“The bout also marked Ward’s return to HBO, and a fitting return it was. Making his return to action after two years lost trying to extricate himself from Goossen Promotions, Ward suggested reanimating a corpse or two to help him reacquaint himself with the perils of his profession. HBO would have none of it, however. While BET was happy to let Ward hammer Paul Smith to inevitable defeat last June, HBO did a rare thing: it imposed some standards on one of its high-profile fighters. In offering Ward a three-fight contract, the network not only required Ward agree to meet Sergey Kovalev in the final fight of that contract, it demanded an opponent with merit—if not a prayer—for the “Son of God’s” Easter return.”
Read: Beyond Reach: On the Return of Andre Ward on The Cruelest Sport.
In Between Rounds 