Despite Being Open to the Fight, Boxing Hall of Famer Andre Ward Reveals the Reason Canelo Alvarez Fight Never Materialized

It’s one of those big ‘Whys’. Despite being contemporaries, why have two of the biggest names in modern boxing never clashed? One reached the heights of boxing and retired in his prime. The other, at the opposite end, also scaled the summit and is still going strong.

The professional journeys of Andre Ward and Canelo Alvarez commenced roughly a year apart. While the American started on December 8, 2004, the Mexican, on October 29, 2005. The former established his name in the super middleweight division and then frog-leaped to the 175-pound weight class. Alvarez, on the other hand, earned his stripes in the light middleweight or super welterweight division and worked his way up to the light heavyweight division. So considering their divisional proximity, one might wonder why these two living legends never crossed swords in their careers. 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward shed some light on one of the most puzzling conundrums of recent-day boxing.

Two stars, always on the move… away: Andre Ward and Canelo Alvarez

The 2021 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee was the guest at the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast. So Stephen Jackson asked, “How true was it—or was it is even true at all—that you and Canelo about to was about to fight? Is that any truth to it?” Andre Ward then clarified that the reason why his and Canelo Alvarez’s names frequently came up in discussions was because of a common link: Sergey Kovalev, the Russian light heavyweight. Ward said, “Man, the only reason why me and me and Canelo was brought up in the same conversation is because we fought. We fought a common opponent, Sergey Kovalev…my my name and his name never crossed path during my career even after even after I beat Kovalev. Nobody said nothing about that, and that’s probably the closest I ever came to coming back is after he when he was fighting Kovalev, I said, if he call my name….(I’m there).”

Then he further explained how nothing came up even during the post-fight conferences. Oftentimes, he felt like calling up his team and checking if a common ground for a fight with Alvarez could be found. But it was all thanks to a common opponent. Otherwise, there has never been an instance of feuding between him and the Mexican icon. The latter had never been rude to him. But neither did Alvarez ever express a desire to fight him. Hence, in many ways, most of the talking happened at the fans’ end, Ward said.

“Yeah, and post-fight press conference, I’m [going to ] talk to my team, and he just didn’t do it, so it never it that nothing ever uh materialized but that’s probably the closest we that I ever came to feeling like man. I may want to pick up the phone and call Jay and see if it’s something there, um, but it’s just a common opponent, bro. It ain’t no, it ain’t no, it ain’t no beef, it ain’t no funk, it ain’t nothing, he’s never said my name in a disrespectful way, he’s never said that he wanted fight me…. it’s really just the fans you.” Said the Hall of Famer.

Both world champions succeeded in defeating the Russian boxer. Andre Ward defeated him for the first time on November 19, 2016 by a unanimous decision. A year later, while defending his title, the ‘S.O.G.’ forced an early stoppage on Kovalev. He maintained his unbeaten record and subsequently retired from the sport. Alvarez, on the other hand, met the Russian boxer on November 2, 2019. It was the only time they fought. The bout ended when the Mexican champion knocked out Kovalev in the eleventh round.

There’s one more connection please!

The victory made him the WBO light heavyweight champion. Ward probably forgot to mention one more common link with Canelo Alvarez. Caleb Plant. Reportedly, he helped the Tennessean, as Alvarez challenged him for his IBF belt, to become the super middleweight division’s undisputed champion.

However, it remains an interesting question to ponder. What would have happened if Ward and Alvarez had met in the ring? One thing is for sure: either one of them would have had to scale up or climb down a weight class for a fight. Otherwise, a catchweight could also have been a potent alternative.

Read More: Andre Ward Shuts Down Canelo Alvarez Rivalry: “That’s Not Real”

What’s your take? Who do you think would have won between Andre Ward and Alvarez? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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