Boxing

Andre Ward Addresses Biased Punditry Claim For Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

Andre Ward addresses claims of biased punditry during Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford.
Apratim Banerjee|
Dec 17, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Retired boxer Andre Ward on the sideline before the game between the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Dec 17, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Retired boxer Andre Ward on the sideline before the game between the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Andre Ward is part of an all-star analyst line-up for Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford. Max Kellerman, Jon Anik, and more are also on the broadcast team for the 'fight of the century'.

Canelo vs Crawford goes down on September 13 at Las Vegas and will be broadcast worldwide on Netflix. Apart from the undisputed super middleweight title, their legacies will also be on the line for the fight.

Ward's presence on the analyst panel has raised concerns that he might favor Crawford due to their close relationship. 'SOG', however, has now addressed the claims in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani.

Andre Ward speaks about Canelo vs Crawford

Andre War
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ward claims that he is professional enough not to let his relationship with Crawford get in the way of proper analysis. Ward noted that he has previously commentated on Shakur Stevenson's fights, another boxer he has personal ties with.

"I've called Shakur Stevenson's fights. You know, that's somebody I've openly said, that's a little brother. I'm a mentor. That's my guy. You know, I can, you know, I can walk and chew gum at the same."

He added

"I've been in the game a long time it's low hanging fruit. And, you know, we got to be a little bit more sophisticated than that. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time, you know, trying to convince people of my integrity or my professionalism."

During his active years, Ward was one of the best pound-for-pound superstars in boxing. He retired with a 32-0-0 record and 16 KO wins. Ward vs Canelo is a fight that fans have long wanted to see, but he now has the job of delivering expert insight into the Mexican's title defense against Crawford,.

Andre Ward publicly picked Terence Crawford to beat Canelo Alvarez

Ward hasn't hidden his prediction for Canelo vs Crawford and has openly backed 'Bud' to get the win, despite a two-division weight jump. Ward told Boxing News:

"I’m going with Terence Crawford, you know, big weight jump, dangerous fight, but somebody has got to prove to me that they can break Terence Crawford’s will and that he can’t figure it out against you."
Andre Ward

He added, "It ain’t no disrespect to Canelo but I’ve said this the last couple, I am not betting against Terence Crawford against anybody right now, you’ve got to show me that you can beat him.”

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford
IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Crawford has never lost a fight before. That said, he has never faced Canelo before, either. Canelo is an all-time great who has long been at 168 lbs. Crawford has a massive mountain to climb on September 13.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.