OAKLAND, Calif. - Andre Ward unanimously outpointed Sullivan Barrera in his light heavyweight debut Saturday night, setting the stage for a potential title fight against unified champion Sergey Kovalev.
Ending a nine-month layoff while fighting for just the fourth time in four years, Ward (29-0) knocked down Barrera in the second round with a sharp left. The 34-year-old Cuban bounced up quickly before Ward landed another pair of stinging lefts to the head.
About the only thing to go wrong for the Oakland fighter came late in the eighth when referee Raul Caiz deducted a point from Ward for a low blow that sent Barrera (17-1) down to one knee. Ward also drew a warning in the 10th for an accidental head butt.
All three judges had Ward winning easily. The scores were 117-109, 119-109 and 117-108.
The win paves the way for Ward to fight Kovalev, the Russian slugger who has defended his title three times since beating Bernard Hopkins in a unification match in 2014. While talks between both camps have been ongoing, things are expected to heat up now.
The 32-year-old Russian predicted an easy Ward win before the fight and said a matchup against the former Olympic gold medalist would be the biggest challenge of his career.
"November is a great time," Kovalev said. "Let's do it, me and him, a done deal."
Kovalev and Ward could each have another warm-up before their eventual bout which is expected to be on pay-per-view.
Had Barrera won, the picture would have been a lot more uncertain.
Although the stakes were billed as being for the expected title shot with Kovalev, Ward had a stipulation added to the contract guaranteeing him a rematch with Barrera first.
It didn't happen, setting the stage for what many are already billing as a potential fight of the year even though no deal has been finalized.
"It's going to be the opposite from Mayweather-Pacquiao in every way," said Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, whose stable includes Kovalev.
