With just two weeks of hard training left to go, it's business as usual for Andre Ward as he gets set to challenge for his world title when he takes on WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler in the final fight of the first stage in the Super Six tournament. "No knock on Kessler, but he does everything the same way. Like A, B, C. He has a great jab and is a good combination puncher. He has mastered his style of fighting," Ward remarked, appearing unfazed with his first appearance on the big stage as he discussed the skills of his opponent.
Ward is confident in the training he's received to prepare him for his toughest challenge to date. "Guys are trying to knock my block off," he commented, pointing out the fact that his trainer, Virgil Hunter, encourages sparring partners to really bring it to Ward. On the contrary, Ward doesn't believe Kessler will be as fortunate in his preparations. "Kesler definitely can't find people to emulate me," he remarked. Ward believes the key to victory is making Kessler fight outside of his comfort zone. "Make him get out the box and do things he does not like to do," he pointed out when discussing the gameplan.
Unlike his other American counterparts, Ward will have the luxury of fighting in his own backyard as opposed to having to travel to Europe. Although he knows the crowd is always a factor in any bout, he strongly believes that his former Olympic teammate, Andre Dirrell, got a bad shake in his bout with Carl Froch. "No doubt Andre won the fight. I scored it 9 rounds to 3," he remarked. Although he did think Dirrell made some mistakes, he was still shocked to hear the scores when they were read. Vowing not to let that ever happen to him, Ward doesn't plan on leaving any question in the judges eyes, stating, "I will leave no doubts. My body language will show that I'm in command, just like it did versus Miranda."
When I asked what the future holds for the undefeated star, Ward simply replied, "the tournament first, then the sky is the limit." While he looks forward to future bouts with guys like Paul Williams and Lucian Bute, Ward remains focused on the task at hand as he hopes to prove to the world that he truly belongs among the elite of the super middleweight division.