By Victor Salazar
Brooklyn, New York - IBF/WBO/WBA light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25KOs) is on a collision course with another pound for pound stalwart in Andre Ward (28-0, 15KOs). The two are slated to meet next fall.
Ward has long reigned at the 168-pound division and will now move up to 175 - when he plans to take two fights before his agreed showdown with Kovalev.
Kovalev’s trainer, John David Jackson, feels Ward is in his rightful division.
“He fought as an amateur at 178 so there is no transition,” Jackson told BoxingScene.com. “What he did was get himself down to 168 and he was fighting as the bigger man at 168.”
Jackson feels the time to move up for Ward is right now. He feels Ward has nothing left to prove at 168, and also believes Ward’s body has outgrown 168. Ward snapped a long layoff back in June, returning at a catch-weight of 172 to stop Paul Smith.
“He’s (Ward) going to fight guys his size. He’s in the right division now. He cleaned out 168 and he’s got nothing to prove there. He can’t make 168. He grew and 175 is the way to go.”