Tuesday 13 June 2017 17:27, UK
Ahead of his blockbuster unification rematch with Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward says his desire and motivation is the same as ever.
The current light-heavyweight king Ward will defend his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles against 'Krusher' on Sunday morning live on Sky Sports, following a disputed decision that went the American's way in the first fight.
The 2004 Olympic gold medallist states that he is showing no signs of physical depletion ahead of the rematch and unbeaten Ward, 33, is adamant that his desire has never dwindled.
"Anytime you get over 30, you start to become more mindful that you're punching the clock, I think at the end of the day, the gauge is the desire," Ward told Boxing Scene.
"When I look at the desire that I had in my early-20s, mid-20s, in terms of the way that I put out, the duration of training, my coaches having to pull me back and fight with me to take days off, you know, when I compared the 20s to the 30s, it's still the same. It's still the same."
"If anything's different, I have to give more attention to my body after I abuse it and break it down."
"Massage therapy, cold vat, and those kind of things, that's pretty much what's changed. But the desire's still there.
"Guys in sparring that I would normally deal with and hold off, they're not having their way [with me]. These are the signs you look at as you get into your early- to mid-30s, and if you're lucky enough beyond that, to see if it's time to walk away. Those types of things aren't happening to me."
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.
