By Scott Gilfoid: Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) is gearing up for his fight this Saturday night against unbeaten #1 IBF light heavyweight Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) on HBO Boxing from the beautiful Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
This is a fight that Ward is really looking forwad to with great anticipation because it’s the proving ground for him to show the boxing world and to show IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev that he belongs in the light heavyweight division among the elite.
Ward has picked one of the best fighters that you are ever going to see in the division in the big punching and very talented Barrera. This is going to be no cakewalk for Ward, believe me. He realizes what he’s up against in this fight, and he’s taking it very, very seriously. A loss in this fight means that Ward will not get the much bigger money fight against Kovalev later this year. It’s all or nothing for Ward.
When asked if he thinks Sullivan Barrera is tougher than Carl Froch, Ward said “I don’t know. I never fought him. We’re getting ready to fight in a couple of days. I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do. It’s a two-way street. He’s never fought anyone like me before. So they can talk a great game. They can dominate the headlines leading up to the fight. They can say all the slick things they want to say. He [Abel Sanchez] clearly has to tell his fighter something. We just want to dominate the headlines Sunday morning after the fight is over. That’s what I’m supposed to do. He’s a big body. He’s confident. He seems to be a good puncher. We didn’t pick him because he’s a soft touch. We picked him because he was going to get me ready to show me what the weight class is all about. You want to fight the best. If you’re not fighting the best, then you want to fight the number one contender, and that’s what we’re doing. I don’t have to show off to Kovalev. Just implement the game plan and perform like I know I’m going to perform. I think I’ve sent a message to the boxing world. If it doesn’t, then we’ll get the message when we fight,” said Ward.
In an answer to a question about whether he’ll take another fight after the Barrera fight to get ready for the Kovalev match-up, Ward said “Yeah, I think I deserve it. He’s been fighting. I think it’s the right thing to do. If I don’t win this fight, then there is nothing down the road. If I don’t win this fight [against Barrera], I don’t deserve to fight for the title,” said Ward.
I do believe that Barrera is the best fighter that Ward has ever faced. Sorry, Froch, but I just don’t see you having the amazing talent, power or see you as measuring up with Barrera. The 34-year-old Barrera came from the Cuban amateur system, where he was one of the best fighters. Barrera has had the kind of talent that would make him a world champion a long time ago. If he’d been a pro ages ago, he likely would have already won a title.
I think this is going to be one of Ward’s toughest fights of his career against Barrera. It’s a fight that is coming at the wrong point of Ward’s career, so I see it as being a tough one.
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