Andre Ward Warns: Barrera Must Answer For All He Said About Me

By Keith Idec

Andre Ward wouldn’t make a prediction, but the undefeated former super middleweight champion plans to make Sullivan Barrera pay for the things Barrera has said about him.

Ward was made aware of Barrera’s provocative comments both before and after their fight was scheduled for Saturday night at Oakland’s Oracle Arena (HBO). One thing the Hayward, California native hopes Barrera realizes is that he was in no way “afraid” to accept a fight against the bigger, supposedly stronger light heavyweight contender.

“I never predict [outcomes] because you don’t know what’s going to happen in this sport,” Ward said. “But I’m always prepared to win. You better believe we’re coming to win and I will tell you this – we’ll put on a great performance. It’s not that I need any more motivation, but when guys like him talk the way that they talk … and I know it’s not all him. I know it’s people feeding him stuff and telling him what to say, and it’s unfortunate because he’s the guy that’s going to be in the ring when the referee tells everybody to get out.

“When everybody’s walking down those steps, it’s just going to be him and me and he’s going to have to answer for everything that he said. He’s just going to be in there with a highly motivated performer. And it’s just going to be a tremendous performance March 26th.”

The 32-year-old Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) will make his debut at the full light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds when he battles Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs). The 34-year-old Barrera basically is untested at the championship level, but the Cuban-born boxer boasts legitimate power and has an extensive amateur background.

While Ward acknowledges Barrera poses a real threat to his unblemished record, he believes Barrera might have underestimated the challenge he’ll encounter in their 12-round fight.

“I’ve always challenged myself against the best, and this is no different,” Ward said. “See, what Barrera has to understand is there was a lot of talk early on … and I don’t immerse myself in this stuff, but I get wind of it. He made some comments about [me] being scared, and this and that. I think what he has to stop for a second and realize is that I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and [I’m] a guy who hasn’t been afraid of any man. And I’m not gonna start being afraid in year 21.

“And of all the guys on the list I had, I felt like he was the toughest off. And me and [trainer Virgil Hunter], we personally picked him. We singled him out. We said, ‘OK, this is the guy that’s gonna get us ready for the division and see where we’re at.’ So he needs to realize that he was chosen. This was intentional. This wasn’t anybody forcing me to do anything. I had a list. I had multiple options and I could’ve taken a lesser route, but I chose him. So he just needs to understand that. And I do expect a tough fight, but I do expect to come out in spectacular fashion, like I said.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.