Top 77 Andre Ward Quotes

I want to be a champion for a long time, and I want to take the least amount of punishment possible doing so.

It’s not just fleet of foot or speed. It’s about who gets caught and gets knocked out.

My thing is that if you love the sport, appreciate the sport as a whole. If you love the sport, you love the slick boxer; you love the guy who can box and punch. You love the brawler.

I see sometimes how guys may make a buffoon of themselves to sell a few more tickets. They create this image, and when it’s all said and done, it’s like everything falls out from under them. They have no stability. I never wanted to be one of those guys.

You have to be able to adjust on the fly, and that is what the great ones do.

You’re going to face adversity. It’s not if – it’s when.

A lot of boxers have too much on their plate.

I don’t come from a position that I am better than everybody; I come from a position that I had a tough upbringing. And I don’t always highlight it, because I just never wanted to be that person with another rags to riches story.

I wouldn’t call myself a brawler.

Getting hit is not cool.

Sounding bitter is not a good look. Less so if you’re retired.

Monsters have always been built in this sport. I just don’t believe the hype. You’ve got to show me.

I was surprised at how slow Froch was. We were able to beat him to the punch.

My legacy is so, so important to me.

If something happens and you’re behind, and you get hit in the mouth early like that, you have two options: You can either pack it in mentally and internally and go into survival mode and quit, or you’re going to get up and go to work.

The guys that I beat in the ‘Super Six,’ every one of those fights was tough, even if I did dominate some.

People who know me know that I’m not going to open my mouth and say something if I don’t mean it. I’m very short and sweet. I’m old-school when it comes to it: I say what I mean and mean what I say, and then get off of it. It’s simple as that.

Boxing is a lonely sport.

I want to be the light heavyweight champion of the world.

My fans are truly my friends.

Boxing is not that complicated. If two guys want to fight, it’s not hard to make a fight. If the fight’s not made, it’s because one party doesn’t want that fight, or maybe both parties don’t want it.

Pilates is phenomenal.

This is called prizefighting for a reason.

When people ask me, ‘What do you do for fun?’ – it’s my family. That’s it.

You don’t get points for leaving the chin open.

Being a champion is not just being a frontrunner and being ahead, but it’s facing adversity.

When you make a stance, sometimes there are consequences.

At the end of the day, the great ones – well, they rise, and that’s what I want to do.

A lot of times in America, we work on bully muscles. We want the big muscles and the stuff that looks good. But we don’t focus on the little things. But that’s the stuff that sustains you and keeps you strong.

Chasing greatness – it’s what I’m about.

I don’t like to lay down on my food – it’s not good for you. I like to take a walk, then meditate and read the Bible.

I’m a very respectful fighter, I don’t get out of character and start talking crazy, but if you don’t want to fight a fighter, or you don’t think it’s a good style, or it’s just not time, then say that.

I want to be able to look back and say that I stood where I was supposed to stand. I fought where I was supposed to fight, in the ring and out of the ring.

I have never won big fights just doing one thing, being one-dimensional.

People don’t realize I tore my rotator cuff when I was 12 or 13. At that time, being so young, we decided just to not have surgery.

I don’t think anyone in that Roc Nation office gets eight hours of sleep; I highly doubt it. They’re constantly working, and they’re on top of everything, and they have a department for everything.

I know I’m a good fighter, probably a great fighter. I’ve fought the best in the world since I was a kid, and I’ve been fortunate to come out on top.

There’s a lot of ways to win a belt, but taking it from a champion is very important to me.

Going through a long legal battle is not what you sign up for as a fighter.

Manny Pacquiao has a whole country behind him. His journey and his rise, from a career standpoint, he was fortunate to have a lot of great opponents and rivalries for years. People forget about Barrera and Morales and those guys. That’s how he built his legacy. Plus he had a country behind him.

I typically do the opposite of what people think I am going to do.

Once a fighter becomes enamoured with another, to the point where they can’t perform and compete, you have got problems.

I only ever give praise to elite fighters.

Anytime you fight a champion, you got to watch the tape closely and study him closely.

I don’t have one polarizing message. It is just about being consistent over the years.

I spar with Nick and Nate Diaz… those boys know what they’re doing; they can throw their hands.

I’m not going to throw chairs; I’m not going to cuss. I’m not going to do that kind of stuff, because you don’t have to do that. You don’t have to act like that, and you don’t have to live like that in order to be successful.

I’m a five-time world champion in two different weight classes. Man, it’s amazing.

For me, it’s about trying to be the best in a sport where there’s little room for error.

Whether it’s Alexander Brand or Sergey Kovalev, I approach every situation the same way.

My personal goals are to fight and beat the best opponent possible.

You have to change on the fly. You have to adapt. It’s what I do. It’s what wins for me.

I didn’t need to get knocked down to know the fortitude that I have in me.

If people are honest, they’ll admit that I do have a fan base.

This has nothing to do with ego. It is solely about my religion and me being a devout Christian. I chose my ring name because I regard myself as A Son Of God.

One of the reasons why I signed up with Roc Nation was because of their ability to not just have a vision of doing things but the actual ability and resources to carry that vision out.

It’s not all the time, but you get a sense when you’re reading something that it’s no longer about boxing or the performance. It’s personal.

I’m a big person when it comes to doing what you believe in.

My legacy is almost like a personal challenge to go as far as I can go.

I’m not a dirty fighter. Everybody knows that.

There are times and places for tune-ups and stay-busy fights.

I still don’t think the world has seen the best Andre Ward. Initially, I just wanted to get in there and win.

I don’t owe any explanations for anybody I’m fighting.

I went to a nutritionist; my diet is pretty clean, but I wanted to get some more knowledge and understanding in some areas. My two favorite things, Clif Bars and lattes, she just destroyed in our first meeting. Coffee is fine, but soy is the most genetically modified food that we eat.

From my position, obviously I want to maximise my potential and go as far as I can go and as high as I can go, but I’m not chasing fame. I get enough of that.

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.

Dad couldn’t train me. He was too high-strung, like, ‘Throw your jab!’ and I’d start crying.

It’s a beautiful thing when you come to fight week and you know that you haven’t cut any corners.

There’s always great things that champions do. It can be inside fighting, this person uses his range well, this person has a great right hand – anytime you fight a champion, there’s multiple things that they do well, and you have to try to take those strengths away.

Did I have rough days? Days I didn’t want to train? Days I thought my career would never get back off the ground and possibly be over? Absolutely.

The game plan might be different based on the opponent, but the approach is the same.

Sometimes the biggest statements you can make are by living something out.

Once you go up in weight, I will never go down; you just don’t do it.

People are entitled to their opinion. I respect them, but it doesn’t mean they’re right.

It takes time for people to respect you.

I got an old school coach who’s more of a teacher than a coach.

Anyone can be a Son Of God if they wish to be and have the faith. I need to articulate this so everyone understands.