By Daven: Andre “SOG” Ward (27-0, 14 KO’s) is clearly the number 2 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, yet his purse for his last bout equated to a mere $2,000,000. This may sound like a decent amount but when people take into consideration that Floyd Mayweather Jr. netted over $40,000,000 for beating up Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The figures don’t correlate. Andre is the second best boxer in the world and normally in any profession the second best gets paid handsomely.
The numbers from their last fights suggest that Ward is twenty times inferior than Mayweather as a boxer and that is simply ludicrous. I personally regard Ward as a very close second in the Pound for Pound list, as he has outclassed greater competition than Mayweather. The likes of Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Chad Dawson were all in their primes when they faced Ward and all own trademark victories over other top contenders. Do the likes of Robert Guerrero, Victor Ortiz or Canelo have the same status as the aforementioned above? No they do not to be frank.
Andre’s ongoing contractual dispute with Dan Goosen has not helped Ward’s career of late and I am really starting to worry as to whether or not we will even see him fight again this year. For all lovers of boxing this prospect must create disgust. He has been a silent pioneer for the sport we love yet because he fights smart and offers little bravado he fails to draw the big bucks. Subsequently the fact he doesn’t generate insane money permits lesser skilled fighters at his weight division to fight easier opponents for more money. Obviously this is the one thing boxing fans including myself despise most about this sport. Marvin Hagler and Larry Holmes had to endure the same thing and consequently they didn’t get the gigantic paydays until they were past their prime. I for one hope SOG moves to Top Rank or Lou DiBella promotions imminently that way at least his exposure would increase. Notably I have excluded Golden Boy because they do not have any great middleweights, super middleweights or light heavyweights at their disposal. Thus the likelihood of Ward fighting the best under the GB banner would be minimal.
Carl Froch is expected to make between £3,ooo,ooo to £5,000,000 for his rematch with Groves. The fact a man who was soundly beaten by Ward can potentially earn twice the amount he has made in his best paid fight conveys that being the best means little if you don’t have the platform and supporting network to reinforce the point. The best Ward can hope for this year is to free himself from the grip of Goosen, maybe fighting one last time for peanuts before severing ties. If he does fight once this year the chances are the opponent will not be a big name because SOG is aware he will not be getting compensated highly anyway. That being said why would he elect to box in a super fight if he’ll only pick up $3,000,000-$4,000,000 at the most?
In closing the best of course of action for Ward would be to fight one more time this year for Dan Goosen to stay fresh and then he should pay his promoter off. The sooner he becomes a free agent the better as fighting under such duress can not be good even if you are as skilled as SOG. Ultimately I regard Top Rank as being the best destination for Ward as a big money fight with the well known Chavez JR could be easily obtained in 2015 owing to Arum’s preference of keeping all the money in house. Furthermore Golovkin, Martinez, Stevenson and Kovalev all fight on HBO so it would make sense to follow suit.
If Ward did sign for Top Rank not only would his exposure increase under Arum’s tutelage but he would be guaranteed big money against the names listed above. This will especially be the case from next year onwards as it is Mayweather’s final year, meaning Ward will take over the mantle as the best pound for pound boxer in the world. Such a feat will surely ensure his fortunes multiply and moreover he will be the one calling the shots not some dodgy car dealer from San Fran!
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