Matt is a friend of mine, and he used to train at the Gold's gym in Hayward, California in the early 90's. He would work out and began taking boxing lessons, and his trainer was a man named Virgil Hunter.

He would give personal instruction to my friend, but while he gave it his all, he never had what it would take for him to go anywhere in the sport, other than for exercise. They would have discussions about their favorite boxers and they both liked similar fighters and were big fans of guys like Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr., and Sugar Ray Robinson.

They talked about how their skill sets being that of a boxer/puncher with movement, defense, angles, and a bag of tricks. To them, these guys defined the "sweet science" of boxing and would be the desired style taught to a protege with those physical dimensions.

"It was clear, even at that age, that this kid had superior skills" Matt would tell me. "Andre fit the mold with a perfect frame, quick hands and feet, and a brain" he continued. While his rise was never what you could call meteoric, he did climb steadily higher and higher. He finished his amateur career with a 110-5 record, and went on the claim the only gold medal for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team in Athens Greece.

He embarked on his professional career soon after that and had immediate success. Virgil Hunter was not only his trainer, but also another father figure for young Andre. They had a plan for his career and nothing was going to deter them off course.

After rising through the ranks he got his first title shot in 2008, which he promptly won for the NABO Super Middleweight title. After a couple more victories over quality opponents, Ward was selected to be involved in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. In a round robin format with five other boxers, Ward proved his mettle over four matches. In succession he defeated Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green (replacement fighter for Jermaine Taylor), Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, and Carl Froch. Only Bika was not a fight in the tournament.

"When I was boxing it was taught that when fouled, you should return the favor" Matt gushed after watching the latest title fight. "There are two reasons for that, one to even things up, and second it would act as a deterrent." This was brought up during the fight as Ward exacted some "revenge" for wrongs that he perceived during the bout.

Ward was the underdog in three of his four fights in the tournament. After beating these quality fighters and finally proving to everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with now and in the future. He is the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world. He is also one of the top 10 best pound for pound boxers in the world. "I'm just so proud of Andre and to know him and his story, it's inspirational" Matt concluded. Look out world, here comes the pride of Hayward and the bay area, the Son of God Andre Ward.