Zitat des Tages von Andre Ward:
Anytime you fight a champion, you got to watch the tape closely and study him closely.
I wouldn't call myself a brawler.
People who know me know that I'm not going to open my mouth and say something if I don't mean it. I'm very short and sweet. I'm old-school when it comes to it: I say what I mean and mean what I say, and then get off of it. It's simple as that.
Chasing greatness - it's what I'm about.
Pilates is phenomenal.
People are entitled to their opinion. I respect them, but it doesn't mean they're right.
I get the headlines for being slick and different things like that - which is part of my game - but it's just amazing to me that a lot of times, the people don't see the other things that go on in that ring. But a lot of times, when my opponents figure it out, the fight is over. It's too late.
One of the reasons why I signed up with Roc Nation was because of their ability to not just have a vision of doing things but the actual ability and resources to carry that vision out.
It takes time for people to respect you.
I want to be able to look back and say that I stood where I was supposed to stand. I fought where I was supposed to fight, in the ring and out of the ring.
I have showed things in sparring and camp that I don't show in fights.
I still don't think the world has seen the best Andre Ward. Initially, I just wanted to get in there and win.
I went to a nutritionist; my diet is pretty clean, but I wanted to get some more knowledge and understanding in some areas. My two favorite things, Clif Bars and lattes, she just destroyed in our first meeting. Coffee is fine, but soy is the most genetically modified food that we eat.
You don't get points for leaving the chin open.
You have to change on the fly. You have to adapt. It's what I do. It's what wins for me.
My thing is that if you love the sport, appreciate the sport as a whole. If you love the sport, you love the slick boxer; you love the guy who can box and punch. You love the brawler.
I was not intimidated by Kessler's record.
Not fighting, avoiding talking to fans... that's when the thoughts creep in about retiring and moving on to something else.
Getting hit is not cool.
More time than not, athletes, specifically fighters, have a 15 or 20-year career, and unfortunately, we end up right where we started when it's over. All we have is maybe a round of applause when we walk in a room - Hey, there's the champ! That's great; I want that, but I've got to have something tangible to show for it, too.
Once a fighter becomes enamoured with another, to the point where they can't perform and compete, you have got problems.
I typically do the opposite of what people think I am going to do.
I don't think anyone in that Roc Nation office gets eight hours of sleep; I highly doubt it. They're constantly working, and they're on top of everything, and they have a department for everything.
In terms of PPV, you've got to have the right dancing partner.
It's not all the time, but you get a sense when you're reading something that it's no longer about boxing or the performance. It's personal.
Being a champion is not just being a frontrunner and being ahead, but it's facing adversity.
There's a lot of ways to win a belt, but taking it from a champion is very important to me.
If people are honest, they'll admit that I do have a fan base.
I don't have one polarizing message. It is just about being consistent over the years.
I see sometimes how guys may make a buffoon of themselves to sell a few more tickets. They create this image, and when it's all said and done, it's like everything falls out from under them. They have no stability. I never wanted to be one of those guys.
This is called prizefighting for a reason.
Whether it's Alexander Brand or Sergey Kovalev, I approach every situation the same way.
He was competitive in every fight and brought his best every time out, so I have nothing personal against Froch. I actually like him a lot because he reminds me a lot of myself with his competitiveness.
From my position, obviously I want to maximise my potential and go as far as I can go and as high as I can go, but I'm not chasing fame. I get enough of that.
I'm not a dirty fighter. Everybody knows that.
Going through a long legal battle is not what you sign up for as a fighter.