By Keith Idec
It would be very easy, considering the current political climate in the United States, to promote the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev rematch as the United States versus Russia.
The 33-year-old Ward won a gold medal for the U.S. at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and the Hayward, California, native is widely viewed as the best active American boxer in the sport. The 34-year-old Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs), the ruthless Russian knockout artist who has promised to end Ward’s career, clearly is comfortable playing the role of villain.
The USA-Russia angle would be perfect promotional material, particularly for a matchup that, according to pay-per-view revenue from their first fight, hasn’t resonated with consumers as much as it seemingly should.
Ward still isn’t interested in taking that promotional path toward their June 17 light heavyweight championship rematch at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas (HBO Pay-Per-View).
“I try to stay out of the politics, whether it’s concerning our government or whether it’s just concerning boxing,” Ward said during a recent conference call. “It’s best for me to just stay out of it completely. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not honored to represent my country, which I’ve been fortunate enough to do since I was a little boy – at the Junior Olympic level, all the way up to the Olympics. I’ve [faced] a lot of international competition as a professional.
“And it’s an honor and a privilege to live here in the United States and to represent my country. And I’ve always tried to do that, no matter who I’m fighting. That’s my focus.”
That said, Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) understands the temptation to turn this promotion into the 21st century’s real-life “Rocky IV.” Ward’s co-manager, James Prince, made frequent references to the USA-Russia rivalry during the promotion of their first fight and their rematch.
“I know that there are parallels for the players involved, the promoters,” Ward said. “You know, they’re definitely gonna talk about it and it’s definitely something that’s interesting and people can pull on. But personally, you know, I pretty much stay out of that.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.