NEW YORK — Viewers eager to watch "The Contender" won't have to wait long to see Andre Ward feeling absolutely torn.
The retired, undefeated unified super middleweight and lightweight champion, who was regarded as the pound-for-pound best boxer of his generation, surprises contestants on the reality show to find boxing's next star by sparring with them early in the season.
Right then and there, the same juices that made the S.O.G. ("Son of God") a masterfully efficient technician in the sweet science begin flowing through the Bay Area native’s veins, making him sorely miss the sport he thoroughly dominated. His love for boxing is clear as he relishes having the gloves on once again and throwing hands in his first sparring session since retiring. On the other side of the jab, though, scrapping with some of the young, hungry lions on the show also reinforced his decision to retire last September.
DAZN: There’s a new way to watch fight sports — find out more
Is Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) still content with retiring on top?
"I miss it, for sure. It's something that I've done for basically 23 years straight, so to just abruptly walk away … it's not going to be easy, but I feel like it was the right decision,” Ward, 34, told Sporting News at Foley’s pub Tuesday across the street from the Empire State Building, where he held a press conference to promote "The Contender."
"The Contender" originally ran from 2005-09. This reboot, which will air for 12 episodes on Epix, is intended to serve as a pipeline for developing boxing’s next big stars.
HAUSER: Inside the rebirth of 'The Contender'
“You got to know, man, when that next crop of guys are coming through — that younger crop, two or three generations behind you — it’s time to get out the way and give those guys an opportunity because they’re hungry," Ward continued, "and you’ve already made the money, you’ve already had the belts and everything. They haven't tasted that, so that hunger is a little bit different."
Even if that hunger is felt by fighters from different walks of life.
The 16 "Contender" contestants include 34-year-old Eric Walker from Plaquemine, La., who was incarcerated at age 15 and spent 14 years in prison for attempted murder and robbery. Walker learned how to box in prison.
There's also Shane Mosley Jr., the 27-year-old son of boxing great Shane Mosley. Although he didn’t have the same struggles as Walker, the younger Mosley does have a chip on his shoulder to prove he belongs and is as capable.
"It's intriguing," Ward said. "You look at them and say, 'How did they both end up in the same sport chasing the same dream?' You get those questions answered throughout the course of the episodes."
Perhaps Ward doesn't regret his retirement because he is so far removed from having feelings similar to those of Walker or Mosley. He delivered a pristine career that ranged from an Olympic gold medal in 2004 to back-to-back wins over Sergey Kovalev, which included an emphatic eighth-round TKO in June 2017. Along the way, Ward not only earned the big twilight fight purses that had eluded him earlier in his career, but he also received the accolades — most notably the "pound-for-pound best" tag.
“I just tried to keep my head down and keep working,” Ward said of his slow grind to the top of his weight classes during his career. “I would [advise] the same thing for any guy who feels like they’re not getting their just due. I always felt like I got the just due from the right people. If a guy feels like he’s not getting his just due, there’s someone that you can point to who's telling you, 'Hey, man, you did a great job.' I would focus on that element. The naysayers … that element is always going to be there and, in some cases, it’s good to have. It keeps you focused, it keeps you humble, it keeps you working hard."
MORE: Win tickets to a major fight — find out how
Walker, Mosley and the 14 other boxers will have to learn that in their respective careers. Of course, it helps that they could look to Ward or renowned trainers Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson, who each lead a squad of fighters on "The Contender."
Ward serving as the show’s host and mentor to the boxers is one of several opportunities we'll have to see the former champ in front of the camera. Earlier this month, ESPN reported that Ward had signed a multiyear deal with the network to remain one of its boxing analysts.
In addition, Ward is set to reprise his role as badass boxer Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler in "Creed II," which is set for a Nov. 21 release and will again star Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone.
Wheeler unceremoniously showed young Creed the ropes in the original in 2015. Ward promises added depth to his character in the sequel.
“You’re going to see Andre Ward playing Danny 'Stuntman' Wheeler,” he said, "and you’re going to see him in a light that you haven't seen me before.”
Can’t wait.
Until then, "The Contender" will debut Friday, Aug. 24, at 9 p.m. ET.
