“But, early on in life, my dad did a tremendous job of giving me and my brother Jonathan a foundation for Jesus.

But it’s a dangerous fight for him too. You should receieve a confirmation email shortly. Leonard has been quoted as saying, “Without question, Andre Ward is a winner.”, “I really appreciate that,” Ward said. The house is empty and Ward cautiously walked around the side to the backyard. Please address any comments or concerns to: Clerk of Session, Ward Church, 40000 Six Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168 or email clerkofsession@ward.church. If you or your family is not ready to come back yet, no worries! Some kids rushed over and joined father and son and Ward to pose for photos against the ring.

It's actually harder to talk me off the ledge and I have great team members [and] we sit down and talk about these things and I have to keep my word. After service, please come pick-up your child(ren) so we can disinfect our classrooms and highly touched surfaces before the next service. First he was with HBO, but since the network ended its boxing coverage last December, he has worked as a ringside analyst on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN cards. Lopez climbed onto the apron with some headgear for his son and stood on a rope for Ward to climb inside. You remember that, Andre?” Before we left, as Ward stood up to say goodbye, his aunt brought out some gloves for her nephew to sign.

Andre Ward kneels in the corner after defeating Ben Aragon in the third round by TKO in a 6 round Middleweight Bout on June 18, 2005 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. How does new featherweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete stack up against the best in the division? We are asking all attendees to wear masks at all times. It may sound like an oxymoron, but I don’t have a heart to hurt anyone in the ring. No fighter today more skillfully solves boxing’s best crosswords in blood than Ward, who is 29-0 as a professional with 15 knockouts. DOWNLOAD THE APP TO GET STARTED ON PRE-REGISTERING YOUR CHILD(REN). Despite this confession, Jones, 47, has now fought more than 13 years since that match. Like his best friend, Andre Ward, his classmate from Ringling School of Art sixty years ago, Ed knew the silver lining was always there, even if a bit tarnished, and together they shared the quest to polish things and make them shine. I’m trying to shake those ghosts.”. Fall Subscription Offer: Subscribe to Charisma for Only $18 and get Steve Strang's newest book as a free gift, God, Trump, and COVID-19. Ward has been able to skirt the temptations just as Kaufman did. “I want to end up in that category.”. My parents were there, but not there. But I’ve taken punishment. If you are having technical issues with our new live stream platform, try this link to view live. Volunteers and staff will complete health checks and wear masks while on campus. “I’ve boxed for over 20 years. “In my mind, he is supposed to be here.”. He called and asked if he could take the day off because he wasn’t feeling well. “I wanted to be a kid.

Ward: I'm not coming out of retirement to fight Alvarez (1:03) Despite outside pressure, Andre Ward says he is not coming out of retirement to fight Canelo Alvarez.

As a Christian, he doesn’t believe in superstition; he doesn’t have a rabbit’s foot nor does he carry a four-leaf clover. He was the longtime world champion as a super middleweight, one of the most dangerous divisions in the sport. Is ReNu Coffee or the Climb ’n Slide open? I was just teetering. I rushed to the hospital and had to see him lying on that cold slab. “Like everyone in my family, he was a fighter until the end.”, Ward plunged into depression, substance abuse, and a search for anything that could numb the pain. Ward trains at Virgil Hunter’s Hayward, California, gym, next to the San Mateo Bridge.

“Dre is a God-fearing man that refuses to compromise his character. “You’re left asking, ‘Who am I?’ ”. Learn more about our modern and classic services I give it everything I have.”. Please open it and confirm your subscription. In light of latest findings on Coronavirus transmission, we are asking all attendees to wear a mask or face covering while in the building. “If I truly was honest with myself and I intentionally and permanently wanted to hurt someone, then that would be a problem. Dawson is 31-1 as a professional and won the WBC and Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles in April. © 2020 Ward Church. Of course Ward, like all conjurers, has been challenged to reveal his secrets.

“Every day,” Ward said. Routinely, once he has taken care of his pre-bout media obligations, Ward returns home from training camp to spend time with his family and with the Lord. Ward had been a fan of his since the mid-’90s. Going to the WellWard and his wife, Tiffiney, and their four children, Andre Jr. (11), Malachi (9), Amira (3) and their new baby, Micah (born in June) faithfully attend The Well Church in Dublin, Calif. Determined to carry on his father’s legacy as a strong Christian, Ward dedicated his life and career to the Lord. Ward noticeably stiffened, but signed the merchandise before kissing his aunt on the cheek.

“Because she’d promise and promise and promise and never show. “I could never leave Oakland.”, “They always say you change after you get famous,” he said the next day. My wife sees it. “Our father came from Oklahoma and he was a racist. Stay home if you’re sick or if you have had a fever or felt ill within the last 14 days.

But he moved up to light heavyweight last year so he could face Kovalev, a fearsome puncher, who is 30-0-1 with 26 knockouts and in 2011 beat an opponent so badly that he died shortly after the bout.

