It is often stated that brilliant artists tend to be a little off-kilter. Maybe that explains why Michelangelo almost always slept fully clothed – boots included, why Michael Jackson tried to be the real-life Peter Pan or why Vincent Van Gogh went full-ninja on his own ear. Geniuses tend to be just a little different. That could shine some light on Andre Ward, who is the current version of Rembrandt in the ring.
How else can you explain a fighter involved in one of the most brutal, violent and corrupt sports that goes by the moniker S.O.G. (which stands for Son of God)? Ward is a fighter who gave up years of his fighting prime locked in a dispute with former promoter Dan Goosen. He eschews the brash, attention-seeking, money-worshipping antics by guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Adrien Broner. In a sport where it literally pays to be outlandish, Ward appears to be quiet, humble and unassuming outside the ring. He also has often eschewed the bright lights of Las Vegas for the friendly confines of Oakland.
Don’t let the smooth taste fool you. Inside the ring, Ward will put hands on his opponent. That’s exactly what happened Saturday night when Ward (29-0-0, 15KO) faced then-undefeated light-heavyweight Sullivan Barrera in his first bout since moving up to the 175-pound division. Though Barrera (now 17-1-0, 12 KO) is not the highest profile fighter in the world, the crafty Cuban defector is a highly-skilled boxer-puncher like so many fighters that have emerged from the island. Barrera was already in the mandatory position for a bout with unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. However, with no assurances that he would get a title shot anytime soon, he jumped at the chance to face Ward for a solid payday and a chance to headline an HBO broadcast. Plus, with Ward making his debut in a new weight class, in just his fourth fight since 2012, he was ripe for an upset right? Not a chance.
Any thoughts of an upset were erased by the third round when Ward dropped Barrera with a perfectly-timed left hook. Barrera got up quickly, but it became clear pretty quickly that the master technician also carried some pop in his gloves. Throughout the fight, Barrera had mild success with the jab and landed a few right hands. Ward though was simply on another level. The former unified super middleweight champion used superior hand speed, feints, angles, distance and defense that haven’t been seen by anybody in recent years outside of the recently-retired Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to CompuBox, Ward landed 166 of 463 punches (36%) compared to just 111 of 722 (15%) by Barrera. To put that in perspective, Manny Pacquiao landed 19% of his punches against Mayweather when he was embarrassed last May. Ward pitched a near shutout on the judges’ scorecards, with his only real misstep being a point deducted in the 8th round due to an accidental low blow that dropped Barrera to the canvas.
Ward was already entrenched into the #1 spot on my pound-for-pound list. Despite his absences from the ring, he was elevated from #2 on my list immediately upon Mayweather’s retirement. For the past few years, I’ve actually considered Ward the better fighter due to his willingness to let his hands go instead of solely relying on his phenomenal defense. However, his lack of activity kept him from passing Mr. TMT on the list. Now there should be no debate Ward’s ultimate litmus test will be a fight against Kovalev. The two have already signed a tentative agreement to duke it out on HBO PPV on Nov. 19. That’s assuming that neither lose interim bouts before the big date.
If it comes to fruition, Kovalev vs Ward will be the boxing event of 2016. “Krusher” Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KO) has left plenty of opponents lying limp on the canvas. He’s a smart, highly-skilled fighter with concussive power. Unlike Ward, Kovalev goes into every fight with the intention of beating his opponent unconscious. Every jab, hook or cross throw is with the intention of setting up the kill shot or turning out the lights. The draw on his record was from a controversial bout where he landed a left hook that dropped his opponent and left him unable to continue. The ref determined the punch was landed behind the head and the fight was ruled a technical draw.
The RING Magazine currently ranks Kovalev as the #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and Ward as #4. There’s little doubt that whomever wins this superfight will be universally lauded as the best fighter in the world. Though a lot can happen between now and November, my early inklings are that Ward has the skill and discipline to outbox the beast. After all, he’s a pugilistic genius. The win against Barrera brought him back into public consciousness. A fight against Kovalev would give Ward the canvas to paint a beautiful masterpiece.
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