As Andre "S.O.G." Ward, the consensus No. 2 fighter in the world's pound-for-pound rankings, prepares for his return bout against undefeated Edwin Rodriguez Saturday night on HBO, swaths of boxing fans and observers are trying to pin down Ward's next opponent.
Virtually everyone who has seen Ward fight is in agreement about his talent, yet he's been unable to make himself the star that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has become. Ward plies his trade in the super middleweight division, and has basically beaten down every challenger in the weight class.
That is why he badly wants to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a large middleweight who has had issues with making weight and is expected to move up. Chavez Jr. is a proven draw with a giant Mexican fan base. A bout with Chavez Jr. would be the highest-profile fight of Ward's career, and could be his ticket to the big show.
"I just think that's a fight with Chavez Jr. that can be made the way things are right now. As long as Chavez wants it, I want it, the I'm sure HBO wants it, the fans want to see it," Ward said in July. "And those are the type of major fights, not just a premium network fight, but a major pay-per-view fight that I'm in line for, and I think Chavez wants it and everyone involved wants it."
Chavez Jr. also seems amenable to a battle with Ward. Around that time Chavez Jr. was quoted saying, "Let's see how I feel, a diet has to be done at any weight in order not to sacrifice my weight so much. [Vera is] a good choice after my inactivity [since September 2012]. If Martinez is still on the mend [from injuries], a win over Ward would place me on the list of the best. I know that many people do not think I can beat a fighter of that caliber, but I share the view that in order to be the best you have to beat the best."
Unfortunately for Chavez Jr., he failed to impress against Brian Vera in his own return fight. Many felt that Vera won the fight, or at least earned a draw, and JCC Jr. looked far from ready to step in the ring with Ward. S.O.G. was willing to overlook his poor performance, recently telling RingTV, "Whether people like it or not, he got his hand raised tonight. That's a fight [Chavez Jr. vs. Ward] that has to happen. That's a pay-per-view fight. Chavez Jr. can fight. He's got a lot of his father in him." The boxing public may disagree.
Since Ward is scheduled to fight this weekend, and Chavez likely needs a rematch with Vera, or some other fight to reignite the clamor for his fights, any date with Ward will likely have to wait until mid-to-late 2014.
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