Ward v Pavlik shelved as surgery confirmed

Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor

Picture by Stacey Verbeek

‘S.O.G’ to go under the knife

WBC and WBA super-middleweight champion Andre Ward is set to be out of boxing for the first part of 2013 after doctors confirmed that the American requires surgery of his niggling shoulder injury.

The 28 year-old Super-Six champion had been due to face former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik, originally in January of next year, but then pushed back a month and has now been scrapped altogether.

Oakland-based Ward had been struggling to find a credible opponent since his stoppage win over a weight-drained Chad Dawson earlier this year and after drafting in Pavlik, there had been some criticism of the choice.

It now seems unlikely that Pavlik will get the call again once Ward’s shoulder is fully healed and the winner of a potential May showdown between Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch could now be targeted for later next year.

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Phil D. Jay WBN Editor (picure by boxrec.com) After almost a year and a half without one of boxing’s great journeymen, World Boxing News is looking back at the 161-fight career of Worcestershire warrior Ernie Smith, concentrating on his contribution in the ring, rather than the tragic way his life ended out of it. Smith turned professional at super-featherweight in 1998 at the Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton, losing a six rounder against Welshman Woody Greenaway. One month later, Ernie was thrown in with an unknown prospect by the name of Gavin Rees (former world champion and current British Lightweight Champion) who he also took the distance over four rounds. The “Gypsy Boy” then managed to string together a four fight unbeaten run together in early 1999 and ended the year winning five out of his twelve contests, but by this time had already delved into the journeyman pool of boxers with a record of 5-8-1. After settling at the welterweight limit, Ernie ga...

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WBO #4 Orlando Cruz comes out as the first openly gay boxer in history

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