Boxer Ward has chip on his shoulder

— ANDRE WARD VS. ARTHUR ABRAHAM —

Associated Press

CARSON, Calif.

When the boxers in the Super Six tournament headed to Berlin two years ago to promote their unique endeavor, Andre Ward remembers feeling like a kid shoved into the background, straining to peer over the shoulders of European stars Arthur Abraham and Mikkel Kessler.

Guess who’s standing at center stage now.

Ward dominated Kessler in his first Super Six fight, and the Olympic gold medalist from Oakland is determined to do something worse to Abraham in their semifinal bout tonight.

After a promotion filled with sniping between the fighters’ camps, Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) believes he can silence Abraham with another display of the technical brilliance that was discounted by his opponents back at the genesis of the Super Six.

“I know what I felt like when I flew to Berlin, and the way I was treated,” Ward said. “I know the way Abraham walked around, and the way Kessler walked around. I know me and [Andre] Dirrell were just supposed to be young guys who could add some spice to the event, but we weren’t going to win anything. I don’t forget that.”

Ward will fight outside his hometown for the first time in 20 months when he meets Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs), the slugging Armenian-born German, just south of Los Angeles. The card at the Home Depot Center’s outdoor arena also includes slimmed-down heavyweight contender Chris Arreola’s meeting with Nagy Aguilera.

Ward felt disrespected when he was treated as a tournament underdog despite his perfect record. Now that he’s widely considered the best bet to win the Showtime-backed event, he’s equally uncomfortable — or maybe this supremely self-confident fighter just draws motivation from whatever he perceives to be stacked against him.

“It’s not about being the favorite, and I don’t believe I am,” Ward said. “It’s about reaching your potential and doing everything you can do against the best in the world.”