Sunday 27 March 2016

Andre Ward Dominates Sullivan Barrera; Now Will Wait for Sergey Kovalev Fight



We’re now one step closer to Andre Ward finally fighting Sergey Kovalev.

After Ward dispatched Sullivan Barrera with a dominating unanimous decision win on Saturday night in Oakland, that’s the next big challenge for Ward. Though he entered the ring only having fought once in the past 27 months, Ward (29-0) thoroughly out-boxed the long-time and previously undefeated Cuban amateur standout. The judges scored the fight 117-109, 119-109 and 117-108 (Forbes had it 117-109 for Ward).

And Kovalev, the second-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the The Ringmagazine rankings who will likely take a stay-busy bout in the summer before fighting Ward (who’s the fourth-rated pound-for-pound fighter) next November, was in attendance to watch it all.

“You know me,” Ward told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight. “It’s never a problem. You look at my track record, and I’ve always fought the best. Sergey Kovalev is a great champion. He’s the man at light heavyweight. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”

Until that fight takes place — perhaps in November –Ward can take solace in this: He didn’t appear to show any ring rust despite his long layoffs, all while dominating a guy who’s a solid contender in the light heavyweight division.

After rounds 1 and 2, which were close and could have been scored for either fighter, Ward gave the loud hometown crowd a surprise in the third.

Ward, who rarely showcased great power at super middleweight before moving up to light heavyweight for the first time Saturday, wasn’t expected to make a dent on the chin of the sturdy Barrera — who simply looked bigger and more powerful than Ward throughout the night.

But in the third round with his back against the ropes, Ward caught Barrera with a counter left hook against the top of his head to drop him to the mat. That knockdown changed the tenor of the fight, as Ward went on to dominate the rest of the way.

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