A warrior who would push every boundary and dig into every reserve to prevail. Here we look at the heart, skill and resilience that saw Andre Ward dominate boxings toughest tournament. 🎙 Narration Credit: www.fiverr.com/share/eNzrLr
WBSS tried it but the financials were a major issue. Russia basically saved the first Cruiserweight season. And thankfully Usyk didn´t care where he fights. The second season didn´t really do anything for the division. Showtimes S6 was a clusterfuck from the start. They failed to sign Bute. Taylor lost back to back KO´s and dropped out. He was replaced by Greene, who lost both his fights. Abraham lost two fights in a row and still got into the semi finals. Abraham then took a tuneup to get his mojo back. Dirrell ended up withdrawing which forced Ward to take a tuneup aswell. And prior to Dirrell pulling out, his bout with Ward was a s-show as well, with delays and uncertainties. Fortunately, Bika was a legit contender and it was a decent fight. Kessler also had to withdraw and he was replaced by Glen Johnson, who was a nice addition, but he moved down in weight for the tournament. And I might remember this slightly wrong, but I think there was an issue with the finals as Showtime´s contract dictated that fight happen on US soil, but Frock´s team had other ideas. And this reminded me of the shitshow Froch v Abraham was. On top of it all, during each stage everyone was supposed to fight 3 times in the tournament. Out of 6 fighters, only Abraham and Froch did so. But as a fan, I freaking loved it all! Sucks that the format didn´t work out tho.
@@SuperCrazyEstonian thanks for the detailed information. Sucks that money often gets in the way of blockbuster boxing matches. A simpler tournament format would work out such as an 8-man or 16-man boxing tournament where the winner advances each round.
As a kid raised in Oakland. Stories like this are crucial for the raising of the next generation especially in the environment we are surrounded with. Ward is a hero to the boxing youth in Oakland!
I mean was a well respected fighter and one of the best of his time and his generation so enough said that you're right they need to be more tournaments like this but the best in the Square ring and unless you don't do it out that's
He is one of the best we've seen but sadly he doesn't sell much cuz of his boring style. He's in the pure boxer type kinda like a bigger floyd but that lil dude knows how to sell fights specially when he played villain starting from the Oscar(who's the most famous at his time) fight
That's a shame to hear. I prefer true champions who fight the best to test themselves rather than ducking guys because you don't want to lose. Ward did it his entire career. Full of excuses.
@@nassiglutt6587 Floyd did not start that crap with Delahoya. He did it from day 1. Living in Vegas I can say that Floyd is nobody to look up to. My girlfriend and myself saw him and 5 friends beat the hell out of a homeless man for accidentally bumping into him back in 1994 or 95. I follow the fighters very close out here. Boxing or MMA. I am everywhere in Vegas following training camps and watching for technique flaws or laziness or injuries in fighters. I see these guys alot. I know who they all are and it was no doubt Floyd that I saw do this. That's the first time I saw a fighter beat down a civilian with a herd of friends. 25 years later I watched Khabib Nurmogamedov tell one of the other 11 guys he was with you grab the boob of a woman who was with her husband to anger the man into fighting so they could hospitalize him. It worked and as the man lay unconscious one man looks right at Khabib and says what now? Khabib said and I quote " Break his bones, just another fat American." Then he goes on TV acting humble and nice. Point is, you do not know these guys enough to put them on a pedestal as role models for kids. A great majority of them are thugs and belong in prison. Delahoya turns out to be a drunk prick. Oddly enough one of the kindest fighters I spoke with repeatedly was Mike Tyson and Bernard Hopkins. Both very nice, funny, genuine and kind men. But both are former felons. Just gotta be careful who you look up too.
“I Got Dropped Man” i remember that when it happened. Everyone thought he was milking it but then he did the interview and it was a shock to hear him really think that he got knocked out & he genuinely answered that question with all that emotion. Then to find out he won. That’s what’s up.
@@Teddy-se8qb that whole tormemt was brilleant was so easy to get visas and travel to the fights aswell the second one wasnt as good though hopefully. The next one will be better
@@Teddy-se8qb That tournament barely have any names. And cruiserweight is a wasteland., lol Taylor, Froch, Abraham and Kessler were world champions at one point. Who in the WBSS had that prestige other than Gasiev?
