Andre Ward has amassed a +14.1 CompuBox plus/minus rating, #4 among all active champ. caliber fighters (he landed 38.2% of his total punches). Ward landed 7.2 jabs per round- #7 and well above wgt. class avg.,while opponents landed just 6.2 power shots per round- (wgt. class avg.: 11.4)and just 8.9 total punches per round (wgt. class avg.: 16.4). Huge step up in class for Barrera who landed 27.9 of 79.3 punches per round vs. limited opposition. Sullivan Barrera also landed 47.3 of his power punches.

Moving on from a lengthy stay as the World super middleweight king, Ward came in at a healthy 174.8 lbs. for his first bout as a full-fledged light heavyweight. Barrera - already an established contender in the division - was lighter at 174.4 lbs., boasting a top-heavy sculpted physique. 

Despite long serving as among the very best in the sport. Ward (28-0. 15KOs) strangely finds himself in a must-win scenario. The last American male boxer to win an Olympic Gold medal - way back in 2004 - the Bay Area-born and bred boxer has emerged as the class of the super middleweight division, complete with his clean sweep during the Super Six tournament capped with a 12-round win over Carl Froch in 2011.

Just three fights have followed in the four-plus years that have passed - a one-sided 10th round stoppage of Chad Dawson, who came down from light heavyweight for the fight at this very arena in Sept. '12; a 12-round decision win over Edwin Rodriguez in what essentially became a non-title fight when Rodriguez missed weight for their Nov. '13 clash; and a 9th round stoppage of Paul Smith in their 172-pound catchweight fight at home last June. 

A long-standing legal dispute with former promoter, the late Dan Goossen served as the cause of lengthy gaps of inactivity in an otherwise brilliant career. Free of lawsuits and injury - the latter which killed plans for a ring appearance last November - Ward is now ready to leave the super middleweight division and the past well in the rearview mirror.

The move up in weight was motivated by the opportunity to face reigning unbeaten, unified titlist Sergey Kovalev, widely regarded as the best light heavyweight on the planet and who will be ringside for the event. Their bout is tentatively slated to take place later this year (November 19 the oft-mentioned suggested date), with both boxers agreeing to interim fights to further arouse interest.