre attracted interest from Oregon State University and several junior colleges.
WHY BOXING:
When he was a youngster, Andre’s father, who was 15-0 as a heavyweight, used to tell him stories about how he trained and some of the rivals he had. Andre is driven like his father was, and he wanted to follow in his footsteps as a boxer. So they went to the gym one day and worked with the house trainer and met Virgil Hunter. They invited Virgil to their home for dinner and Andre worked out on the deck outside the house which was shaped like a boxing ring. They did some working out with the mitts and Virgil liked what he saw, and hey have been together ever since, some ten years.
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS:
CHILDHOOD HERO: “My late father, Frank Ward, and my godfather, Virgil Hunter”
PEOPLE MOST ADMIRED: “Same as above”
EARLIEST BOXING MEMORY: “Losing my first amateur fight”
GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT: “Winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece”
PRE-FIGHT FEELING: “A combination of being anxious and a little nervous, but I also have the assurance in knowing that I have prepared myself.”
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: “I’m a Christian, so I spend a lot of time at my church: The Well Church, in Dublin, California. My wife and kids and I are probably there 2-3 times a week. And, whatever I am doing with my family is a priority for me. My hobby is my family.
FAVORITE MUSIC: “Gospel”
FAVORITE MEAL: “Pasta”
FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL: “Granola”
FAVORITE JUNK FOOD: “Ice Cream”
FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: “Vanilla Bean”
FIRST JOB: “Working at a car wash in Hayward, California”
FAVORITE BOXERS TO WATCH: “Roy Jones, Jr., Floyd Mayweather and all the greats like Sugar Ray
Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard”
TOUGHEST OPPONENT: “Two-time 178-pound amateur world champion Evgeny Makarenko. I beat him in the quarter-finals on the way to winning my Olympic Gold medal.”
FAVORITE FIGHT: “Winning the Olympic Gold medal against another boxer from Belarus -- Magomed Aripgadjiev”
MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: “I can’t remember one”
CHILDHOOD DREAMS: “To be all that God wants me to be”
GOALS: “As long as I am in this game I want to be the best that I can be. I have a hunger, a desire to win that I believe is second to none. And I want to touch as many people as I possibly can touch, be it on the airwaves, on the TV, or just coming to my fights.
THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE BOXING FANS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU:
“One thing I want people to know is that I am a multi-sport athlete. I could have played a number of different sports. But this is the sport I was most dedicated to.”
PRESENT:
KO’d his most dangerous challenge to date against former Olympian from the Dominican Republic, Jerson Ravelo. The bout was part of a Showtime broadcast from the beautiful Cayman Islands in the Caribbean on June 20, 2008.
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