Andre Ward furiously battered an opponent who’d dramatically missed weight.
Throughout his career, the American proved himself to be one of the greatest fighters of the modern era.
Ward ruthlessly knocked out Chad Dawson, mesmerized fans with his skills, and unified two weight divisions.
And one of his most destructive performances came against a fighter whom he wanted to punish for being ‘unprofessional’.
Sheesh: Andre Ward narrowly escaped defeat in the penultimate fight of his career
Andre Ward finished Paul Smith after he missed weight
On June 20, 2015, Andre Ward battled it out with Paul Smith, inside the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, USA.
The day prior to the fight, the American was rendered livid when his rival weighed 176.4lbs, which was 4.4lbs over their agreed catchweight of 172lbs.
At the time, Ward told Sky Sports: “I’m disappointed with Paul. I heard last night that as of yesterday morning, he was eight pounds over.
“You’ve got to realize in negotiations, my team said 172, and he fought to have it at 170. And he comes in four pounds overweight. It’s very unprofessional.”
Regardless, the fight went ahead, and ‘Son of God’ put on a show.
From the opening bell, the disparity in class was evident, with Ward nailing his rival with snappy blows.
Smith did have some success in the seventh, landing a big shot. But for the most part, he was outgunned by his rival, who badly cut him, leaving his face covered in blood.
After a sustained beatdown, the Englishman’s corner threw in the towel during the ninth round.
Andre Ward was almost stopped by a journeyman who dropped him
Ward stopped Smith with relative ease.
However, things weren’t always so easy for the now Hall of Famer.
On one occasion, he was almost defeated in a monumental shock.
In a moment of madness, Ward was dropped heavily by a journeyman.