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Andre Ward returning to ring, giving his side of his story

Andre Ward, left, connects against Edwin Rodriguez during a fight at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Nov. 16, 2013.

Andre Ward, left, connects against Edwin Rodriguez during a fight at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Nov. 16, 2013.

(Harry How / Getty Images)
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Andre Ward, the unbeaten super-middleweight world boxing champion, is a principled man, in possession of a belief system that has drawn criticism but at day’s end is his alone.

Ward (28-0, 15 knockouts) last week announced his return to the ring -- only his second fight in two years and fourth since Dec. 17, 2011 -- in the co-main event on the Nov. 21 HBO pay-per-view card headlined by middleweight champion Miguel Cotto vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The bout represents Ward’s debut at 175 pounds, and although the opponent, believed to be a Colombian fighter named Alexander Brand (24-1, 19 KOs), has yet to be officially named, the news release announcing the match mentioned another fighter boxing fans want to see face Ward.

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An official for Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, Ward’s promoter, said, “We are hopeful that Nov. 21 is the first step toward a 2016 showdown with [light-heavyweight champion] Sergey Kovalev.”

Ward, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist who stands as the last U.S. fighter to hold that title, captured greater attention by winning Showtime’s “Super Six” super-middleweight tournament in a field that included Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor.

But contractual problems with Ward’s late Southland-based promoter Dan Goossen surfaced, limiting the Oakland fighter’s time in the ring and leaving him open to potshots from those who didn’t like his fighting style, his disposition and/or his feud with the likable Goossen.

“No disrespect, but I don’t make decisions based on opinions. Doesn’t factor in at all,” Ward told The Times on Saturday in his first interview following the fight announcement.

“I don’t owe any explanations for anybody I’m fighting. I do feel at times like I’m always proving myself. But I also feel that I’m proven. I’ve proven I can get to the mountaintop. ... People are entitled to their opinion, I respect them, but it doesn’t mean they’re right.”

Ward knows he can never win arguing the merits of his case against the late Goossen. He knew fully the repercussions of letting days tick off the calendar during the prime of his career. That’s in the past. Now, at 31, he says he’s focused on the further ambition so many have pressed him to seek.

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“I’m on a mission to be one of the greatest fighters who ever laced up a pair of gloves, a guy who they say fought the best and beat the best,” Ward said. “And when it’s over, all the debaters, they can debate. I know what I dedicate to the sport and what kind of fighter I am -- with or without the support of some of the boxing media. What I’m telling you is, don’t believe how the critics are trying to leave me perceived. It’s not accurate.”

Questions remain about Ward’s ability to draw an audience outside California, where he’s fought 11 of his last 12 bouts, but he describes his fan base as “tremendous” and expects crowds to gravitate toward what he calls the “major stage” of his fights.

“Those same [people] saying no one wants to see me fight, these are the same people who said I wouldn’t be a good pro or that I wasn’t the guy they thought I was the first time I got knocked down, who didn’t give me a shot in the ‘Super Six.’ It’s the same stuff, regurgitated,” Ward said.

“Everybody wants me to fight somebody who they deem as a threat. But look at my track record. I’ve fought the best competition that was out there. Edwin Rodriguez [in 2013] was the No. 1 contender. So then the critics say, ‘Well, he’s cleaned out the division, he needs to move up.’ But they won’t put that pressure on this guy or that guy ... because that’s their pick, the guy they want to succeed.

“Once Kovalev is over, then guess what? It’ll be someone else. I understand the game, I’ve studied the game. There are biases and double standards in the sport of boxing.”

Ward expressed confidence that the Kovalev fight will happen.

“Kovalev has done it the right way, he’s willing to fight the best,” Ward said. “I’m passionate about my job, I’m passionate about what I do. ... I’ve been ready for these moments for 10 years. When the business side falls into place, then that fight’ll happen.”

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He also expressed willingness to fight whomever emerges from the middleweight field, with unbeaten Gennady Golovkin pushing for title-unification fights against the Cotto-Alvarez winner, the Dec. 5 Daniel Jacobs-Peter Quillin winner and the Dec. 19 Andy Lee-Billy Joe Saunders winner.

“I don’t have any issues with my weight,” Ward said. “Weight has never been an issue.”

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