The Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. will host the June 20th return of all-world light heavyweight Andre Ward as he returns to the rings for the first time since November of 2013 to face veteran Paul Smith in a catch-weight bout at 172 lbs. The books have opened Ward a massive (-5500) favorite over Smith, who is returning (+2200).
Ward is the big story here, as he holds the WBC and WBA World Super Middleweight championships and he may very well return to that weight class after this match. He sat out all of 2014, basically looking for big matches and big opportunities and then getting caught up in a lawsuit with promoter Goosen-Tutor. While he was sitting out, Ward turned 31 and took a lot of time out of the middle of his prime years, so this return bout is a way of getting him back into the ring and competing again.
Smith is a hard working veteran who is 35-5 overall, and in his last two outings he dueled with Arthur Abraham for his WBO Super Middleweight title, losing both times. Those were the first two world title shots he has earned after a long career at the regional title level. In the first fight against Abraham, he made a credible showing, at least enough to earn an immediate rematch. Unfortunately for Smith, Abraham arrived a bit more focused for the rematch and he had an easier time winning the second bout.
For Ward, this is his first fight since signing with Roc Nation Sports as a promotional company. Ward needs an impressive performance, as he is fighting at home and expectations are very high. Before his long layoff, he was rated as one of the top five fighters in the world pound for pound, and he had dispatched most of the super middleweight fighters en route to winning Showtime’s Super 6 tournament.
But even when he was being lauded for his skill, Ward was put down a bit for a methodical , technical, non-fan friendly style, and he had failed to break through into being one of boxing’s big draws. The layoff has basically left Andre Ward a forgotten man and Paul Smith has been brought in so that Ward can provide a reminder.
