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Well, Pacquiao vs Mosley fight week is over, so onward and upward. On to the next one. Whatever it is that people would say there.
That means it is now Ward vs Abraham fight week here at Bad Left Hook. Sure, it's not Manny Pacquiao, but it's a fight, and it's significant. Saturday will be Arthur Abraham's last chance, perhaps, to prove that he wasn't an overhyped, protected fighter when he was plying his trade in the German rings, but he's got a tall order: Bad Left Hook No. 1 super middleweight Andre Ward, who has risen to the top of the sport since his November 2009 destruction of Mikkel Kessler to kick off the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
Doesn't it seem like that fight was further in the past than just 19 months ago? The Super Six has had its hiccups and problems, and this fight nearly got scrapped, too, when Abraham and his promoter Sauerland Event protested the appointment of a California referee for the fight. But with Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon assigned to the fight, it's on.
Here's Ward discussing his preparation for the fight this past week during the Pacquiao vs Mosley festivities in Las Vegas. Ward's take on tough training camps is something that makes me think of so many guys who could use this attitude -- badly.
Andre Ward: "When you come to my training camp, I'm not the center of attention. I'm really not. I'm the world champion, but I'm not the center of attention. I've got to come in here and work like everybody else. I've got young guys coming in here, trying to prove something, and I've got to hold them off every single day. At the end of the day, it's work. And we're always striving. And my coach, he doesn't cut me any slack. He encourages me. But he doesn't cut me any slack. He says, 'Man, you're not good yet. You've still got work to do.' So when you've got the main guy who runs your camp telling you that, it makes you want to keep working."
Stay tuned to Bad Left Hook this week as we cover all angles of this fight, leading up to live coverage on Saturday night. The show begins on Showtime at 10pm EDT.