by James Slater – News has been broken by Dan Rafael over at ESPN.com that says Andre Ward’s scheduled “Super Six” title fight defence against Allan Green has had to be postponed. The problem is the unbeaten Ward’s right knee, which has been giving the WBA 168-pound champion problems in training camp.
Ward’s right knee, already surgically repaired, has affected his ability to do proper running and roadwork and the April 24th bout will now take place at an as yet unknown later date, most likely in the summer..
“I want this fight in the worst way, and am very excited about it,” Ward told ESPN.com. “I have been having recurring problems with my right knee. I went to camp and tried for a week and a half to two weeks, and I can’t run like I’m supposed to. I want Allan Green to get an Andre Ward that’s 100 percent, just like I want an Allan Green that is 100 percent.”
Reportedly, the fighter’s physician is recommending four to six weeks of rehabilitation and rest; therefore the intriguing match-up doesn’t look like taking place until perhaps the month of May; maybe even early June.
26-year-old Ward, undefeated at 21-0(13) shook up the exciting “Super Six” Boxing Classic tournament back in November, when he upset tournament favourite and defending WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler with an 11th-round Technical Decision victory. Set to meet Green – who is 29-1(20) and who came in as Jermain’s Taylor replacement – in his next step in the Showtime tourney, Ward, known as “S.O.G,” has given his sincerest apologies for what has happened.
This, of course, is not the first fight in the “Super-Six” tournament to have been postponed. Andre Dirrell was forced to postpone his March 6th bout with Arthur Abraham due to his suffering a back injury in training; pushing the fight to its new date of March 27th. With the Ward-Green fight now out for April 24th, it will be just WBC champ Carl Froch and former champ Kessler in action that night; with this eagerly anticipated fight taking place in Kessler’s home country of Denmark.