Column: Respect flows across athletic boundaries between Andre Ward and his admirers

Athletes, in their greatness, make otherworldly feats appear simple. Yet, greatness in the boxing ring is spun from a source so complex that explaining it to the public can be a futile task for the performer.

Andre Ward stands now as America’s best active boxer, and — serving as proof that athletic brilliance is often best grasped by mutual know-it-when-you-see-it appreciation — consider his circle of friends.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors and recently retired Super Bowl-champion running back Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks, along with various NFL and MLB players in the Bay Area, have bonded with Ward, providing him with a powerful, inspiring dialogue.

“It’s something you have deep down inside — the years of sacrifice, the years of mining and working your craft, learning to compete when the lights are on,” Ward said. “It’s a beautiful thing. And the word that pops into my mind the most about what we have is respect .... We pull on each other.”

The last U.S. Olympic male gold medalist in the sport, Ward hasn’t lost a fight since adolescence. He’s 29-0 as a pro, has held the WBA and WBC super-middleweight titles and on Saturday night in his hometown of Oakland, he’ll take a warm-up light-heavyweight fight against veteran Alexander Brand on HBO.

If Ward wins, it will set up a much-anticipated Nov. 19 pay-per-view showdown against three-belt light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) of Russia.

“That’s what I live for,” Ward said. “To finally get my opportunity after [Saturday] is obviously a dream come true.”

Ward, 32, is an aggravating puzzle to solve -- for boxers, reporters and fans alike.

While he has just 15 knockouts, Ward’s boxing skills are at such an elite level that is he is a rarity in the sport, a non-power puncher who struggles to find opponents willing to fight him, says his longtime trainer Virgil Hunter.

He’s also willing to stand his ground outside the ring. At the peak of Ward’s success, after winning Showtime’s Super Six super-middleweight tournament in 2011, he fought only once from fall 2012 to June 2015 because of a bitter contract dispute with his former promoter Dan Goossen. An out-of-court settlement was reached and Ward went back to work.

In sessions with the media, Ward won’t hesitate to put reporters in their place.

His layoff brought criticism that Ward is a diva. Yet, by defeating experienced, rugged men like Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Chad Dawson in title bouts, how can that claim stick?

“Sometimes the media’s going to give you your just due and sometimes they don’t, so I’m just not interested in putting any energy out there to demand respect,” said Ward, now promoted by Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports.

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“People can’t define my style. There’s a lot more going on in that boxing ring than me floating around looking cute,” Ward said. “Fighters know what they’re looking at. The top guys I’ve fought … if I was just a cute fighter, picking and poking, those guys would’ve walked right through me, so there’s a lot people don’t see – maybe you just have to be in there to understand it.”

Durant, who joined the Warriors as a free agent this summer, gets it. A few years ago while playing in Oklahoma City, he sent Ward a social-media direct message of praise.

“A couple paragraphs long, telling me I’m his favorite fighter. I was blown away,” Ward said. “It just shows you people are watching and noticing. That’s a tremendous feeling — a brotherhood of athletes that can’t be verbalized sometimes with our egos. It’s a blessing he did that, and I do the same thing.

“I can’t do what they do. They can’t do what I do. But somebody fighting for their dream, being able to accomplish it and performing at a high level, that’s commendable.”

Lynch told Ward this week he’ll definitely attend Saturday’s fight against Brand, 39, who’s “got everything to gain and nothing to lose,” according to Ward.

Ward has built other friendships with the top members of the U.S. Olympic boxing team, including returning women’s gold-medalist Claressa Shields, and men’s bantamweight Shakur Stevenson, who has said Ward is his favorite fighter.

Boxing action in Brazil opens Saturday.

“They have a great opportunity,’’ said Ward, who won his gold in Athens in 2004. “It hasn’t been a good look for our team to have this kind of drought. It’s time for it to be broken.

“These guys have a shot. In terms of accomplishments, [Stevenson] is the top [male], a left-handed phenom. He has to put it together now, when it matters most. And I think he will.”

Ward ought to know.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire