Ward, 28, was on the verge of losing his WBC belt earlier this year after deciding to go under the knife to correct a shoulder problem, with Sakio Bika, Nikola Sjekloca and Lucian Bute lined up to fight it out for the vacant title.
“I can confirm that Andre Ward is the WBC super-middleweight champion,” Goossen told World Boxing News.
When asked about a return date Goossen responded: “I should have a better handle on that after speaking with his doctor in the next few weeks, but I can say therapy is going very well.”
Bika v Sjekloca, which takes place a week on Saturday at the Boardwalk Hall, has now been dropped back to ‘final eliminator’ status, meaning the victor can expect to challenge the Super-Six winner in the summer once the recovery process is completed.