OAKLAND, California (AP) Andre Ward feels he's been an underdog from the moment he was born. Even with his prodigious boxing gifts, his undefeated ring record and that Olympic gold medal, he still firmly believes that nobody gives him a chance.

Far too many young people fail to beat the same long odds in the hardscrabble neighborhoods of Oakland, his Bay Area hometown. Ward survived with a relentless, almost robotic belief in himself - a mindset that keeps a 25-year-old star athlete in training, in church and in a young marriage while keeping him away from alcohol, swearing and any inkling of a negative attitude.

Yet if Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) wins his bout against WBA super welterweight champion Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) on Saturday to claim his first world title, Ward finally might have to acknowledge somebody believes in him - particularly the 400,000-odd residents of his grateful hometown.

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