Andre Ward, the unbeaten former two-division Champion, is training with Terence Crawford to help him prepare for a clash on August 3rd against Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.
Still youthful at 40, there are well-paying fights out there for Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) if he trims off the weight and returns to the ring for a rematch against Carl Froch or fights against one of the big names at 175. Froch is now 47 but looks in good shape for his age. A rematch would be interesting for British fans, if not for Americans.
Ward retired at the top of his game in 2017 and missed out on big money that is being dished out to light heavyweight champions Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, and soon to David Benavidez in Saudi Arabia.
If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh invites Ward to take part in one of the events, he can make some good dough, but he’ll likely be expected to face someone good. To be on those cards, Ward has got to provide value to the fans, and the only way that happens is if he’s matched against a live body.
It’s been seven years since IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight Champion Ward defeated Sergey Kovalev by an eighth-round knockout on June 17, 2017. Ward surprisingly retired after that victory rather than staying around to defend against the talented Beterbiev and Bivol.
Saudi Arabia is now the hot spot for the biggest fights in boxing. You can’t blame the Oakland, California native Andre Ward if he’s sniffing the green he could scoop up if he gets to fight on one of the cards in Saudi Arabia. He can help sweeten his retirement nest if he fattens his bank account.
It would be a bitter pill for Ward if he suffered his first career defeat, but the money will make it worthwhile. But even if he hadn’t retired in 2017, he likely would have lost twice already to Bivol and Beterbiev. That’s one way of looking at it, and if he’s a hang-up about wanting to protect his precious unbeaten record.
It would be interesting to see Ward fight David Benavidez on one of the cards in Saudi Arabia to get the ball started. If Ward wins that fight, then a title shot against the winner of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol undisputed clash would be ideal.
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