Last month WBA (sup) 168 lb champion Andre Ward shook off 19 months of inactivity and announced his return to the game, putting a beatdown upon Britain’s Paul Smith, halting his bloodied opponent inside 9 one sided rounds, almost as if he had never been away.
Following that bout, which was for all intents and purposes a tune-up, Ward has stated his intention to get right back in the mix with a serious contender, either at 168 lbs, or at 175 lbs, with a mooted bout with Russian 175 lb knockout artist Sergey Kovalev being talked about for next year.
The other credible option for Ward is of course, big-hitting middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who has been struggling for opponents and has gone on record to state that he would like to fight Ward next.
Speaking earlier this week on ESPN’s Sports Nation show, “S.O.G” was eager to discuss the possibility of a triple G fight, saying;
“If you really want to fight, less talking in the media. Let’s get the network (HBO) involved, let’s put it in their hands, put it in our team’s hands. Andre Ward is available and we can make it happen.”
It would appear that the two teams, Roc Nation (Ward) and K2 (Golovkin), have already entered provisional talks, although there has been a clash over the contracted weight for the contest, with Golovkin allegedly unwilling to come up to 168, rather insisting on a 164 lb catch-weight.
Despite offering to come up to 168 for a potential bout with Nottingham’s Carl Froch, it’s reported that K2 and Golovkin are not so keen with regards to Ward, who boxed Smith at a 172 lb catch weight and has been considering a move up to 175.
Either way, the one thing that is important to the American is legacy, and after losing such a large chunk of his prime, he is keen to make up for lost time with a serious, world class opponent in the opposite corner.
“If you look at my track record, I’ve always been ready and willing to fight everybody,” Ward said. “There’s places for tune-up fights, there’s places for stay-busy fights, there’s a place for that. But at the end of the day, I’m concerned about making a living for my family, but my legacy is really important to me.
“And the only way you get that legacy cemented where you can walk into the Hall of Fame and get voted in is to fight the best, and that’s what I want to do.”
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
