Boxing fans and journalists have been scrambling to identify the best fighter in the world since Floyd Mayweather Jr. walked away from boxing a year ago. Mayweather certified his pound-for-pound status with an easy win over Manny Pacquiao in May of 2015, then took a ‘gimme’ fight against Andre Berto last September before waltzing into retirement. In his absence, Mayweather left a gaping hole atop boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound rankings. Though there are plenty of worthy candidates to the throne, no single fighter has had a signature performance to elevate himself above the competition.
Many boxing scribes have elevated WBC World Flyweight Champion Roman Gonzales (45-0-0, 38 KO) to the top spot. The relatively unknown (outside of boxing circles) Nicaraguan fighter has dominated in three weight-classes and boasts an amazing blend of aggression, power, defense and combination-punching. Unfortunately for “Chocolatito,” there aren’t many elite fighters on his hit list. Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (35-0-0, 32 KO) is another skillful knockout artist in consideration. “GGG” has run through every fighter brave enough to step in the ring with him. However, he too lacks a list of A-list fighters on his resume.
Enter Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.
Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KO) is the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion. The man they call “Krusher” has earned his moniker in the ring by routinely bulldozing opponents into unconsciousness or submission. The only semi-blemish on his record came in 2011 when he received a technical draw against Grover Young. Young could not continue after the powerful Russian landed left hook that was deemed to have landed behind the head. Many people, myself included, believe that Young tasted Kovalev’s power and realized he was in over his head and took the easy way out.
Kovalev has defeated former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal twice and former unified middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins. Even at the elite competition level, Kovalev proved that his power is real. He stopped Pascal on both occasions and dropped the legendary Hopkins in the first round, en route to a dominating decision victory. Kovalev sought out a fight with the only other title holder in the division, WBC champion Adonis Stevenson, but “Superman” seemingly wants nothing to do with Kovalev in the squared circle.
Instead of continuing to chase Stevenson, Kovalev’s team looked to Ward, who was the unified super middleweight champion. Ward had effectively cleaned out the 168-pound division and was looking at bigger and better challenges in a new division. Victories over Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Chad Dawson had already put Ward in the pound-for-pound conversation, even while Mayweather was still active. Dawson was the reigning WBC Light Heavyweight Champion when he fought Ward, but the bout was held at super middleweight, so his title was not on the line. Had it not been for several long layoffs, due to injuries and a promotional contract dispute, Ward may have already claimed the undisputed pound-for-pound crown.
Now it’s official. All the contracts have been signed. The date is set for Nov. 19 on HBO PPV. Kovalev vs Ward will determine an undisputed pound-for-pound king. According to THE RING’s Doug Fischer, the bout will mark only the third-time in the magazine’s history that two undefeated fighters ranked in the top five of its pound-for-pound list will match up against each other. Though this bout won’t have the hype of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, it is much more likely to live up to the lofty expectations. Unlike Mayweather and Pacquiao, Ward and Kovalev are both still in their fighting primes. Both are still hungry to reach bona fide superstar status and respect and ridiculous riches that come with it.
There’s still a long way to go until November, but barring bad luck (knocks on wood) it appears that this highly-anticipated matchup will come to fruition. Unlike disappointing 2016 pay per view matchups between Pacquiao and Tim Bradley or Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan, this bout is certainly worth the price of admission.
My first impression is that Ward’s technical superiority will reign supreme, however, I’ll wait until closer to the fight to make an official pick. Regardless of whom emerges as the victor, it’s apparent that boxing fans everywhere win.
Golovkin seeks to make his own statement
Unable to lure Alvarez into a big-time PPV bout, Gennady Golovkin will seek to stake his claim on the pound-for-pound pedestal when he takes on IBF World Welterweight champion Kell Brook (36-0-0, 26 KO) on Sept. 10 on HBO Championship Boxing. Golovkin rightfully threw shade at Alvarez for fighting Khan, a welterweight, only to come back and do that exact same thing.
In Golovkin’s defense, Alvarez vacated the WBC middleweight strap rather than step into the ring with “GGG.” That left the oft-avoided Golovkin seeking out another big-name opponent. Brook is also a naturally bigger fighter than Khan. Still, a middleweight defending his title against a welterweight is just not a good look.
For Brook, the fight is a win/win. His welterweight belt is not on the line. He’ll earn a nice paycheck and gain plenty of exposure against a high-profile champion. Nobody outside his camp expects him to win, so a victory would just be icing on top and propel him into the pound-for-pound conversation. Golovkin could raise his public profile with an impressive knockout against as credible fighter, however, he’ll get earn zero credibility for beating a fighter who normally fights a full 13-pounds below his weight class.
At least this bout is on regular HBO and fans won’t have to shell out $60. Despite the weight difference, expect Brook to hold his own and make it a fairly exciting fight. In the end though, Golovkin will likely prove to be too big and too strong.
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