After his recent 172 lb catchweight clash with over-matched Brit Paul Smith last month, the consensus opinion surrounding WBA (sup) super middleweight champion Andre Ward was that he had outgrown 168 lbs and would be looking to move up.
With challenges at super middle also seemingly thin on the ground for the new Roc Nation Sports signing, a fight with dominant Russian 175 lb champion Sergey Kovalev has inched a little closer to reality, according to Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events, who was speaking at a conference call to promote Kovalev’s upcoming July 25th fight with Nadjib Mohammedi;
“We have been talking to Andre Ward’s people all week,” she said. “And I think we all agree the fight is going to happen. It is just a matter of when. The talks have been very amicable. They are deciding who they want to fight next, and we have Sergey’s schedule for his next few fights planned. By the end of next year, maybe a little sooner, you’re going to get to see that fight.”
“We’re very happy about that because Sergey has made it clear that he wants to fight the very best out there. You’re talking about a fight between two guys who are both in the top five pound-for-pound in the world.”
“The best fighting the best is what people want to see. That’s the kind of fight that gets everybody excited, the kind of fight that gets our blood moving. So we’re really hoping to be able to complete that deal within the foreseeable future.”
It will be good news for fight fans seemingly despairing at the news that a 175 lb unification between Kovalev and lineal champion Adonis Stevenson is further away than ever, and it appears not to be bluster, with Roc Nation’s David Itskowitch confirming Duva’s assertions.
“We’ve had some very preliminary conversations. We’re interested in that fight at some point. It’s just a matter of when.”
It’s a little way off yet, though definitely a future date for the diary….
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
