Previewing a Potential Ward vs. Golovkin Showdown:
The super middleweight division is in flux. Andre Ward has been inactive for a full year, Carl Froch is nearing retirement and there’s a group of hungry young contenders rising up through the division. All of this means Ward needs to re-clarify his position as the weight-class’ champion, and its dominant fighter.
One weight below Ward lies Kazakh punching sensation, Gennady Golovkin, who has mauled his way through a list of fighters, making him the standout at middleweight. Golovkin continues to be avoided by the division’s biggest names and in turn, he may need to move up in weight to get the fights he craves. When he does, Ward will be waiting.
Ward vs. Golovkin: The Background
Ward won the Super Six tournament in late 2011, earning him a spot in the top three of most pundits’ pound for pound rankings. [Editor’s Note: Ward has been dropped from a high of #2, to #4, due to inactivity]. His dismantling of Froch was impressive, as was his entire tournament, but since then he has largely failed to capitalize on the success.
‘S.O.G’ hasn’t fought this year, and had just one fight in both 2012 and 2013, losing his momentum due to injury and promotional conflict. Those two fights do, however, include his dominant showing against then Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson. Nevertheless, Ward has lost some of his standing through inactivity and it’s time for him to get back on track before he squanders it completely.
Miguel Cotto may be the lineal middleweight champion, but had Golovkin not been perennially avoided he would have won that status before Cotto moved up. ‘GGG’ hurts everyone that stands up to him and he owns a knockout streak stretching back years.
The hype around Golovkin has been intense, but with each passing performance the gap between hype and reality narrows. Nonetheless, in spite of a charming persona and a growing fan-base, he continues to struggle to pin down the big fights.
How will their paths cross?
Down the line Ward will break free from the promotional issues that have given him a legal headache in recent years. Back in the ring, he will return with a points win against an unremarkable challenger, but the buzz will be low.
Golovkin, meanwhile, will have cleaned out most of the middleweight class, but will still not receive a shot at the lineal title, with Cotto and Canelo Alvarez occupying one another. Desperate for a meaningful challenge, the Kazakh accepts that a move up to super middleweight will bring such opportunities.
In one another Ward and Golovkin will find mutual interests. Ward, as the bigger man and natural 168-pounder, will fancy himself to end Golovkin’s mythical status and return himself to the top of the sport in doing so. Golovkin, on the other hand, will be confident of continuing his knockout streak against a guy who could well still be suffering from time spent out of the ring.
How would Ward vs Golovkin play out?
With such a long wait for a big fight, both men would probably have a degree of apprehension. This would especially be the case for Ward, whose inactivity would imbue doubt ahead of a match-up with such a huge hitter.
The result would be a fight low on aesthetics. Ward would tie-up and evade, while Golovkin would patiently attack. Ward’s confidence would rise as the fight went on, perhaps leading to more entertainment as the American out-boxes his opponent for a spell.
Golovkin would hurt Ward towards the end of the fight, but ‘S.O.G’ would cling on for a narrow and disputed points win to reestablish himself at the top of the sport.
