ANDRE WARD almost retired during his 19-month layoff, but insists Paul Smith is in for a shock when they fight on Saturday night.
The unbeaten super-middleweight has not fought since outpointing an overmatched Edwin Rodriguez in November 2013.
He makes his return to the ring on Saturday night in his hometown of Oakland, California against two-time world title challenger Smith at a catchweight of 172lbs, but admits he almost left the sport for good.
โThe layoff was very devastating to the point where I really wanted to walk away. I didnโt want to walk away but was on the verge of doing it because I didnโt see any light at the end of the tunnel,โ he said.
โI literally wrote two retirement speeches because I didnโt want it to end on anyone elseโs terms but my own.
โAll I can do is what I could do which was dedicate myself, focus and as you look at some of the greats like Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali, who took three years out, itโs been done before.โ
Ward, who still holds the WBA โSuperโ world title despite his inactivity, feels Smith is wrong to assume the hiatus will affect his performance.
โI love that Eddie Hearn and his whole team, theyโre banking on that. But if thatโs their game plan, they got the wrong game plan come June 20.
โIโm glad he started talking this week because I was getting a little worried. I hadnโt heard anything coming out of the UK.
โI think heโs in for a rude awakening come Saturday night because Iโm going to be very sharp. Iโm going to be hitting harder than I think he realizes. Iโm going to be stronger than I think he realizes.โ
The Olympic gold medallist has struggled to garner the support his considerable talent should warrant, but believes the problem is other fighters not wanting to face him.
โItโs always about ultimately getting the best fight, but the reality is I canโt make these guys fight me.
โAll I can do is be in a position to be ready and the only thing I believe stopping me from pay-per-view is just having the right dancing partner.โ
READ PAUL SMITH’S TAKE ON THE FIGHT HERE