Andre Ward Vs Sergey Kovalev Less Probable Than Gennady Golovkin Vs Canelo Alvarez
Loading ...
By Sultan “Nomad” Arapov
A potential clash between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev would be, obviously, a candidate for a fight of the year. In fact, it should be equivalent in its importance for the sport to a potential match-up between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. Moreover, both of these bouts if they happened, could be candidates for a fight of the decade. Yet, we have to be realistic for a moment: chance of Ward vs. Kovalev happening in 2016 is quite doubtful, and even smaller than a fight between Golovkin and Alvarez.
The last time Andre Ward appeared in the ring was in June of 2015 against Paul Smith. Smith came up with losing twice in a row to Arthur Abraham via unanimous decision. Important point here is that stylistically, the Brit was too much of a favorable pick for Ward, with all the former`s sluggishness and relative lack of skills. Besides general IQ, speed and skill set are, arguably, the main asset of the Oaklander, which made Smith look like a complete mismatch. The Brit could stand hard hits from Abraham both times, yet, could not do with light to middle power punching Ward. With those thoughts presented, Ward`s performance cannot be taken as sort of indication of state of affairs with him. It would be a plausible analysis, if he beat someone of a higher
caliber, like Yunieski Gonzalez, for example.
Ward`s recent behavior, in chasing Rohan Murdock and Alexander Brand, left a large amount of fans at a loss. To have ambition to face Golovkin and Kovalev, but at the same time picking the worst option possible is quite curious, to say the least. This has been a major point to produce a big doubt about Ward being earnest with his wish of facing the kings in their respective divisions. It shakes the faith of the audience about “SOG’s” intentions. At this point, he has to fight two top 10 fighters at least, if he is really serious of facing Kovalev. Bottom line is that his promotional company Roc Nation must see a payoff from their solid investment. Despite that the Oaklander has gained a name of being notorious in negotiations, this time, however, he has nothing left but to follow what his promoters tell him to do. So, on one hand, Ward is, obviously, unprepared for Kovalev`s caliber of an opponent. On the other hand, Roc Nation must make sure to involve him into lucrative fights. It could be either Adonis Stevenson or Sergey Kovalev. The closest alternative is Jean Pascal. A fight with Arthur Beterbiev in Moscow would be too much for Ward, as he has almost never gone out of the States.
Stevenson option is the least likely, given “the Al Haymon problem”. The thing gets worse given that Ward is not a lucrative option for anybody. The light heavyweights king Kovalev, certainly, should have nothing to lose, if he does not get Ward. By the way, he could fight Arthur Beterbiev, 9-0, 9 KO’s at the end of 2016 instead. And that bout should not be underestimated, if someone looks at lack of recognition and experience of Beterbiev. The Chechen has already been widely regarded as No. 2 in the division, virtually the second man after Kovalev. The thing is that if they meet, it could ideally happen in Moscow, at Luzhniki`s Stadium with its capacity of 80,000 seats, for example. The fact that both fighters have expressed a wish to fight each other adds piquancy. Moreover, this is a bout that the boxing lovers would be eager for. Finally, for Kovalev it is a matter of vengeance, as he lost twice out of the two fights to Beterbiev in amateurs, which “Krusher” considers as a sort of robbery and favoritism towards Beterbiev. Hence, their potential meeting would and should put everything in its place. It will happen sooner
or later, given ranking positions of the two as well as their ambitions.
We may expect Ward Vs Kovalev not to happen in 2016. This is a fight that truly needs to build up, given its commercial potential, as Ward has not established himself as a sell-out fighter. He has mostly been known by the hardcore part of the audience. On the other hand, Ward`s promoters have nothing left but to do their best to get him involved into lucrative, yet dangerous bouts, to make up for their investment. Unfortunately for them, there is not much to choose from.
[si-contact-form form=’2′]