Andre Ward, whom many consider to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has been stripped of his WBC super middleweight championship due to inactivity, according to reports.
Ward (26-0-0, 14 KO) defeated Carl Froch on December 17th 2011 to win the Super Six Tournament and the WBC super middleweight championship, and then broke his hand, keeping him out of action until September 2012, when he retained his titles against light heavyweight Chad Dawson.
Ward was scheduled to meet Kelly Pavlik in January of this year, but sustained a shoulder injury in training that forced the fight's cancellation. He has not fought since the Dawson bout, and his repeated inactivity has led the WBC to strip him of his belt.
In an official statement, the WBC said, "Andre Ward is one of the most dominant champions of today and is a true ambassador of the sport of boxing and an example to the youth of the world. Very unfortunately Andre has sustained injuries that have left him out of the ring for long periods of time, first as he sustained a broken hand after conquering the WBC championship vs. Carl Froch on December 2011 which kept him out of the ring until September 2012 when he defeated WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson."
Later in the statement the WBC announced Ward would be granted "champion emeritus" status, which means his title is now up for grabs, but when he is healthy and fit to return, he will immediately become the number one contender and face whoever holds the title. In addition, Ward will earn a 60-40 split of the purse from the bout.
According to Boxing.com, Sakio Bika (31-5-2, 21 KO) will likely take on Edwin Rodriguez (23-0-0, 15 KO) for Ward's vacated belt.
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