Via Allan Fox: Athlete Kathy Duva said that Canelo Alvarez would beat Andre Ward if the two of them fought. Duva believes Canelo is a “supernatural” talent and she thinks he’ll find a way to beat former double world champion Ward.
38-year-old Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) has been sidelined for five games since hanging up his gloves in 2017, so his chances of beating Canelo now are very low.
But if you put 33-year-old Ward against Sergey Kovalev in their 2017 rematch against Canelo, he’s still going to have a hard time.
Ward is said to have lost his first game to Kovalev in 2016, and then credited an eighth knockout in their rematch in 2017.
The shots that Ward hit Kovalev to equalize appeared to be repeat lows. Referee Tony Weeks allowed Ward not to be penalized and gave Kovalev time to recover.
“They are very different, but if they join together, I have to choose Canelo,” promoter Kathy Duva said Against TV Hub about her belief that Canelo would defeat Andre Ward.
“Andre Ward is amazing, but Canelo is sublime. I was amazed at what he achieved. As good as Andre Ward, he doesn’t challenge himself the way Canelo does. He [Ward] chose and he spent many years sitting out, the right? Duva said voluntarily, he didn’t have to.
Canelo will have a big advantage over Ward if he returns to the ring now as his hand speed could have been severely reduced. The only shot that Ward can beat Canelo is if he attaches himself to him like a giant Multi-sea mutton and didn’t let go of him.
If Ward had held Canelo and hit him with his bare hands all night, he could have won an ugly decision if he hadn’t been repeatedly penalized and disqualified.
During the last two years of Ward’s career, his mobility was inconsistent and he mostly threw single shots. Ward’s game has been in decline since he won the Super Six in 2011.
By the time Ward fought Kovalev in back-to-back skirmishes in 2016 and 2017, he had become John Ruiz type of boxer who would throw a single shot and then rush in and start wrestling.
If you remember how talented Ward was at the height of his career, it’s disappointing to see him transform into a Ruiz clone with punch, grasp and object approach. The style Ward employed in the latter years of his career is hard to see.
“That for me, and again, nothing against him. He’s managed his career however he needs to no matter his deal,” Duva said of Ward. But when you compare what he’s achieved with what Canelo has achieved, it’s been day and night,” Duva said.
Ward was young at 33 when he retired, and he can clearly do more with his career if he continues. Again, he lost speed and he wasn’t the same boxer at the time. If Ward continues to fight, he will have to combine it with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev if he stays at 175.
Those two fighters are arguably better fighters in 2017 than they are now, and Ward will have big problems trying to beat either of them.
“I knew he was a great fighter and I knew he was great in the early fights,” Duva said of Ward. “He did a very productive job with Sergey [Kovalev] with that for sure. We knew what was coming and we did everything we could to stop it, but he was very good.
“I don’t know if that will work for Canelo. He’s been there and done so much more. If you ask me who will win, I don’t know who is the better fighter because you can put two great fighters together and get two great results.
“But I think in terms of head-to-head, Canelo is basically going to beat whoever he wants to fight. I am a big fan of him. Having said that, we work with Dmitry Bivol, and Canelo is better off not sleeping on Dmitry Bivol.
“Having said all that about Canelo and he’s great, but he’s going to be fighting a dynamic young boxer who is a boxer and extremely disciplined. We all run the risk of getting in the ring and it’s the other guy’s night, not yours.
“So I won’t sleep on Dmitry Bivol. If he wins, it won’t shock me. Because he’s young and disciplined, and he won’t, I trust he won’t be distracted by the lights and crowds.
“He’s not that kind of person. He will enter the field with an aim to win the fight. Again, Sergey, a great boxer, he’s in the lead [of Canelo in their fight in 2019], and he has gas. That’s what happens to a skinny and old guy.
“Here [Bivol] you’ve got a much younger version of Sergey in some respects, and someone is going to beat him someday no matter how he challenges himself because that’s just what’s going to happen out,” Kathy said of Canelo’s final loss.
Bivol will need to show more bravery against Canelo than we’ve seen from him in his last two games to have a chance of winning.
During Bivol’s matches against Craig Richards and Umar Salamov, he looked scared and didn’t fight actively. Bivol cannot defeat Canelo in such a fight. He will lose every round to the Mexican star if he fights timidly.
“Whatever Canelo is today, he can beat someone now and two years from now fighting the same person and losing. I don’t know when that happened to him, but a guy who keeps challenging himself the Canelo way, it’s going to happen. That is nothing to be ashamed of.
“Dmitry will be as motivated as possible and as prepared as possible. I know Canelo won’t sleep with him. No, if Dmitry showed up and sent him a letter, it wouldn’t shock me. He’s got a great coach, and he’s worked really hard and he’s going to prepare, I’m sure,” Duva said.
