By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s) is chomping at the bit to heal up from his recent shoulder surgery and get back in the ring as soon as possible so that he can continue to dominate the 168 lb. division.
Ward is very interested in the May 25th fight between Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, and he’d like to face the winner of that bout so that he can beat whoever that is for a second time.
Ward easily beat Kessler in 2009 in the Super Six tournament, and then two years later, Ward defeated Carl Froch in the finals of the Super Six in December 2011 despite fighting the 12 round fight with a broken left hand.
Ward said on his twitter “I think about Boxing all the time. Even when I’m not physically training, I’m taking my mental reps!! Walking around the house in my boxing shoes!! I’m hungry and eager to return. My time will come soon enough!!”
Ward’s time may come but he’s going to have to likely wait until 2014 to fight the Kessler-Foch winner because I don’t see either of them being eager to fight Ward. Froch is already talking about wanting to fight former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute later on in the year, and you’d have to figure that fight won’t take place until September or October.
That obviously would be the last fight of the year for Froch because he’s not rush back into the ring after only two to three months to face a talent like Ward and risk getting beaten a second time. If Froch decides to keep his International Boxing Federation title then that title defense will be his first fight in 2014. As such, a Ward vs. Froch 2 rematch would likely not take place until the summer of 2014 or more likely the fall.
If Kessler beats Froch, then I don’t see him agreeing to fight Ward. I think Kessler will play it safe and fight other guys rather than fighting Ward again and getting dominated even worse than last time.
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