Boxing: Andre Ward Aims at Big 2016, Starting with Unbeaten Sullivan Barrera

Andre Ward will climb back into the ring again this Saturday, when he meets undefeated Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) on HBO’s “World Championship Boxing” (9:45 p.m. ET). It will be only the fourth time in the last four years that the U.S. Olympic gold medalist -- and one of the truly good guys in boxing -- will fight.

Ward, 32, will take the same mindset he has taken into all of his fights. “S.O.G.” has trained hard, he feels healthy and he knows the boxing microscope will be narrowing its lenses on him. However, he doesn’t care. He has never cared. What has made Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) so prolific has been his ability to cancel the white noise around him and focus on what’s ahead. It’s what he has been doing the last several months in preparation for Barrera.

What is new is the weight class. Ward will be jumping from super middleweight to light heavyweight, aiming to face Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev in a mega-fight later this year.

“It’s the same dedication and same mindset,” Ward said. “I’m not too high about the [Barrera] fight, I’m not too low about it. I’m not underestimating the guy. I still go into the fight like this is my time. It’s the same mindset as I’ve always had, really putting in the best performance that I possibly can. [Barrera] has obviously done a lot of talking and he seems to be confident, but I’ve been fighting big mouths my whole career, since I’ve been a kid. There’s always been a big mouth in the crowd -- always.

“I’ve been here before and I know what this is,” he added. “If Barrera thinks he’s going to intimidate somebody and try that Jedi mind trick on me, he has to do a lot better than that. We have a date set, this Saturday, and it’s time for everyone to put their chips out on the table. If he does everything he says he’s going to do, I’ll take my hat off to him, but I don’t think it will happen like that.”

This could be a make-or-break year for Ward. He’s still one of the best fighters in the world. His brand received a nice boost with a special appearance in the movie “Creed,” and his fans have remained strong, though at times frustrated, simply because they want to see him fight more.

Here are some facts: Ward is one of the best character people in boxing. He’s one of the most talented fighters in the game today, and he’s one of the top faces of the sport. However, due to injury and promotional entanglements, his star power isn’t where it should be on the boxing tableau. Ward is aware of all of these things and vows that he wants to make 2016 special.

“I can’t get caught up in what could happen this year, because first things first, and that’s beating Barrera,” Ward said. “As many possibilities as there are, it’s like when I fought for the Super Six title. I put my blinders on and tuned out the noise. It’s not that I care or not that I’m aware of where I am and what I have to do; it’s that I’m the individual that is doing the fight. If I don’t perform this Saturday, there is no Kovalev fight, there isn’t any of that.

“I try not to get caught up in the other stuff,” he continued. “I go back to the fundamental point. I care more about being great than I do about being famous. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about the accolades and all of the fan support that does come my way. I think my star power is a little bit bigger than what people realize and what’s written. Boxing is a very small, incestuous business. One thing is written and no one fact checks. I don’t come out every other week and give people the facts.

“There are a lot of haters out there,” Ward added. “If it’s not the layoff, it’s that I don’t have a personality or my fighting style. It’s always something that I’m criticized about, and as I continue on in my career, if I see a situation unfold, I don’t get caught up in it. My star power is what it is right now. I’m pleased and happy. Whatever it ends up being, it ends up being. I see a lot of fighters right now pushing and trying to be the next Floyd Mayweather, trying to be big. I’m not going to get caught up in that. I’m staying with my mission and that’s to be great. Anything that comes with that, it comes with that. I have of plenty of influence. People don’t see it, but I get stopped everywhere. That’s enough for me.”



Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.