@@suiken3149 are you slow? most of the boxers in the wbss were champs. holy fuck ward fans rely on them being brain dead. how did usyk unify all the titles during the tourney?
Andre Ward he's very underrated he's probably the smartest fighter to ever put a pair of gloves on the way he broke down the other opponents was something special to watch his technique was something special
Kovalev won the first fight in my opinion but Ward got hurt and he got up like a champion in the second fight Kovalev got hurt and he Quit and let's not forget Ward went up in weight to fight Kovalev in his prime everyone was scared of Kovalev and Ward beat him not only beat him but finished him
Andre Ward is the very key person. When i quit boxing he got me back in and would pick me up to go to the gym and sneak public transpo money in my bag for me to go home. He believe in me. -Nonito Donaire
It hits different when you see YOUR AREA. BAY AREA STAND UP! I’m an amateur boxer from The Bay Area, California. 11 fights and I’m only getting started. Thank you motivedia 🙏🏾
What made Andre so great in my opinion is that he was so versatile. It didn't matter what style the other guy brought to the ring , Andre knew how to counter it and would fight however he needed to in order to beat you.
@@Teddy-se8qbHis backyard just happens to be the habitat of the worlds best talent . This comment reeks of UK British w.e you guys call yourself now a days 📀😂
When andre first turned pro I didn’t have any faith in him but over the years he fought all the tough opponents and he made me turn into a fan! Great video
"fought all of the tough opponents"? The fuck? The guy barely fought anyone and when he did (Kovalev) he lost the first time and cheated in the second.
pretty sure usyks tournament win was better. usyk fought every opponent in their backyards and beat them. meanwhile ward forced everyone to come to oakland.
@@Drifter101z I mean, fair criticism but that doesn't make him overrated. No ine ever says he's the greatest boxer ever. Most people would say that he's a fringe top 10 boxer of his era but is for sure some where in the top 15-20, wouldn't you agree?
I hear people say he is simple and doesn't do anything spectacular but knowing how to always win is spectacular. Implies he has a spectacular IQ. Intelligence and heart and the skills to execute what he knows he needs at the moment.
Andre Ward is the definition of the sweet science. Man could do it all, he took a little something from greats and made it his own.. Ward had every tool in his boxing toolbox. But most of all he’s a winner. ANDRE WARD “SOG” God Bless you Champ..
And it’s crazy because he doesn’t do anything spectacular he’s a simple fighter but just finds a way to win it’s great to see him getting the recognition he deserves.
Knowing how to always win is spectacular. Implies he has a spectacular IQ. Intelligence and heart and the skills to execute what he knows he needs at the moment.
Its funny. Ward was "dirty" But Duran was a "warrior". Which is it. Ken Buchanan couldn't have kids after he fought roberto. But lets scapegoat Andre for some belt line shots and a headbutt
I cannot express how great this short film is. I'm just in awe of how you've taken Wards story from being a fighter nobody gave a second look at him rising to the level that he ultimately did. The odds that Ward faced were truly monumental considering the records of all the other top class fighters and Champions 🏆. You told the story of how Ward etched his way forward in some real dog fights, even upsetting the oddsmakers choices of who was favored to win it all in the Super Six Middleweight Tournament. Especially when Ward went up against Froch with one arm. But i loved the Kovalev fights where we saw Ward comeback from off the canvas to win and then rematch him to put the exclamation mark ‼️on who truly was the better fighter. Just a truly wonderful film 🎥 to experience. Nobody narrates like you do brother or sounds like you. Your a great story teller and your reputation is well deserved. This was Bloody Fantastic and I watched it 3 times so I could make sure to see every morsel of this story about the Amazing Andre Ward who I hope will go down as one of the best to ever do this sport. Stand side by side with the other legends of the sport.
@@b3bparker88 Did you watch the damn video and listen to Dawson challenging him saying I'd go to 168lbs?! I guess you only want to come on here and state falsehood! Nobody makes anyone do anything they both are in agreeance when a contract is signed!
what a fantastic tournament that was. what records these guys had, unbelievable. that tournament decided careers. this is how it should be in every division. sad for Kessler, though. i thought he would win that tournament if not for injuries. what a warrior he was.
