By Jake Donovan

By Jake Donovan

Andre Ward is officially ready to make his light heavyweight run. Standing in his way is fellow unbeaten Sullivan Barrera, as both made weight for their HBO-televised headliner Saturday evening from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

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.

Kovalev took the first step, tearing through former lineal champ Jean Pascal in their rematch this past January. A summer ring return is on tap, likely in his native Russia coming versus an opponent to be determined.

With a win on Saturday, Ward will eye one more bout before moving to the aforementioned superfight with Kovalev.

An interesting roadblock comes in Barrera (17-0, 12KOs), who emerged as Kovalev's mandatory challenger following a 5th round knockout Karo Murat in their title eliminator last December. The Cuban defector - now based in Miami - was relentless in his pursuit of a showdown with Ward, with members of his team taking to social media in a series of hilarious illustrations mockingly recapping the negotiation period.

The 34-year old boxer - who turned pro in 2009 - finally received his wish. A win by Barrera would disrupt one of the most anticipated fights currently either on the schedule or reasonably expected to take place in 2016. Furthermore, it would enhance his own title shot, which he puts at risk in this fight.

STAFF PREDICTIONS: ANDRE WARD vs. SULLIVAN BARRERA

Zachary Alapi (Ward Dec.): Boxing fans should hope for a Ward stoppage, as that would restore some confidence in the former super middleweight champion ahead of a showdown against Sergey Kovalev. But after an injury layoff, expect Ward to dominate Barrera to the tune of a completely lopsided decision. If Ward takes a summer bout before facing Kovalev in the fall, expect that performance to be more explosive than this one.

Rene Ricardo Bernal (Ward Dec.): Early on, Barrera will try to make Ward uncomfortable as he tries to settle in the ring. After a slow start, Ward will take over the fight and go on to win every round.

Jake Donovan (Ward Dec.): Barrera is truly catching Ward at the perfect time – first fight as a full-fledged light heavyweight and just three fights in four-plus years. That should make for a competitive fight for as long as it takes for Ward to settle in, after which he will assume control and provide far more breathing room over the final six rounds.

Lyle Fitzsimmons (Ward Dec.): I love Ward. I'm a big fan of the man, and a bigger fan of the fighter. But this fight scares me more than a little. Barrera is a taller, longer guy who's accustomed to foes bigger than the former super middle king. I can't quite pull the trigger on the upset, but it would stun me far more if Andre has it easy than if he gets beat.

Peter Lim (Ward TKO7): Some fighters are just not affected by ring rust and Andre Ward is one of them. With that potential advantage out the window, Sullivan Barrera's chances of pulling off an upset is reduced to virtually zero. The disparity in experience becomes painfully obvious from the outset as Ward outmaneuvers Barrera to land at will. Any attempt at offense by Barrera is effectively smothered, and by the middle rounds Barrera is a broken and beaten fighter. With Ward unloading everything including the kitchen sink while catching nothing in return, the referee intervenes to spare Barrera further punishment in the 7th round.

Cliff Rold (Ward Dec.): This could end up a serious fight. Ward still too slick.

Reynaldo Sanchez (Ward Dec): It will be very difficult for Barrera to win a decision. The only chance he has is to win by KO. Barrera faces the last icon in USA Boxing, and the deck will be against him tonight. His best chance will be in first half of the fight. If he is capable to make his fight inside and hit hard Ward from the beginning he could achieve something. I see it being almost impossible to do if the fight goes the distance.

Shawn Smith (Ward KO9): Can't really see how Barrera does much against Ward in this fight. It goes as long as Ward wants it to, but I suspect he'll put in rounds as he prepares for bigger fights later this year.

Alexey Sukachev (Ward Dec.): If Ward is still Ward, and past indications tell us he still is, Barrera is in for a prolonged and painful night in Ward's backyard. The rest depends on what the Cuban is made of. If he is solid enough the bout will go the distance, otherwise...

Totals:

Andre Ward – 9

Sullivan Barrera – 0

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox