The war of words between representatives for WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward and WBA/IBO middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin has begun. And the battle isn't over who has the better pro resume -- it's difficult to argue against Ward in that area -- but which fighter is in the better position to dicate financial terms.
Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez threw down the gauntlet recently when he told RingTV.com that his fighter is the must-see competitor at this time. And that Golovkin has earned the right to determine the particulars of a potential super fight with Ward.
"As for Ward, he has a situation with his promoter [Dan Goossen] that is keeping him idle," Sanchez said. "But if a fight with Gennady could be discussed, the fact is that Andre is on an island with the belief that he can demand terms. That makes it unmakeable and unworkable when he wants the major portion of the money."
The hard-hitting Golovkin [30-0-0, 27 knockouts] has fought four times since June 2013. And none of his opponents during that span have survived beyond the eighth round.
Ward, on the other hand, has a professional mark of 27-0-0 [14 KOs]. But he has faced superior opposition and is regarded as the better all-around boxer.
If there is a knock on Ward it has been his lack of activity. His most recent bout was held in November - a lopsided unanimous decision over Edwin Rodriguez.
The victory ended a 14-month layoff for Ward, who was hindered by a shoulder injury. Ward has not suffered any more discomfort in his shoulder since undergoing surgery in January 2013, but is currently involved in a legal dispute with Goossen.
As far as Ward's camp is concerned, however, the 168-pound champion has more than enough accomplishments under his belt to place him at the head of any negotiating table with Golovkin. And that matter isn't up for debate, according to Ward's attorney Josh Dubin.
"Abel Sanchez may be really excited about his fighter and he may think that he's got a big star but you can't talk your way to stardom. He is just not as big a star as they think...If you compare Andre Ward's opponent resume to Gennady Golovkin's opponent resume, it's like comparing someone in the major leagues to someone in the minor leagues. Nobody can quarrel with the fact that Andre Ward has fought, time after time after time, the toughest competition out there with no breaks in between," Dubin told RingTV.com.
"Andre Ward went from fighting Mikkel Kessler to fighting Alan Green to fighting Sakio Bika to fighting Arthur Abraham to fighting Carl Froch and he blew each and every one of them out. So Gennady Golovkin hasn't faced anything close. Not one of his last six or seven fights has been fighting against world champions who are elite-class fighters. With all due respect to Gennady Golovkin, his toughest fight was Matthew Macklin and this man is saying that he would be the one dictating terms? That's total nonsense."
This is all hypothetical at the moment, there is no talk of a possible fight. Several reports have Ward working on a rematch with former titleholder Mikkel Kessler. Regardless, Dubin is clear that Ward and his team would jump at the chance to put the first blemish on Golvkin's pro ledger.
Dubin, however, isn't holding his breath waiting for a rep for the middleweight champ to give him a call.
"Abel Sanchez is looking for a way to give his fighter confidence so that he can make excuses and say, 'Oh, no, Gennady, we can't make that fight. Andre Ward would dictate the terms,'" Dubin said.
"If they want to make the fight, they know there is a ton of money in the fight. They know what they need to do to make the fight. Andre would be maybe somewhat flexible to come down to make the fight but why don't they come up to fight for the super middleweight title? We're perfectly willing and able to do it. On behalf of Andre Ward, that's our statement."
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