Yo whoever had this tournament idea should be praised. This was an amazing idea and I'm sad I was too young to even know this happened. Are there more tournaments like this out there?
This is what puts Andre in a class by himself. How many other TOURNAMENTS let alone fighters who dominated them have existed in this boxing age? Ward is a different breed, I Love Floyd, Tyson, Roy, Julio, Ali, Leonard, etc… but who has done this?🤷🏾 He’s a baaaadddd man!
@@franklyn9642 Calzaghe ducked from competition, lol. He could have fought the likes of Toney, Griffin, Jones and Hopkins back in their primes. Got called out by Glen Johnson 3 times and fought cab drivers in Wales instead.
@@suiken3149 🤣🤣 more like Jones Hopkins all ran mate ! Calzaghe was champion over 10 years how could he possibly duck ?! Smashed Hopkins when he was ring magazine champion and smashed Jones still top of their game ?! Don’t be salty 46-0 says it all
SOG is one of the most underrated boxers alive. He deserves way more credit than he gets. His ring knowledge and boxing IQ is off the charts. Great run kid. 🥊👊🏽
Very underrated! I was surprised why no one liked him at the time, it was odd, he should have got bigger money fights. BUT he was DIRTY as hell with the headbutting, and it wasn't just one fight.
Known for a lot of illegal tactics, even called the Nut Puncher after the 2nd Kovalev fight, but wayyyy before that he did a ton of headbutts, as seen in his Kessler fight.
"Am happy with receiving the bronze medal and not winning the gold. It made me work that much harder, not to feel that pain again " .... That mindset 💯
One of the last in a generation that’s wasn’t satisfied with winning then inactivity. He wanted to be the best and fought the best to keep that record flawless the Andre Ward ladies and gentlemen
I love shit like this. To see these guys go head to head and leave it all in the ring just to come back around and hug each other like long lost brothers is a beautiful thing to see and its one reason why boxing is the best spot in the world. I truly believe both of these men and their teams will go on and achieve incredible feats (even though they already have) and I will be watching both along that journey.
Andre Ward is one of the most technically gifted fighters in boxing history . He's probably the greatest supermiddleweight champion ever (along with Joe Calzaghe). Thanks, Motivedia, for recognizing the man's greatness
I haven't even watched this yet and I'm stoked! This tournament was so ridiculous. I've watched it many times and he was absolutely one of the goats. The inside fighting with Alen Green is a masterclass
Imagine if the Lightweight division made a tournament like this….with fighters like Davis, Garcia, Lomachenko, Haney, Lopez and (in my opinion) Isaac Lopez or George Kambosos. No running. No hiding. The best versus the best 💯
Casual for sure, Garcia? Isaac Lopez? SMH Davis only fights slow moving boxers with zero skills. He is only 1 weight champion, the other two are fake championship belts, he has interim belts and never actives the mandatory to fight the real champions. Garcia is another for champion, basically a RU-vid fighter, he sucks.
As a person from Nottingham who lived just up the road from Carl Froch back in the day it was great to hear you say his home town and to give him some love. And also to pronounce his surname correctly the amount of content providers whom get it wrong is crazy. So thanks for that and thanks for yet another great video
Finally an Andre Ward video! I remember, years ago, when you made a poll about who was the fighter of the decade and you were gonna make a video about them and Ward only had low single digit percantage of the votes. Absolute underrated ATG and a legend who knew perfectly when to bow out, for his health and probably for his legacy
Thank you for doing this ! Dre deserves this spotlight 👏🏿... I think alot of the new fans just don't know what the super-six was and just the amount of talent that existed in that tournament and Ward outclassed them all...... And just think we never got to see a fully healthy Andre ward!
@@apolloskywalker633 nobody is really into joe calzage, he gets brought up by white dudes when they want to pretend that Joe made a statement by beating a seriously out of prime roy and Bernard. Joe has no serious statements on his paperwork.
Bro was crushed when they asked him if he knew what happened... He said.. “I Got DROPPED MAAAN!” 😂😂😂Everybody like “No you DIDNT!” 😭😭😭 shit had me weak!
From start to finish, the tone and pace of this, choice of score, the editing - even down to the little things, like putting the song lyrics/bible quote at 14:02 - so good. Probably the best retrospective of the Super Six Tournament I've seen. Thanks to everyone involved