Sergey Kovalev vs Andre Ward: 5 reasons to watch

It is a referendum on Andre Ward’s lost years

After a dominant victory over Chad Dawson in defense of his WBA and WBC super middleweight titles on September 8, 2012, a win that solidified Andre Ward’s status as the heir-apparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s pound-for-pound throne, the fighter known as “S.O.G.” went into hibernation. A slew of promotional issues and injuries led to a mere two fights prior to 2016.

Little can be gleaned from Ward’s decision wins over Sullivan Barrera and Alexander Brand in preparation for the herculean task of dethroning Sergey Kovalev. Fans and pundits speculate about whether Ward is slightly diminished ad nauseam, but there’s no way of knowing whether Ward is still actually one of the world’s best fighters until he trades punches with Kovalev.

Simply put, Andre Ward still sits near the top of most pound-for-pound rankings by virtue of his reputation. Of course, it’s not as if Ward looked ponderous or unable to pull the trigger against Barrera and Brand. Far from it. However, the harsh reality is that Ward hasn’t fought an opponent worthy of his immense gifts since that Dawson fight four years ago.

Thus, the Kovalev bout is essentially a referendum on the “lost years” of Andre Ward’s career, the meat of his athletic prime, don’t forget. If Ward defeats Kovalev, his layoff will be vindicated, and he’ll be declared by many as the pound-for-pound king. But if he loses, and especially if he gets stopped, Ward’s career will be defined by a loud cohort — whether fairly or not — as a case of what could have been.