In his own hometown in November 2009, he defeated Mikkel Kessler to win the crown with an 11th-round technical decision. I’d see kids in school and that was the void that I had. “I saw him in the locker room,” Ward remembered.

On the other side was Ward’s white, custom-built truck, the license plate reading “SOG” (son of God). As Ward’s parents descended into addiction, domestic violence, financial ruin, bouts of homelessness, and repeated stints in rehab, Hunter would become not only Ward’s trainer, but soon his godfather and temporary guardian. Since Alvarez, boxing's biggest star, climbed two weight divisions and scored a sensational 11th-round knockout of Kovalev on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to win a title in a fourth weight division, there has been rampant speculation that perhaps Ward would exit retirement to take on Alvarez in a megafight. Faith was a crucial part of his road back. He lost that fight in a judge’s decision that –– like the other four –– he playfully questions the legitimacy of to this day. There's been a lot of pressure from individuals in the business, entertainers, you name it, trying to pull me out and it's just not something that I'm interested in doing. All rights reserved. I didn’t want people to grab a hold of that and just run with the typical African-American who came from the ghetto.”, When I visited Oakland in May, his longtime publicist gave me his gym’s address and warned, “There’s no signage anywhere, but don’t think you are in the wrong place when you arrive.”. After a while they couldn’t bet against him, so instead they criticized his style. Two steps inside the Lightning Boxing Club, it was if Ward’s unannounced arrival tripped a silent alarm, freezing all the boxers who were working out there. "I'm not coming out of retirement to fight Canelo Alvarez," Ward said. 1 boxer in the world pound for pound at the time. A green-eyed, 85-pound 12-year-old named Dave Lopez was glaring from behind the ropes of an elevated ring at the center of the gym. One was the church he attends for Bible study, but the other was a surprise. Our online services will include many of the same elements as our live services but will be pre-recorded and streamed online at 9:30 + 11 a.m., 2, 4 + 6 p.m. Where should I park or enter? “I haven’t accomplished a fraction of what Ray has as a professional. “In three years I won’t be able to do that with him again,” he said. But I want people to know what I’ve come through and overcome because maybe that can inspire somebody.”. We are limiting capacity of each grade-level in order to have smaller classrooms. “To me,” Jones went on, “Ward’s been the model student, person, and citizen in the sport that I always expected him to be. Worship will include live music and teaching.

The church is pastored by former Oakland Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman, who went into the … Who has the edge in Taylor-Ramirez? He was out cold. 'You can't find him', A father's touch: The relentless regimen of Vasyl Lomachenko. “I wanted to be like that. The latest and best from The Undefeated — straight to your inbox.

Ward recalled that the first violent confrontations between his parents began around the time he moved here. Super Middle Weight Andre Ward holds a media day workout at Warzone Boxing Club to promote his November 16 fight with Edwin Rodriguez on November 12, 2013 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. You can see it in him as a parent; you can see it in him as an athlete; and you can see it in him as a future leader. Download the “Ward Church” app for Apple iOS or Android; Ward Church’s Facebook page at 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. only. Terminator or Destroyer weren’t names that were going to fit me. “With the grace of God I did.”.

He and Tiffany now have four children, Andre Jr., 15; Malachi, 13; Amira, 7, their only girl; and Mika, 3. I never felt like I was the most-gifted or most-talented athlete. “Andre truly loves God and has a desire to please Him. “But he didn’t die with a needle in his arm,” Ward quickly added. Just pacing around. “In a few years I won’t want any part of you. He recalled Hunter telling him, “I don’t know who you rolling with, but I know this, God’s got his hand on you, son. Dave was the only person who refused to smile. Join Facebook to connect with Andre Ward and others you may know. Dave’s father Kris, the owner of the boxing club, came over to greet Ward. “It’s obviously sweet that I’ve won my gold in representing my country in 2004. “Boxing is just a season,” Ward said. But gradually his son discovered the old man had his own kryptonite: He had secretly battled addiction to heroin since before Ward was born.

“Without a doubt, Andre’s father laid a strong spiritual foundation for him to follow,” Hunter said. But that’s enough to walk away and be happy. Andre Ward's Fists of Faith. True to his trainer’s prophesy, Ward married his first high school sweetheart. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Hunter wanted to ensure that Frank’s hopes and dreams for his son would be realized, and that he stayed on a straight path. Open the Ward Church App and tap “Your FastPass” on the Dashboard. That I was able to be an inspiration to him on the way up is something I’ve always felt honored about.”. “He’d respond,” he said. Services include live teaching and music with a mix of familiar hymns, new arrangements, instruments and congregational singing. I easily could have been one of those guys people say, ‘He could have been something.’ I remember the day he died very clearly. This is for the safety of all who are in attendance. A Unique NicknameWard has myriad reasons to feel that way. There was nobody out there like him.”. “That is only one of the Scriptures that I use to base my nickname from,” Ward said. Please no personal belongings.