Despite having been retired for over six years, the allure of a return to the boxing ring seems to linger for the legendary Andre Ward. The retired professional boxer, renowned as one of the best in his generation, disclosed that the prospect of coming out of retirement has tempted him on multiple occasions. Ward boasts an impressive record of 32-0 from 2004 to 2017, including Olympic gold in 2004 and titles in super middleweight and light heavyweight.

He has revealed that either an exhibition or a professional match against Jake Paul could be the catalyst for his return. Recently, in an interview, he praised the efforts of the Youtuber-turned-boxer and the opportunities that have opened up because of the recent era of crossover boxing. He even hinted at his return in a conversation with TMZ, where he was open to face ‘The Problem Child’.

Andre Ward wouldn’t deny an exhibition fight with Jake Paul

Andre Ward has had his hands full with the launch of his memoir ‘Killing The Image: A Champion’s Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness’. He ensured that this book covered everything in his life, and not just boxing. Besides this, he was first asked about his opinions on the crossover boxing that has attracted a lot of attention in recent times. Ward stated that he doesn’t hate it, and in fact, respects the bravery of Jake Paul, Logan Paul, and Francis Ngannou for making that leap into boxing. He said, “That takes a lot of courage, takes a lot of heart.”

At the same time, Ward also talked about how Jake Paul has only benefitted the sport of boxing because he’s brought a new audience with him. He stated, “If the fanbase follows them over to boxing, then more power to ’em. I’m a fan of it, I appreciate it and I watch it.” Then on the prospect of him taking a fight like this, he wasn’t in denial of the idea.

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He claimed, “I would probably do it for the right situation. I keep myself just good enough to where if I needed 7, 8 weeks, I can take care of my business.” Not only this, but recently Ward spoke in favor of Jake Paul who has been facing a lot of criticism ever since he made his professional boxing debut.

Ward answers back to Jake Paul’s critics

In the most recent episode of The MMA Hour, Andre Ward came as the guest where he touched various topics on the sweet science. One such topic included Paul’s next boxing fight where Ward sent a stern message to all the haters of the Youtuber-turned-prizefighter. He stated despite all the criticism thrown at him, Paul is serious about the sport and is committed to real boxing.

He said, “Would he ever become a world champion, knowing how the sanctioning bodies are? They’ll probably set that up if there’s enough money involved. But I gotta respect his process. People say, ‘He’s taking away from fighters.’ How? It’s bringing eyeballs, interest, cross-promotion going on from a whole different world that Jake comes from.” He even advised the boxers to step up their game rather than get mad at a YouTuber for doing a better job at PPV sales than them.

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So, Ward bears a clear outlook on the things that are happening in the sport of boxing right now. And he sees crossover boxing as a boon rather than a curse. What are your thoughts about this? Tell us in the comments section.

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