Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) tries to retrun to the land of the big dogs tonight when he faces off against Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) on HBO.
On the primary undercard we’ll see Jayson Valez (23-1-1) take on Joseph Diaz (19-0)
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the press release from HBO.
With Floyd Mayweather ensconced in uneasy retirement, Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) is the best pound for pound boxer in the world. Or was. His run defeating a string of the best super middleweights in the world from 2009-2012, which culminated in his total domination of the fearsome, long-armed puncher Chad Dawson, established his mastery. But then the troubles began. A contract dispute. A shoulder injury. The upshot was that since his fight against Dawson in September of 2012, Ward has only fought twice, against Edwin Rodriguez in 2013 and against Paul Smith in the summer of 2015. Both were easy wins for Ward. Both, in fact, were tune-up fights, the sort of fights that great fighters take only to keep busy or knock off the rust after a long layoff. Which means that in more than three years since Andre Ward proved that he was at the very height of his powers, he has not once been seriously challenged. This is the equivalent of Pablo Picasso taking several years off from painting as soon as he invented cubism. It is a loss to the art.
Andre Ward is a great fighter, but not a flashy fighter. He has famously not lost a fight at any level since he was 13 years old. He has done this not with blinding speed or deadly power, but with peerless decision-making. At every moment of a fight, Andre Ward seems capable of making the best decision. He knows when to fight on inside, and when to fight on the outside, and when to attack, and when to lay back. He fights like a man who has had this fight before, then come back in time from the future with full knowledge of what will happen. He has shown no holes in his game. His brilliance is more subtle than that of most pound-for-pound titans, but that only makes it more impressive. It also makes it more susceptible to the destructive effects of rust. Not fighting regularly may leave a boxer fine physically, but erode his timing and judgment. These are the very things that Andre Ward relies on to make him a champion. If all goes well, the next few years should represent the very pinnacle of Andre Ward’s career. Let’s hope that he didn’t spend too much time on the sidelines.
On the undercard, featherweight Jayson Velez (23-1-1) takes on Joseph Diaz (19-0). Velez is tall, tough, and aggressive, with a lanky style that slips into awkwardness and a willingness to trade punches. Diaz, a 2012 US Olympian, is much slicker, with good speed and a tendency towards combination punching and in-and-out footwork. Velez has the stronger resume, but 23-year-old Diaz seeks to prove that he belongs at the top of the division in his first HBO bout. If he can avoid being backed into a corner, Diaz’s boxing skills should win out.
The show is on HBO at 9:45 p.m. EST. Watch it with me.
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