Boxer Andre Ward has "delivered in the ring with a 30-0 record," but all of the success Ward has "achieved in his decorated career hasn't translated to high ticket sales," according to Gilbert Manzano of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Ward won a Gold Medal in the '04 Athens Games, but he has "failed to become a household name" like fellow Olympic champs Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya, and it "remains a mystery as to why." He has the "looks, speaks eloquently, had a movie role in the film 'Creed,' his promoter is rapper Jay-Z, and he’s sponsored by Jordan, arguably the most popular sports brand behind Nike." Ward said, "You need to find the right opponent. That right opponent where people want to come to Las Vegas to pay to see the fight." Manzano notes Ward moved up from the super middleweight division to light heavyweight "to challenge unified champion Sergey Kovalev ... Saturday at T-Mobile Arena," but he is "not after fame outside the ring." Ward: "I’m not chasing fame. I get enough of it. I’m fine going to places and not everybody knowing who I am, but there’s not many places where I go throughout the country where I’m not recognized.” Ward "doesn’t understand why people want him to be a bigger star." Ward: "How big is big? How far are we talking? Amount of followers on Instagram? And is Floyd and Pacquiao the barometer? In terms of pay-per-view numbers, you need the right dance partner" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/18).
RACE IN THE RING: In L.A., Dylan Hernandez notes it "wouldn't have taken this long" for Ward to headline a PPV if the African-American boxer "looked Irish." A fighter's ethnicity "influences his popularity," and white fighters "have traditionally enjoyed greater acclaim than non-white fighters of similar abilities." An increasing share of boxing's viewership "has become Latino over the last couple of decades, resulting in more opportunities for Latino fighters," particularly Mexicans and Mexican Americans. Hernandez: "The flip side of that is that African American fighters such as Ward are finding it harder to develop large followings." Floyd Mayweather Jr. was able to "re-brand himself as a trash talker who boasted about his earnings." But Ward asked, "Why does every African American fighter have to be the villain?" Virgil Hunter, Ward's trainer, said, "We're not going to play that buffoon role. The main thing is to keep your head up, keep your dignity and make sure you are who you are" (L.A. TIMES, 11/18).
NOT A FAIR COMPARISON: Two-time Gold Medalist Claressa Shields makes her pro debut Saturday on the undercard of Ward-Kovalev, but YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote it is "laughable that anyone would seriously suggest" that Shields will wind up "doing for women’s boxing what Ronda Rousey has done for women’s mixed martial arts." That sentiment has "nothing to do with Shields," who has "star quality." It instead has "everything to do with a clueless boxing establishment that doesn’t want to invest in its business." Boxing promoters "think event to event," and there is "little long-term planning." Talent alone "doesn’t make a person a star," as Shields will "need help." Whoever promotes her -- she "signed a one-fight deal with Roc Nation Sports for this fight, against Franchon Crews -- will have to invest heavily in her and bring her around the country." It will have to "put her on television regularly." It is going to be "expensive, and there won’t be an immediate return, and very few boxing promoters are willing to do that" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/17).
