Andre Ward beats Paul Smith in long-awaited return to ring (The Associated Press)

Andre Ward made a triumphant return to the ring after a lengthy absence, delighting his home crowd by stopping England’s Paul Smith in the ninth round Saturday night in a nontitle fight. Ward (28-0) was fighting for the first time in 19 months because of a protracted legal dispute with his former promoter, the late Dan Goosen. Smith spent most of the fight in defensive mode, trying to block Ward’s many punches instead of throwing many of his own.