Malignaggi: Andre Ward is The P4P Best, Could Lose To Kovalev

By Radio Rahim

Since last year's retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the pound-for-pound debate has continued to play out among experts and fans alike.

Many observers regard WBC flyweight champion Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Others consider WBA/IBF/IBO middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin as the top guy.

But, former super middleweight ruler Andre Ward (29-0, 15KOs) is also under high consideration as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Former two division world champion and Showtime Boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi is among the experts who regard Ward as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

"For me it's Andre Ward. He's got the resume, he's got the big names [on his record], and he continues to show what he is and what he's made of - both as a character, as a man, as an athlete, as a sportsman and as a very skilled fighter as well," Malignaggi told BoxingScene.com.

Ward is now campaigning in the light heavyweight division. After a planned return in the summer, he is contracted to fight WBO/WBA/IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (29-0-1, 26KOs) in November on HBO Pay-Per-View.

The showdown with Kovalev is considered to be the most dangerous fight of Ward's career, but on the other hand Kovalev has never faced an opponent with the skill or credentials of Ward.

Malignaggi views it as a very tough fight for Ward and the type of fight that could see the Olympic gold medal winner suffer his first defeat as a pro.

"That's a very tough fight. Kovalev is no slouch himself. That's a very tough and a fight that Andre could very well lose. It's a high risk fight, but again you see the character of the man - he's not backing away from it, he's going at it," Malignaggi said.