It’s all about Andre Ward right now, with the unbeaten, unified light-heavyweight king under the spotlight in one huge way. Talk is probably just getting going regarding the low blow controversy, while the debate as to whether or not Ward, with his stoppage win over the previously unstopped Kovalev, is deserving of the top spot on the pound-for-pound charts, is also a hot topic.
So too is the subject of what Ward, 32-0(16) might do next. After last night’s win, Ward told Max Kellerman that he might consider a move up to cruiserweight, heavyweight even. “Anything is possible,” Ward said on the subject, a wide grin on his face.
But later on, at the post-fight presser (as filmed by Fighthype) Ward said that he is “serious” about the possibility of moving up in weight.
“It’s serious, that’s a real thing,” Ward said. “It’s more like a dream, I don’t have anything on the books right now for a cruiserweight fight, a heavyweight fight. I know it sounds crazy when you’re a light-heavyweight, and I’m not the biggest light-heavyweight. But it’s always been a dream of mine and it’s something me and Virgil [Hunter] talk about. I do really well against big fighters because of my stamina, and though I’m not the biggest, I’m strong. So if the right opportunity and the right fighter comes along, anything is possible. That’s not just talk, that’s real.”
So, could Ward do it? Great fighters of the past who began as middleweights (their first world title win coming at 160) have done it – Roy Jones and James Toney for not too distant examples. At 6.0” tall, Ward is taller than Jones and Toney, so maybe a cruiserweight win is very possible. Ward said it will have to be “the right fighter,” so who could this be?
Dennis Lebedev, as battle-worn as he is, would face the real prospect of being outboxed and outclassed by Ward, while Mairis Breidis, although a good and unbeaten fighter, would not exactly have Ward fans worrying about their hero’s well being.
As for heavyweight, maybe that would be a step too far. Certainly the two giants, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are out.
