According to a source which spoke exclusively to Boxing Scene, WBA Super World super-middleweight champion Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KO’s) and WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KO’s) have been in negotiations to set up a fight.
However, negotiations haven’t been going smoothly thus far, with Golovkin’s team requesting a 164 lb. catch-weight.
Andre Ward’s last fight was in June against Paul Smith at a172 lb. catch-weight, but there’s a difference. Both Ward and Smith have spent a majority of their careers at the 168 level, so with both making the move up to light-heavyweight, no one was at a disadvantage.
Paul Smith did intentionally blow weight and came in at 176 ½ pounds, but it didn’t make a difference, as he was dominated and stopped inside the ninth round.
Gennady Golovkin stopped Willie Monroe Jr. inside the sixth round in May to retain his WBA/IBO titles.
Ward dropped by ESPN studios on Monday and claimed he was walking around 180, which means he would have to drop 16 pounds just to make weight, and he hasn’t weighed below 166 since November 2006 when he fought Derrick Findley.
From what it looks like, Golovkin and his team are preventing this fight from happening. Golovkin offered to fight the now retired Carl Froch at the super-middleweight limit of 168 lbs., as well as former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but wants a catch-weight for Andre Ward?
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist has informed his promoter at Roc Nation Sports that he wants to fight Golovkin next, but he’s not going to fight him at 164 pounds.
“Ward wants to fight Golovkin, and he wants to fight next, but it won’t happen at 164-pounds. By accepting 168 with Carl Froch and Chavez Jr., but then demanding 164 with Ward – it’s their way of saying, ‘we don’t want to fight Andre Ward,” the source revealed to Boxing Scene.
