A name synonymous with elite ringcraft is the retired two-division champion Andre Ward. In September 2017, at the age of thirty-three, Ward announced his retirement from the sport, keeping his undefeated boxing record intact. “I want to be clear – I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there,” a statement issued by Ward on his website read. But unlike some elite boxers who returned to the squared circle after retiring, for a massive payday, Ward remained true to his vow to remain retired from boxing. Notably, the former unified light-heavyweight champion has not even fought exhibitions after he hung up his gloves.

Just like Andre Ward, Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion, retired from MMA after fighting against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020 with a 29-0 record to fulfill his mother’s wish after the untimely death of his father. He never came back to fight again in the Octagon. Both Ward and Nurmagomedov were tempted with lucrative fight offers, but they never caved in.

In the latest episode of the popular podcast show The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan sat down with the UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad to discuss elite fighters who have contributed to the rich tapestry of combat sports. Quite naturally, Andre Ward and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s names were bound to crop up. Talking about the fighters, the UFC color commentator said, “Some people get out and they go ‘I think I did enough. I’m out’ and they hold to it like Khabib or like Andre Ward.”

Notably, Ward was offered a huge amount of money to come out of retirement and fight Canelo Alvarez after the latter scored an impressive 11th-round knockout of Sergei Kovalev on November 2, 2029, to pick up the light-heavyweight title. Nevertheless, Ward staunchly refused to entertain offers from “individuals in the business, entertainers” trying to pull him into that fight.

Sharing his opinion on the matter, the podcaster further stated, “They offered him when Canelo fought Kovalev. When he knocked out Kovalev and won the light heavyweight title, they were saying, ‘Maybe, Andre Ward would come back’ and they were going to throw a lot of money at him. I think he considered it, but I think he said, ‘I serve boxing better in the position that I am’.”

Additionally, Joe Rogan also felt glad for Andre Ward as he still had his wits about him which cannot be said for most fighters who retire much later than they should have. “So here’s a guy, Olympic gold medalist, two-division World Champion who speaks perfectly. Nothing wrong with him.”

Currently, Ward serves as a boxing commentator and analyst for major sports broadcasting corporations in the US and is also a major contributor to the All The Smoke Fight podcast.

However, despite not fighting him, Andre Ward has been critical of Canelo for not taking up fights against elite contenders.

Don’t tarnish your legacy says Andre Ward!

Although the 2004 Olympic gold medalist thinks that Canelo Alvarez is a good fighter, he believes that he needs more elite names like David Benavidez on his record to merit comparisons with other pound-for-pound greats of boxing. In the past, Ward had highlighted that Alvarez fought Kovalev at a time when he wasn’t at his best. What’s more, Andre Ward even thought that his performance against GGG wasn’t impressive, and believed that he should have knocked him out.

“You lose me when you don’t fight the best, but you say everyone else has to fight the best,” Ward explained on The Breakfast Club show. “Canelo is a really good fighter, but you don’t know how good you are until you fight the other best.”

Furthermore, he stated that Canelo is tarnishing his legacy by not fighting top-level opponents. As things stand, Canelo is doing completely the opposite of what Andre Ward wants him to do as he has put a tag of $200 million for the Benavidez fight.

Nonetheless, do you agree that Andre Ward did the right thing by not fighting Canelo Alvarez? Let us know in the comment section below.