Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Professional boxer Andre Ward poses during a NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Andre Ward Reveals The Only Fight That He Would End Retirement For

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Jaren Kawada | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 9:49 AM ET

Eight years after his last fight in the ring, there is only one fight that can lure Andre Ward out of retirement.

Ward, 41, has not fought since June 2023, when he improved to 32-0 with an eighth-round TKO of Sergey Kovalev. Fans have clamored for a return since then, but Ward has stuck true to his guns and never ended his sudden retirement.

However, Ward admitted that there is still one hypothetical fight that would get him to put the gloves back on.

"If the business was right, and everything was right on that front, [I would fight] Anthony Joshua," Ward said in a video on X, formerly Twitter. "That's a fight that I would take at Wembley Stadium. It's a dangerous fight for my legacy; it's a dangerous fight across the board. That's a fight that would get me in the gym and get me in a mindset that I need to be in to go to war."

All the smoke pic.twitter.com/aRZDdUSWDQ
— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) August 11, 2025

Although nearly a decade since his retirement, Ward still seems to be en elite shape. His retirement decision stunned the boxing community at the time, with the then-33-year-old viewed by many as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Ward became one of the few champions to retire on top, citing a desire to protect his long-term health.

If Ward did return to fight Joshua, he would need to make his heavyweight debut to face the English star. After competing at middleweight and super middleweight, Ward spent the final year of his career at light heavyweight, where he retired as the WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring 175-pound champion.

Andre Ward dismisses Anthony Joshua-Jake Paul fight

Joshua, 35, has not fought since getting brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. He has since become the next desired opponent of Jake Paul, whom Ward dismissed.

"I know you're getting ready to fight Jake Paul, it looks like that's where it's going — I ain't talking about that. I'm talking about a real fight for legacy."

Joshua is still one of the biggest stars in the sport, but he is just 4-3 in his last seven fights. One of those wins came over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who had momentum at the time but is 0-2 as a professional boxer.

Regardless, if Joshua fights Paul, he would likely still make the most money of his career. Many still believe that Joshua has more than enough left in the tank to beat the smaller Paul, but Most Valuable Promotions continues to tease that fight for 2026.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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