Tuesday 13 June 2017 15:35, UK
Ahead of Andre Ward's rematch with Sergey Kovalev, former opponent Paul Smith gives his analysis of the American following their fight in 2015.
The Liverpudlian travelled to California to take on Ward, suffering a stoppage defeat in the ninth round, but Smith has since turned his attention to Saturday's fight with WBA 'regular' champion Tyron Zeuge in Germany, live on Sky Sports.
Later that night, our live coverage continues as Ward defends his WBA 'super', IBF and WBO light-heavyweight titles against Kovalev in Las Vegas, and Smith has offered his own insight into facing the Californian.
How do you plan for Andre Ward?
The game plan that most fighters adopt is to go in there, absorb the sharp stuff early on and look to catch Ward on his chin. The majority of fighters only have a puncher's chance against Ward - that's a fact - myself included. I knew if I landed a clean shot, though, I could hurt him - you certainly can't out-box him.
What was he like in the build-up to the fight?
In the very first press conference, he was great. He came over, shook my hand and showed me respect, but he clearly was not in fight mode. When fight week came, there was a bit more needle, no nastiness, but you could tell he meant business and was a lot more serious.
What is Ward's best shot?
His jab is a class punch and he likes to follow it up with a straight right hand to the body. When he throws his jab, he leaves it out there and it always causes problems for the opponent. The straight shots as well are quality, they are the basic fundamentals but he has mastered them.
Does he have any weaknesses?
I believe that Ward can be hurt. Like anyone else, he is a human being with two arms, two legs and he has been down before against Darnell Boone early on in his career.
It showed that he hasn't got a granite chin so to speak and it gives fighters like Sergey Kovalev the belief that they can hurt him - it's his only vulnerability.
Did Ward surprise you in any way?
He was a lot better than I was expecting and after the first round, I knew that I was in with someone at the top level. He's a classy operator and I have no shame in admitting that he is levels above - he's one of the greats of our time.
With that, he doesn't necessarily come out to his own plan, he looks at what the other fighter does first and will negate and nullify them. He makes sure you can't get your good stuff on.
Has Ward showed any signs of decline in recent years?
For me, he is actually better than he once was, his age and experience have made him better. Ward has always been a top athlete in great shape and his fitness hasn't faded - he's just added experience to the mix. A lot of fighters now are better in their thirties than their twenties and he falls into that category.
Paul Smith vs Tyron Zeuge is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 9pm on Saturday, then Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev II is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 2am on Sunday morning.
