Ranking the Best Potential Opponents for Andre Ward's Next Fight
Andre Ward is back.
And the light heavyweights have got him.
The former 168-pound elite made his inaugural appearance as a full-time 175-pounder Saturday night, handing lanky Cuban export Sullivan Barrera his first loss and getting one step closer to what everyone assumes will be an autumnal showdown with the division’s premier title-belt collector.
The unanimous decision came with scores of 117-109, 119-109 and 117-108.
“It's been awhile since I've been this side of the microphone," Ward told HBO's Max Kellerman, after spending many of his recent fight nights with him as an analyst rather than a competitor. "It feels great."
Though he stood two inches shorter and gave away two more in reach, Ward controlled the majority of moments against Barrera, who’d come in after his biggest career splash—a fifth-round stoppage of former title challenger Karo Murat—a few hours down the California coast in Glendale.
Outside of that, though, Barrera’s most recognizable victim had been a badly shopworn version of Jeff Lacy, whom he’d downed in four rounds in January 2015.
So it was little surprise then that even a rusty Ward, fighting for the only third time since 2012, did the same kind of number on him as he’d done to most of his previous opponents while racking up a 28-0 record with 15 KOs.
Ward had not appeared since stopping Paul Smith last June and had been seen in the ring just one other time—for a wide decision over Edwin Rodriguez—since thrashing Chad Dawson in 2012.
“B-minus," Ward said, when asked by Kellerman to grade his own performance. "I told you guys I'd not use the layoff as an excuse. But the reality is that the more you fight, the sharper you get."
The win opens up a rankings list's worth of possibilities for Ward, and though most signs point toward one rival in particular, we threw together a list with some other nice options, too.
After all, with this being boxing, it always helps to have a Plan B.
5. Bernard Hopkins
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Yes, we know. Bernard Hopkins hasn't fought in more than a year.
But we also know that he's made at least intermittent noise about fighting once more before finally acting his age and hanging the gloves up for good.
Thing is, it wasn't that long ago that this one made a ton of sense.
Hopkins was the premier name at 175 pounds just 18 months ago, at the very same time that Ward was the best fighter at 168. And while many agree the tactical styles would make for a duller fight than is the norm for both men, it would still be compelling to see how it played out.
Hopkins threw some initial cold water on the concept by saying he’d never fight the guy he labeled as a “protege,” but both Ward and then-promoter Dan Goossen indicated prior to their Edwin Rodriguez fight that the bout was possible if the old man was willing to make it happen.
4. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
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It's not been a great March for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
First, his legendary father made the news cycle rounds with concerns about the youngster's training-camp work ethic as he prepped for a fight with Badou Jack. Then, the fight was flat-out scrapped when Chavez Jr. pulled out with a shoulder injury.
But maybe what the former middleweight titleholder needs is a more compelling partner.
Ward had Chavez Jr.'s name on his lips when the latter man emerged from a defeat of Brian Vera a while back. And it might suit the Mexican better—if he's bound and determined to never make 168 again—to fight a guy at 175 who's not as big and strong as others he might meet.
Ward went out of his way to praise the enigmatic son, and the now 30-year-old would come complete with legit promotional machinery, even though the ring challenge he’d present might not measure up.
3. Adonis Stevenson
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Yes, Virginia, he is still the lineal light heavyweight champion.
And, lest anyone forget, few fighters had been more jolting in going from unknown to mainstream earlier in the decade than Haitian-turned-Canadian Adonis Stevenson, who jumped from super middle to wallop a pair of former 175-pound champs in Chad Dawson (TKO 1) and Tavoris Cloud (TKO 7) within 112 days.
Stevenson’s background at 168 makes Ward a natural foil, and his promotional team had made Ward an offer for a unique two-fight package that would have them meet once in each weight class.
If neither man takes other big-name routes, a pit stop together would present career-altering possibilities.
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2. Gennady Golovkin
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This being boxing, it only makes sense that one of the best possible fights out there—between two highly decorated amateurs who have evolved into unbeaten, championship-level pros—wouldn’t happen.
Instead, the mere question of Ward getting into a ring with Gennady Golovkin instantly devolves into a he said/he said, with each camp accusing the other of doing its best to avoid the confrontation.
Recent salvos have seen Ward claim an offer to Team Golovkin was “turned down in five minutes” and that the Kazakh has “hoodwinked” fans in an interview with Fight Hub TV (h/t Daily Mail).
Meanwhile, Golovkin and Co. have their own version of the story, with trainer Abel Sanchez simply referring to Ward as “a liar,” per Bad Left Hook.
1. Sergey Kovalev
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Welcome to the latest version of “the one everyone is talking about.”
Former middleweight and light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins, who was dropped and pummeled by Sergey Kovalev in late 2014, suggested to Bleacher Report that Ward, a former Olympic gold medalist, would provide precisely the type of foil the Russian needs to further boost a burgeoning profile.
“I don’t see it in a year or two years from now, I see it within a fight or two,” Hopkins said. “I saw (Ward) look great in the last fight and he’ll look better in the next one and his competition is going to step up. That’s a superfight, definitely. As long as both guys continue to win, it’s absolutely a superfight.”
In fact, Kovalev told CBSSports.com that the fight is a near certainty.
“(The Ward) fight will happen, yes,” he said. “It will be an interesting fight and a very exciting fight because Andre Ward is a very talented guy. He's champion of the world. He's one of the best pound-for-pound. One of the best. It's a big name and he's a big boxer and a big talent.”
HBO's Max Kellerman called it the best fight that's out there to be made in boxing, even better than Golovkin vs. Canelo.
We agree. And it seems Ward does, too.
"It's never a problem," he told Kellerman Saturday. "I want to fight the best. I've always fought the best."
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