Andre Ward is finally returning to the boxing ring for real.
After appearing on Creed, the former World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight boxer will reportedly face an undefeated Sullivan Barrera at the Oracle Arena on March 26, according to reports from RingTV.
It will be Ward's light heavyweight debut which could set the stage for an interesting bout with Sergey Kovalev later this year. Kovalev is coming off a big total knockout (TKO) win over Jean Pascal that allowed him to retain his unified light heavyweight title in a not so competitive rematch.
Ward hasn't fought since June of last year where he disposed of Paul Smith in nine. Ward was originally scheduled to return last November 2015 in one of the undercards of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto clash but pulled out due to a knee injury.
On his planned fight with Kovalev, the same report adds that both camps have agreed to face each other in a tiff that could possibly take place by November of this year.
But for that to gain some steam, Ward needs to prove himself against Barrera.
With Ward now being backed by Roc Nation Sports, his upcoming fight could be a start as far as getting his career back on track. His last fight was hardly something that made an impression and passing on that undercard last November is seen a costly one.
Ward has so far missed out on big payday fights. A reason seen for such is due to promotional issues he has had to deal with as well as injuries. Combined, both have caused him a chance to face big name fighters when he was still fighting in the 168-pound division. He has only fought three times since 2011.
With a new lease on life, Ward needs to make an impression and it all starts with Barrera and then look forward to a big fight with Kovalev.
