Ward vs Froch: Andre Ward Gives A Glimpse Into His Private Life

Andre Ward recently gave an interesting interview with Oakland Tribune's Jeff Faraudo. In this piece, Ward touches on his faith, his family, and his style. Normally I'm not all that interested in a boxer's faith, but Ward gets advice from an unlikely person. His guide is Napoleon Kaufman. If that name sounds somewhat familiar, then it is probably from Kaufman's previous occupation, playing in the National Football League. Kaufman was drafted in the first round (18th overall) by the Oakland Raiders as a running back. He ended up playing for 6 years until he promptly quit to pursue a career as a minister. Hopefully, that does not transfer to Ward but nonetheless Ward thinks that Kaufman's background helps him spiritually.

"I'm a Christian who happens to be an athlete, not the other way around. I don't think it was a coincidence that Napoleon, as a former Christian athlete, was able to help me navigate."

[ Related: Ward vs Froch Fight Camp 360 Full Episode ]

Kaufman says that Ward has his priorities in the correct order: Faith, Family, and then Boxing. This order keeps Ward involved with his family while he is training for big fights. Anyone who has seen Fight Camp 360 knows that Ward doesn't leave his home in Oakland for camp like most fighters. He grounds himself in Oakland and simply limits the amount of interactions with his family. This yeomen attitude leads to the grounded persona that we have seen from Ward, in contrast to his upcoming opponent the boisterous Carl Froch.

"I see sometimes how guys may make a buffoon of themselves to sell a few more tickets. They create this image, and when it's all said and done, it's like everything falls out from under them. They have no stability. I never wanted to be one of those guys."

Through this interview, you see that Andre Ward lives a family life much like Chad Dawson. He's not a talker like Floyd Mayweather and he doesn't try to do everything like Manny Pacquiao. However, he does have some charisma outside of the ring that could be used to elevate him to a star outside of the Bay Area. Do you guys think that Andre Ward has what it takes to be the next PPV star?