OAKLAND, California – Middleweight Aaron Coley isn’t a particularly well-known fighter on a global scale, but he spent years sparring one: Hall of Fame boxer Andre Ward. And now Coley is returning to the ring so that his 11-year-old son, Ahkai, can watch him fight.
Coley will return to action on August 16 at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California.
Coley, 16-5-1 (7 KOs), spent 10 years in Bay Area boxing gyms putting in work. Even today, he is still an omnipresent figure around the area while also working a 9-to-5 job. Coley, a 34-year-old from Patterson, California, last fought in 2022, suffering the only stoppage loss of his career to Serhii Bohachuk. Coley had retired, but he ultimately decided to return for the thrill of showing Ahkai – who is currently ranked No.3 in USA Boxing in the 175lbs division – that pops still has something left.
“I was motivated by my son,” Coley told BoxingScene. “We watch fights together. He told me, ‘Dad, you aren’t that old. Why don’t you slide back out there?’”
Coley took the words to heart and started getting back in shape. With his experience, he believes he has the veteran tactics and know-how to gain an edge in the fight.
“I am going to stay patient and use my boxing knowledge to move around the ring,” Coley said. “Not rushing to throw punches. I am not going to show my whole deck at the beginning of the fight.”
Coley recalled memories of sparring with Ward in the last decade. Although he sparred many titleholders, such as Peter Quillin, Miguel Cotto, Shawn Porter and Demetrius Andrade, Ward was different.
“He is focused,” Coley said. “He was really placing those punches. That is one thing he had over a lot of fighters. I have been in with a lot of champions. It was more intense right off the bat."
That experience always proved to Coley that he belonged in the sport. Now, with the lessons he learned in part from Ward, he hopes to inspire his son as he seeks to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“That got me together all the way, because it wasn’t just for his camp – he was helping me with my camps,” Coley said of Ward’s influence. “He was just one phone call away. That helped me navigate inside work, feints and footwork.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.