Andre Ward-Kelly Pavlik fight canceled due to injury

• Andre Ward will have shoulder surgery as early as next week
• His fight with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has been canceled
• Ward says he still hopes to fight twice in 2013; Pavlik is looking for a fight

The Andre Ward-Kelly Pavlik super middleweight title fight scheduled for Jan. 26 on HBO, then postponed because of an injury to Ward's shoulder, has been canceled, Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's manager, confirmed Thursday.

"I was told he had to have shoulder surgery," Dunkin said.

Ward confirmed it Thursday in a statement.

"When I first got injured, there was a lot of inflammation, and the MRI was misread by the first radiologist," Ward said. "I've been doing extensive rehab and the shoulder was getting stronger, but after three-and-a-half weeks of rehab, there was still slight pain that had me concerned enough to get two additional opinions.

"It was then diagnosed that there is a small tear in my shoulder capsule. It's not a major tear, but I can either rest it and see if it heals itself or speed up the process by surgically repairing it, and be stronger than I was before the injury and that's what we opted to do."

Ward, 28, expects to have surgery just after the first of the year.

"I'm working with one of the best orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in Northern California, and I know that I will come back stronger than before," said Ward, who lives in Oakland, Calif. "I appreciate all the support that I've already received and my fans can rest assured that I'm going to be back in the ring as soon as possible.

"Despite the injury, I still plan to have a big 2013 and hope to have two fights in the New Year. I was really looking forward to the fight with Pavlik. Everything was on board and situations happen, but I wish Kelly Pavlik and his team nothing but the best in the future."

Ward, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist is 26-0 with 14 KOs and holds two 168-pound belts. He originally hurt his shoulder sparring, which led to a postponement of the original date at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California. There was discussions that it would be rescheduled for March 2nd, but it would have had to be moved from the Galen Center, which was booked for that date.

Dunkin said Pavlik (40-2, 34 KOs), the former middleweight champion from Youngstown, Ohio, who has overcome two stints in alcohol rehab and has rededicated his career under the guidance of trainer Robert Garcia in Oxnard, Calif., was disappointed.

"He said, 'Get me something. I want to fight,' " Dunkin said by telephone.

Dunkin said he has been talking to Top Rank President Todd duBoef and "we're working on getting him a date, getting him a spot, and we're working on trying to get him something fast so he can fight, hopefully in March."

Dunkin said Pavlik was ready for this fight, even though he was a big underdog against Ward, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. "We had flown a nutritionist and a strength trainer up there and he had been working with him every day for almost three weeks, and then he had an airline ticket to go out on Jan. 2nd to Oxnard. I want him to use that ticket and fly to Oxnard. Robert has a camp set up for him, and I'd like to go forward and try and find him a fight."