Andre Ward has signed an exclusive three-fight deal with HBO and will return to the network on the undercard of Cotto-Canelo on Nov. 21.
Ward has not fought on the network since his unanimous decision victory over Edwin Rodriguez in November 2013.
According to Fight Hype sources, the leading candidate to fight Ward is Australian Rohan Murdock (18-1, 14 KO’s).
However, Murdock is scheduled to fight the same day against an unnamed opponent in his hometown of Perth, Western Australia, according to BoxRec.
Needless to say, Murdock would likely undertake an opportunity to fight in the United States against a world champion in Ward for the money and the exposure that is likely to come with it.
If Murdock ends up being the opponent, it will be his first fight outside Australia, and likely his first 12-round affair.
Murdock has altered between the super-middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions twice thus far in his career and hasn’t fought at 175 since November 2013 when he stopped Les Piper on cuts in the second round.
Given his experience in the division, it wouldn’t be a total shock if we see another catch-weight put in place for Ward, who is preparing for a possible clash with Sergey Kovalev next fall.
Ward fought Paul Smith at a catch-weight of 172 this past June and despite Smith purposefully weighing-in more than four pounds above the agreed weight, Ward disposed of Smith in nine one-sided rounds.
As long as this course takes shape, do not expect Ward to fight middleweight king Gennady Golovkin until at least 2025 – if that ever happens.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
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