After spending time in Las Vegas last month with Freddie Roach and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., undefeated super middleweight Derrick “Take it to the Bank” Webster (13-0, 7 KOs) is now headed to Big Bear Mountain in California to help prepare WBA (Super) and WBC Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) for an upcoming title defense.
Ward, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and reigning Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, will be putting his belts on the line on September 8th when he faces current WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs) in Oakland.
“Everything is really starting to hit home for me,” an appreciative Webster said of the recent advancements in his career. “Andre Ward is the best in the division. For him to see me as a person who can get him ready for the fight with Dawson, it really means a lot to me. Ward is one fighter who is not missing much in terms of what he is capable of doing. Basically, he does everything right, and he works extremely hard. Not a lot of fighters have his work ethic.”
After being unable to find an opponent this weekend for the latest installment of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Webster will now return to action on August 31st when he headlines a show at Mount Airy Casino in the Poconos. However, the New Jersey native has been putting in the same amount of work leading into the camp with Ward that he would have conducted if the bout on Friday had never been pulled.
“I’m really looking to go to camp with Andre Ward and give him the best Derrick Webster I possibly can to help him come out victorious in this fight,” Webster continued. “I’ve been training for this camp like I was training for a fight. I’ve also been disciplined as far as eating the right things, keeping a lot of water in my body and getting the proper sleep. I want to go out there and give him the best that I can. Hopefully, as I did in Vegas, I’ll go out to Big Bear, California, and kick some doors down out there.”
Webster will remain in camp with Ward for just over four weeks, and he will return to the East Coast on August 25th to put in final preparations with trainer Denny Brown for his own upcoming bout. He last fought in April when he defeated the hard hitting Sabou Ballogou in Atlantic City, meaning that his fight in the Poconos will be his first since gaining new world championship experience with Chavez, Jr., and Ward, along with trainers Roach and Virgil Hunter. Webster says he is the certain the two camps will have created a better version of himself, and he spoke about some of the specific improvements he expects.
“After working with Andre Ward, I think my defense will be a lot better,” he remarked. “Since he has such great defense, I also think my punches will become much more precise. My timing will be a whole lot better because I’m not dealing with an average fighter. I’m dealing with a champion of the world who does everything right. In order for me to get to him, I’m going to have to do as much correctly as possible. In turn, that will start educating me and improving my capabilities to a much greater level than where they are now. Really, when I come home, I plan on being a completely different fighter.”
And as far as his bout on August 31st is concerned, Webster promises there will be fireworks.
“Down at the Poconos, expect explosiveness,” he stated. “As always, the crowd will be on their toes. It’s going to be a really good night with a lot of showmanship. It’s going to be something, I guarantee that. If you miss it, you’re going to miss a lot. I don’t care who the opponent is, I don’t care how hard he trains. You can’t train for a total package. When I put it together, it’s going to be too much for him to handle, from round one until whenever the referee stops the fight.”
