AFTER his second win over Sergey Kovalev at the weekend, unified light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward floated the idea of moving to cruiserweight – or even heavyweight – next.
The unbeaten American has proven himself the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world and will now be looking to cement his legacy and earn more multi-million dollar paydays.
If he remains at light-heavyweight, having previously moved up from super-middleweight, Ward’s main two options are a trilogy fight with Kovalev, or a clash with WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. The latter would create an undisputed champion, as Ward holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles.
Betway have Stevenson as the 6/4 betting favourite to be Ward’s next opponent, with Kovalev offered at odds of 5/1 – alongside Tony Bellew and Joseph Parker, who both operate at heavyweight.
“Anthony Joshua could be the next fighter on Andre Ward’s hitlist after the American refused to rule out a scrap with the world heavyweight champion in his post-fight interview on Saturday night,” Betway’s Alan Alger said.
“Ward is 20/1 to jump two-weight divisions and fight AJ next, while a bout with WBC champion Adonis Stevenson or a trilogy with Sergey Kovalev looks more likely at 6/4 and 5/1 if he stays at light-heavyweight.”
Middleweights Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez – who fight each other on September 16 – can be backed at 16/1 to fight Ward next.
