By Scott Gilfoid: WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) will reportedly have his cast removed from his left hand next week or so. This is the hand that Ward fractured in two places while training for his Super Six tournament fight against WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch.

Ward went ahead and fought with the injured left hand anyway and easily beat Froch by a decisive 12 round unanimous decision. Ward was still able to use his left hand but not as much as he usually does in his fights. Once Ward gets his cast off, he’s going to start training slowly to make sure he doesn’t suffer any additional injuries. As for Ward’s next fight, it’s not going to be IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.

Ward has made his mind up that Bute still doesn’t deserve the fight due to his three years of soft competition as the IBF champion. Ward says he’s not ducking Bute, but rather he wants to see him beat a couple of A level fighters like Froch and Andre Dirrell before he decides on facing him. Bute and Froch are said to be in negotiations, so Bute will likely soon fulfill the first part of Ward’s requirements to fight him.

However, I’m not sure that Bute will even attempt to complete the second part of Ward’s request because Dirrell is just too dangerous due to his hand speed and boxing ability. But if Bute does take that fight, he’ll likely lose to Dirrell and get weeded out of the running for a Ward fight.

Ward’s promoter Dan Goosen doesn’t know yet who Ward will be facing next, but it’s likely going to be someone highly ranked by the World Boxing Council like unbeaten #1 WBC contender Anthony Dirrell (24-0, 21 KO’s). This is the younger brother of Andre Dirrell, and he’s got better talent than anyone that Ward has faced yet, including Froch and Kessler. Anthony is like Andre only he’s more of a straight up knockout artist compared to him. Both Dirrell brothers are huge talents and really the only fighter in the division that can possibly impede their progress is Ward.