Andre Ward has had one of the most successful boxing careers in modern history as he retired with a perfect 32-0 record.
Joining the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, only a few names can say they’ve retired without a loss.
There is also not a lack of impressive names on the resume of ‘S.O.G.’. From Sergey Kovalev to Mikkel Kessler, the best tried and failed to get the better of Ward.
Although no one was able to be tough enough to defeat Ward, the former champion did have a clear name in mind when it came to his hardest challenge.
Andre Ward names Carl Froch as the toughest fighter he has ever faced
In footage captured by FightHype.com in 2017 prior to his rematch with Kovalev, Ward was asked who his toughest opponent was.
Speaking at an amateur boxing club, Ward said, “As difficult as it is to say, because as you know, this guy likes to yap a lot, I got to give [Carl] Froch credit.”
Despite seemingly having a dislike for Froch, Ward gave his former competitor credit. “One thing I appreciate about him is that he wasn’t the most talented. He wasn’t the fastest, or any of those things. But he had something in him that I have in me, which is competitiveness. You’re going to have to kill me to beat me.”
Ward added, “His competitiveness is what got him to where he was. It kept him there.”
Saying there was no standout attribute he could credit Froch for, Ward said he ‘felt the intensity’ when facing the fighter from the UK.
Andre Ward defeated Carl Froch in 2011 via unanimous decision
Froch was handed the second loss of his competitive career when he took on Ward in December 2011.
Meeting in Atlantic City, the two competed in a super middleweight unification bout in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final. Although ‘The Cobra’ would have success in the fight, he would drop his WBC World Super Middleweight title.
Ward maintained his unbeaten record thanks to the judges’ scorecards, who unanimously scored the bout for the WBA champion.
Froch bounced back from the loss with a TKO over Lucian Bute, as Ward won six more times before retiring in 2017. His final run included Ward defeating Kovalev in a brace of fights.