By: Hans Themistode
Despite Andre Ward hanging up his boxing gloves more than three years ago, fans have continued to hope and pray that he’ll wipe the dust off his boxing trunks and step into the ring one more time.
But while Ward officially retired after defeating Sergey Kovalev for the second time in 2017, many were hoping that he would stick around a bit longer to take on pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez. With Ward not only in impeccable shape but also only 37 years of age, fans have held on to a modicum of hope that he’ll end his abrupt retirement and take on Alvarez.
Joining most of the boxing world who are currently split down the middle on how things would shake out in that proposed matchup, is former two-time welterweight champion, Shawn Porter. As he sits down and breaks down the attributes of each fighter, he pointed out where each man would shine most if a fight actually came to fruition.
“I think now, Canelo is in the prime of his career,” said Porter on his podcast The Porter Way Podcast Clips. “I think getting into the ring with Andre Ward would cause him to be even greater than we’ve seen before. Canelo has unbelievable power, unbelievable speed and very good defense. I think Canelo has better power, I think their speed is relatively the same. Both guys have really good defense. I think it’s a 50/50 fight.”
For Alvarez, his ascension to the top of virtually every pound for pound list is a product of his notable wins in several weight classes. Although Porter acknowledges his achievements, he can’t help but look back at the one time he struggled mightily in the ring.
Nearly a decade ago, a much younger and less-seasoned Alvarez was outboxed and outsmarted in the ring against Floyd Mayweather. Regardless of one judge scoring their bout a draw, the remaining two judges scored their contest in favor of Mayweather.
On the night, Alvarez simply had no answers and lost virtually every round in the eyes of the public. While he’s improved considerably, Porter could envision a scenario in which history repeats itself.
“Before Canelo fought Floyd, he had never been in the ring with anyone like Floyd. We saw him have trouble and I can see the same thing happening with Dre. Floyd was the commander and chief in the ring and I can see the same thing with Andre Ward being the commander and chief in the ring against Canelo.”