Andre Ward expected back in the ring in the next three to four months, still no opponent selected

By Boxing News - 01/08/2012 - Comments

Image: Andre Ward expected back in the ring in the next three to four months, still no opponent selectedBy Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) is expected to be back in the ring defending his belts by April or possibly May at the latest, as he looks to continue his domination of the super middleweight division.

Ward, 27, still doesn’t have an opponent in mind but would like to take on the best possible fighter rather than just a popular fighter. He’s already ruled out fighting the still unproven International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight belt holder Lucian Bute of Canada because of Bute’s bad habit of facing of mediocre opposition since he captured his IBF title in 2008.

It looks as if Bute is now paying for his years of soft fights by being ignored by Ward. Bute is expected to fight Carl Froch twice in 2012, but Ward may want Bute to beat someone like Andre Dirrell as well so that Bute can show that he’s capable of beating more than just Ward’s leftovers. Ward already looked sensational in defeating Carl Froch last month in the Super Six tournament. It was a one-sided beating with Ward winning by a 12 round unanimous decision. The scores 115-113, 117-111 and 115-113 – out of line with the actual fight because Froch appeared to win no more than two rounds at best. Two of the referees gave Froch five rounds and that is pretty sad given how badly Froch was beaten.

As for Ward’s possible opponents in his next fight they are likely going to be unbeaten #1 ranked WBC contender Anthony Dirrell (24-0, 21 KO’s). He’s far and away the best possible opponent for Ward, as the rest of the guys are either coming off if recent defeats or are utterly unproven. Ward refuses to take soft touches the way that Bute has. This is why it’s likely to be Dirrell that faces Ward next in wht could be a toss up fight.

Here are my personal choices for Ward’s next fight:

1. Anthony Dirrell – clearly the class of the division
2. Edwin Rodriguez – A good blue-collar fighter with good skills and unbeaten at 20-0, 14 KO’s
3. Thomas Oosthuizen – a 6’4″ southpaw from South Africa with a 17-0, 12 KO’s record.
4. George Groves – A good stay busy opponent for Ward. However, Groves’ promoter won’t let him fight Ward yet.
5. James DeGale – Same as Groves. He’d be wiped out by Ward and would lose every round.



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