Andre "S.O.G." Ward entered the ring Saturday night in California preparing to face an undefeated challenger in Edwin Rodriguez, who failed to reach his target weight and came inside the squared circle on fight night at a shade under 180 lbs.
That mattered little to Ward, the consensus No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, who overcame dirty tactics in addition to the size disadvantage to decimate "La Bomba" and shut him out on some cards en route to a clear unanimous decision victory.
Having essentially cleaned out the super middleweight division Ward is in need of big-name opponents so he can make the leap to boxing superstardom. So which name is coming up most frequently? That of knockout artist Gennady "GGG" Golovkin.
Golovkin is in the running for Fighter of the Year after knocking out Curtis Stevens on November 2nd; it was his fourth KO victory of the year. Most fans are clamoring for the heavy hitter to take his body punching to S.O.G., testing his power against one of the most skilled fighters the sport has seen.
Ward, though, thinks GGG may be avoiding a confrontation.
"You guys make these guys out to be bogeymen and monsters. We as fighters, we don't think like that. I respect (Golovkin), but I see holes in his game. ... Ask them if they want it at 168 (pounds) right now. I don't see them asking for that. I see them saying anybody from 160 to 175, but when they're pressed, I don't see him calling me out. Stop beating around the bush and get straight to it."
GGG is aiming to fight in February, and has been linked to Martin Murray, although Murray's camp has denied those rumors. Another fight Golovkin, who like Ward is trying to raise his profile to superstar proportions, might want is vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. GGG's promotional company K2 has openly stated their desire to face the Mexican star.
"Longer-range, Gennady has always wanted to fight [Sergio] Martinez, Chavez Jr. Chavez says he can't make 160 pounds anymore, which is fine," Tom Loeffler, head of K2 said. "We would fight him at 168 if that's what he wants. Gennady believes he is the best middleweight champion right now and he wants to prove it."
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