WBA Super World super-middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 knockouts) will return to the ring on June 20 against an undetermined opponent at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. HBO will not be televising the fight.
This will mark the first time since 2009 that Ward will fight off premium cable television. Instead, Ward could headline Roc Nation Sports’ debut card as a result of brokered programming, also known as time-buy or block time on BET. What will happen, in this case, is the show’s producer will pay BET for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials.
It appears English fighter Paul Smith, who recently took back-to-back losses against Arthur Abraham in his quest to claim the WBO World super-middleweight championship, is the top candidate to be Ward’s opponent for his tune-up fight. Although some analysts saw the first Abraham-Smith fight to be controversial, I thought Abraham won both fights decisively.
There is still a chance that Ward may give Carl Froch a rematch. The WBA ordered negotiations to commence on February 28. However, it appears that nothing of that nature has occurred. As Froch pursues an acting career, it seems that boxing is the last thing on his mind. If the WBA decides to strip Froch of his title, former middleweight titlist Felix Sturm and Fedor Chudinov will fight for the WBA World super middleweight championship belt on May 9. As of right now, both men are scheduled to fight for the WBA regular super middleweight belt until further notice.
If a Ward-Froch rematch were to take place at this juncture, the interest isn’t going to be there. Ward has been inactive, and Froch hasn’t been serious about whether he wants to continue fighting or not. It’s ultimately up to Froch and promoter Eddie Hearn.
Ward, 31, hasn’t fought since 2013 when he defeated Edwin Rodriguez (26-1, 17 knockouts) in a splendid performance. After Ward had taken time off to nurse a shoulder injury, many critics doubted Ward could fight at the level he had been accustomed to throughout his professional career, but he put the skeptics in their place. However, the skeptics have returned—for now. Speaking with ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Ward thanked the fans for showing so much patience.
“I wanted to fight at home as a thank you to my fans for being patient because I know it’s been a long wait,” said Ward. “I’ve stayed motivated in the gym and I’m just really excited to get back. I can’t wait.”
