By Carlos Boogs
A few months ago, newly crowned WBO,WBA, IBF light heavyweight champion Andre Ward (31-0, 15KOs) discussed the possibility of moving up to the heavyweight division for a fight of some importance.
Ward made it clear that he won't head up to the heavyweight ranks unless it's the right situation and the right opponent.
This past Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Ward became a two-division world champion with a razor-thin twelve round unanimous decision over Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26KOs).
After his title winning effort, Ward indicated that he's still very interested in heading up to boxing's biggest weight division.
If he does move up to heavyweight, Ward has immediately ruled out WBC world champion Deontay Wilder and IBF champion Anthony Joshua - as he views both of them as being too big.
Ward wants to emulate the 2003 accomplishment by Roy Jones Jr. - who was a unified world champion at 175-pounds, like Ward, and leaped up to the heavyweight division to defeat John Ruiz for the WBA world title. Jones never made a defense of the belt and returned to the light heavyweight division in his next fight.
“Listen, I’ve thought about this a lot and I know it sounds crazy. I feel like I have a Roy Jones type of situation [in me] before my career is over. But it’s got to be the right guy. I'm not going to let my ego get n the way. There’s certain guys you just don’t mess with. There's guys who are too big, and I respect that, but you're go to find the right opponent in that situation. Maybe one day [I will move to heavyweight] or maybe not, but it has to be the right opponent," Ward said.