By Yuri Tarantin
As recently reported, Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) would still make his light heavyweight debut on November 21st, as part of the Miguel Cotto vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez HBO Pay-Per-View undercard.
As previously reported, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) rejected a proposed fight between Ward and Australian contender Rohan Murdoch. The NSAC felt the fight was too uneven with a huge gap in class between the two fighters and Murdoch was also required to face Ward at the light heavyweight limit of 175-pounds.
The two names that were being considered were Cedric Agnew (28-2, 14KO) and Alexander Brand (24-1, 19KO).
The decision for Ward's opponent has been set on Brand, who three years ago lost an eight round decision to the current WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack.
Brand has won seven in a row since that defeat, but he's never fought beyond the super middleweight limit or faced an elite fighter like Ward.
The fight will be the first bout of Ward's new multi-fight agreement with HBO. That agreement will end with a pay-per-view fight against WBO/WBA/IBF champion Sergey Kovalev, who defends his belts against Jean Pascal in a rematch on January 30th in Canada.
Both Ward and Kovalev are expected to take separate fights in the summer before their anticipated PPV showdown in the fall.
Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru
