By Keith Idec
It isn’t likely to air on the network that he employs them as broadcasters, but HBO boxing analyst Max Kellerman seems fine with Andre Ward’s return to the ring June 20 amounting to a tune-up fight.
When asked about Ward’s potential opponent by host Jim Lampley on the new installment of HBO’s “The Fight Game,” which debuted Tuesday night, Kellerman contended Ward “deserves a gimme on his comeback fight.”
The undefeated Ward (27-0, 14 KOs), ranked No. 2 on the vast majority of pound-for-pound lists, hasn’t fought since he easily out-boxed then-unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez in a 12-round fight nearly 17 months ago in Ontario, Calif. The undisputed super middleweight champion reportedly was paid $2 million for that fight, which HBO broadcast, but HBO Sports executives haven’t demonstrated more interest in helping to pay the 2004 Olympic gold medalist millions to face low-profile opponents.
Ward hasn’t chosen a foe for his June 20 fight in Oakland, California. His new promoter, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports, hasn’t made an announcement about which cable channel will televise the fight, either, though it is reportedly in negotiations with BET.
Lampley made it clear during the aforementioned telecast that Ward’s June 20 fight won’t be on HBO, which has televised Ward’s past two fights, when he said, “We know he’s looking for moderate opposition at best. When will he take a serious opponent and whom could it be?”
Kellerman smiled before offering a supportive response regarding a colleague who has drawn consistent criticism from fight fans on social media for his seemingly self-imposed inactivity.
“Well, knowing Andre Ward, when he’s ready, when he feels he’s ready,” Kellerman said. “He deserves a gimme on his comeback fight. He hasn’t fought in a long time. And what are considered gimmes for Andre Ward are usually pretty good fighters. Edwin Rodriguez the last time out, an undefeated super middleweight, the best fighter in the division he hadn’t already beaten. Remember, Ward positively cleaned out the 168-pound division during that tournament [Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic].
“So he’s just jumping in, you take a guy you know you can beat, you shake off the ring rust before moving on. He’s 31 years old. How much longer can he fight at 168 pounds? If the answer is another year or 18 months, [Gennady Golovkin] is his money fight eventually. If the answer is, not for much longer, and he has to go up to 175 pounds, then there’s Kovalev, maybe by then Beterbiev and, you know, maybe it’s a good idea to get your feet wet if you’re gonna fight at [175] before taking on those killers. Andre Ward hasn’t lost a fight since what, he was 12 or 14 years old? There’s a good reason for that.”
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.
