Andre Ward's approach to the stretch run of the Super Six World Boxing Classic is as clean and direct as his boxing style:

"Two more fights to change my life," he said.

Ward, 27, will put his World Boxing Association super-middleweight title on the line May 14 at the Home Depot Center in Carson when he fights Germany's Arthur Abraham in the tournament semifinals.

The winner moves on to the event's championship bout next fall. Great Britain's Carl Froch, the World Boxing Council champion, and Jamaica's Glen Johnson face off in the other semifinal May 21 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Ward, the Oakland-based former Olympic champion, will own both major 168-pound titles if he wins twice more. Even then, he understands ultimate satisfaction will have to come from within.

"I can win this and there's still going to be people who have something to say. That's just the reality of life," said Ward, who is 23-0 with 13 knockouts as a pro. "There's always going to be people who say, 'He didn't fight overseas or whatever and that's why he won.' I'm not necessarily out to prove them wrong. If I take care of myself, everything will come out good in the end."

The Super Six tournament began in late fall 2009 and has run into a series of bumps in the road, including the need to twice replace fighters. Ward is 2-0 in the ring in the Super Six but was awarded a forfeit win over Andre Dirrell, who withdrew from the event. As a result, Ward took on
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a non-Super Six assignment Nov. 27, scoring a 12-round unanimous decision over Sakio Bika.

"We wanted to keep sharp. We took the fight for that reason alone," Ward said.

Abraham will be Ward's first Super Six bout in 11 months. He is 32-2 but lost two of his past three fights. He was trailing badly in the 11th round when he was disqualified for punching Dirrell after he had slipped and was sitting on the canvas. Abraham then lost a unanimous decision to Froch in a battle for the vacant WBC title.

"He believes in his power. He's a very hard puncher," Ward said of Abraham. "He's always looking, always waiting "... (thinking), 'If I can just land one.' He's not a consistent fighter. He waits for those (big) shots, and at this level they never happen. In the meantime, you're losing rounds."

Ward suggested that Abraham's two recent defeats may have altered his mind-set, providing another edge.

"Deep down, I know confidence issues don't change overnight. Once you start getting hit again, those things come to the surface," he said. "I want to do my part to hopefully keep him discouraged."

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