Andre Ward returns to ring vs. Edwin Rodriguez

Super middleweight champ Andre Ward dropped challenger and light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson three times before finally stopping him in the 10th round Saturday in Oakland, Calif. AP

LOS ANGELES — Andre Ward will return to the ring after a 14-month absence to fight Edwin Rodriguez on Nov. 16 in California.

Ward announced the bout with his fellow unbeaten 168-pound (76-kilogram) fighter on Friday.

Ward (26-0, 13 KOs) hasn’t fought since stopping Chad Dawson on Sept. 8, 2012. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist cancelled a bout with Kelly Pavlik in January to undergo surgery on his right shoulder.

Ward already has beaten most of the world’s top super middleweights, but the Dominican-born Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KOs) emerged as a contender with two victories this year in Monaco, including an impressive first-round stoppage of Denis Grachev in July.