Take a look at Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera in this HBO Boxing preview. What can you expect Saturday night, and what does this fight mean for Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev?
Saturday night’s HBO World Championship Boxing main event is one of the most anticipated fights in boxing so far this year. On one side of the ring you have Andre Ward. Universally considered one of the best pure boxers in the sport today, Ward comes in to this fight to answer questions. How will he deal with the move up to Light Heavyweight? How has his 4 year stretch of severely limited ring activity impacted him? Is he truly injury free and fighting at 100%? And is he the sport’s next #1 pound for pound king?
Across the ring from Ward will be Sullivan Barrera, a good if somewhat overmatched opponent who is 17-0 and coming in off a win over Karo Murat. Barrera has strong amateur experience fighting for Cuba, and as any boxing fan can tell you, that alone means that he knows his way around the ring and will not be a pushover. He’s a big underdog, and justifiably so, but he also brings some intrigue as an opponent.
And yet the real interest in this fight has little to do with Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera. The real interest comes from a man who will be seated at ringside.
Sergey Kovalev. During Ward’s absence, the Russian KO machine has established himself as the sport’s top Light Heavyweight, a top 5 pound for pound fighter, and one of the most feared punchers boxing has seen in some time. A Kovalev vs. Ward superfight has been in the discussion for some time, and is now on the books for November. It’s an odd situation, where Ward’s next fight – a massively bigger fight – is already scheduled before he’s won here. The end result is that Saturday night’s fight is essentially a piece of promotion. It’s the trailer, here to whet your appetite for the big November feature.
Of course, this isn’t professional wrestling, and there’s no guarantee Ward defeats Barrera. Crazy things happen in combat sports, and if Barrera wins, the Kovalev vs. Ward train is seriously derailed. Is that likely to happen? No, it’s not. Barrera is a decent opponent, but he stands very little realistic chance against someone of Ward’s caliber. The promoters here are taking that gamble, hoping that the exposure from Ward fighting will increase interest in November’s Kovalev clash without risking a loss. It’s an acceptable risk.
But it also brings to mind one final question Ward must answer – is he back for good? He’s had a severe shoulder injury and a knee injury which, combined with his legal issues, have made his career one of constant starts and stops in the past years. Now, he’s looking to take this fight and then return to the ring eight months later for the Kovalev fight. The last time Ward fought twice in eight months was 2011.
In the end, Ward vs. Barrera largely comes down to this – can Andre Ward get out of this fight healthy enough that a November date remains in place? That is the real gamble being made on Saturday night, and in many ways, it’s the most intriguing part of this fight. It’s also not an answer we are likely to get this weekend. So expect Barrera to provide enough challenge for there to be some in-ring drama Saturday night, but not enough to derail the Ward/Kovalev plans immediately. Then get excited about what’s to come – and cross your fingers that those plans don’t come crashing down.
HBO World Championship Boxing Ward vs. Barrera airs live on HBO this Saturday, March 26 with a fight time of 9:45 p.m. ET. Bloody Elbow will have live fight night coverage.