Ward has won the WBA super middleweight title in 2009. Two years later, he won the WBC and Ring middleweight titles and has successfully defended it until 2013.
The 32-year-old unbeaten champion from San Francisco California has not fought for close to two years until 2015, claiming injury and spending time feuding with his former promoter. He was later stripped of his WBA title in February 2015 by the Ring and later in the year he vacated the WBA super middleweight title.
Ward’s sudden decision to move up to the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds caught boxing fans by surprise as he has been doing quite well in the 168-pound limit.
Reports have indicated that he is looking at a lucrative fight against the unbeaten Russian top contender Sergey Kovalev, who is rated No. 1 in the Ring’s 175 pounds weight limit.
But first he has to get past Barrera on Saturday night. The problem is Barrera has been unbeaten in 17 pro fights and has shown a remarkable knockout record in his seven-year pro career.
It could be Ward’s toughest fight because the Cuban fighter has the attribute of being a knockout artist if he continues with his KO record. In contrast, Ward has an inferior KO record of only 15 knockouts of his 28 wins against Barrera’s 12 of 17 fights.
“I don’t know. I never fought him. We’re getting ready to fight in a couple of days. I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do. It’s a two-way street. He’s never fought anyone like me before. So they can talk a great game. They can dominate the headlines leading up to the fight. They can say all the slick things they want to say. He [Abel Sanchez] clearly has to tell his fighter something. We just want to dominate the headlines Sunday morning after the fight is over. That’s what I’m supposed to do,” Ward said when asked about his opponent.
Ward has acknowledged that Barrera is indeed a tough opponent for his light heavyweight debut, saying he wants to fight the best in the division.
“He seems to be a good puncher. We didn’t pick him because he’s a soft touch. We picked him because he was going to get me ready to show me what the weight class is all about. You want to fight the best. If you’re not fighting the best, then you want to fight the number one contender, and that’s what we’re doing. I don’t have to show off to Kovalev. Just implement the game plan and perform like I know I’m going to perform. I think I’ve sent a message to the boxing world. If it doesn’t, then we’ll get the message when we fight,” Ward added
It is going to be a make or break fight for Ward who deserves to share the spotlight with the likes of Kovalev or Golovkin who are both unbeaten like him.
Ward admitted that he doesn’t deserve to fight for the title if he fails to win over Barrera on Saturday.
