The process seemed… Protracted.
But Andre Ward is nothing if not deliberate and he was that in the process leading to agreeing to fight Sullivan Barrera on March 26 in Oakland, and on HBO.
Boxing Scene first reported that Ward vs Barrera is signed and sealed.
This is Ward's second foray in the light heavyweight class. The 32 in February-year-old Roc Nation boxer handled Brit Paul Smith, a top 25 type, last June.
That show ran on BET; it's back to the showier stage of HBO for the talented but less than prolific Ward.
Barrera is a Cuban who has improved leaps and bounds under the tutorial gaze of Abel Sanchez. They are 6-0 with 6 KOs together, so I think most will agree the Cuban native is a good warmup type fight as Ward looks ahead a touch, at a fall tangle with Sergey Kovalev.
I checked in with Sanchez on Thursday afternoon. This thing is a go, looks like, I said.
“From what I was told it is on, let's hope Ward doesn't get hurt getting out of bed,” Sanchez cracked.
Barrera, like Kovalev promoted by Main Events, would dearly like to throw ten wrenches into those works.
