HBO Boxing heads back to the Bay Area when World Championship Boxing Andre Ward vs. Alexander Brand is shown at 10:35 p.m. this Saturday evening from Oracle Arena in Oakland, Cal., exclusively on HBO.
Returning to his hometown, Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KOs) continues to pursue dominance in the 175-pound weight class, taking on Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KOs) from Bogota, Columbia in a light heavyweight bout scheduled for 12 rounds. Originally slated for last November, the fight was postponed when Ward sustained an injury in training.
Ward, 32, has succeeded at every level, compiling a near-perfect record as an amateur, winning a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and enjoying a seven-year reign as super middleweight champ. He looked superb against challenger Sullivan Barrera in his 2016 debut last March, registering a unanimous decision victory.
This will mark Ward’s seventh fight at Oracle Arena and sixth appearance on HBO. If he scores a victory, Ward is expected to seek another world title by fighting light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev in the fall.
Brand turned professional at age 32 after racking up more than 400 wins as an amateur. Now 39, he won his first 17 pro fights, 12 by knockout, and has been on an eight-victory run following his only ring loss, in 2012.
