Big Bear Lake, CA: As IBF number one light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) prepares for the biggest fight of his career against one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters, Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs), at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California which will be televised live on HBO, the 34-year old from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is calm, confident and ready for anything.

Barrera trains in Big Bear Lake, California with legendary trainer Abel Sanchez. Sanchez is best known for working with IBF, WBA and WBC Interim Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Sullivan has taken advantage of working with his prestigious coach and being surrounded by other elite boxers like Golovkin. He said, “Camp has been great. I feel great. I am ready to make history on March 26. The best advice I have received was from Gennady Golovkin who told me to work my speed and to fight intelligently. Abel Sanchez told me not lose my cool and to stay focused at all times.”

Sanchez and Barrera
Photo Credits: Craig Bennett/Main Events

This advice has given Barrera the confidence he needs to face Ward, the former WBA & WBC Super Middleweight World Champion, as he makes the transition into the light heavyweight division. According to Sullivan, “[Ward] is considered one of the top three or four fighters in the world. I admire him a lot. He is a great challenge. I love what he has done. I also consider myself one of the best talents in the world. This opportunity is something that will prove to the world that I am at the top. I think I am getting him at the right moment because he is moving up. This is the perfect fight for me to prepare for the future 175 pound fighters who are at the elite level.”

Sanchez believes Sullivan is ready for this challenge because he has been able to adapt Sullivan’s Cuban skills with Abel’s approach to create an entirely unique style. Explained Sanchez, “Sullivan has a style that is partly from the Cuban school and partly from my school. The attacking style that he has now is because of some of the things that we practice in the gym. It’s just a matter of going at Andre and taking what he gives us. I wasn’t trying to change his Cuban style, what I was trying to do is make him a little more aggressive. I wanted to make him stick out his punches a little more and have better balance. I wanted a little better positioning and technique with his legs. By adding the two styles together it gives us more opportunity for him to do what he has to do.”

Barrera
Photo Credits: Mike Gladysz/Main Events

This unique style has given Sullivan the confidence he needs as he prepares to face Ward. He said, “If I have to box, I will box. If I have to attack him, I will attack him but I will be ready for anything as the fight goes on. I, like everyone else, recognize that Andre is a great boxer. I, too, am a great boxer. The only thing that is missing in my resume is that I haven’t had the opportunity. I think this is the opportunity for me to prove that I am just as good.”

Ward vs. Barrera, a 12-round IBF number one position and mandatory position eliminator which is presented by Roc Nation Sports in association with Main Events, takes place Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The event is sponsored by Corona Extra, Ticketmaster, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (ctms), Glad, Lyft, Zappos, BodyArmor, SAN Nutrition, Shoe Palace, The Waterfront Hotel and Visit Oakland. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. Opening the HBO telecast will be Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Jayson Velez in a 10-round fight for the NABF Featherweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com (bit.ly/WardBarreraTix) and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

For more information, please visit www.rocnation.com, www.mainevents.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.promocionesmiguelcotto.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation, @main_events, @goldenboyboxing, @cottopromotions and @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation, www.facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Follow the conversation on Twitter by using #WardBarrera.

Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) and undefeated, number one rated IBF light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) hosted their final international media conference. Ward vs. Barrera, a 12-round IBF number one position and mandatory position eliminator which is presented by Roc Nation Sports in association with Main Events, takes place Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The event is sponsored by Corona Extra, Ticketmaster, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (ctms), Glad, Lyft, Zappos, BodyArmor, SAN Nutrition, Shoe Palace, The Waterfront Hotel and Visit Oakland. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. Opening the HBO telecast will be Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Jayson Velez in a 10-round fight for the NABF Featherweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com (bit.ly/WardBarreraTix) and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Follow the conversation on Twitter by using #WardBarrera.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Andre Ward versus Sullivan Barrera Final International Media Conference Call. Your host for today, Dave Itskowitch, will now begin.

David Itskowitch: Thank you very much and thank you, everyone, for joining us today. We’re less than two weeks away from Andre Ward versus Sullivan Barrera on Saturday, March 26 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

The 12-round IBF Number 1 position and mandatory position eliminator is presented by Roc Nation Sports in association with Main Events. Opening the HBO telecast will be Joseph Diaz, Jr versus Jason Velez in a 10-round fight for the NABF feather weight title which is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions.

Our event is sponsored by Corona Extra, Ticketmaster, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (ctms), Glad, Lyft, Zappos, BodyArmor, SAN Nutrition, Shoe Palace, the Waterfront Hotel and Visit Oakland. Tickets priced from $25 to $300 are available at Ticketmaster. They’re going fast. We urge everyone to get out there and get your tickets as soon as possible.

Before we begin I’d like to acknowledge and thank several people who were instrumental in getting this fight made: Andre’s manager James Prince and attorney Josh Dubin, Main Event CEO Kathy Duva, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports Peter Nelson, as well as Ryan Northcott and the entire team at Oracle Arena.

Two of the light heavyweights on the planet will collide on March 26. They have a combined record of 45-0 with 27 knockouts. Neither has tasted defeat as a professional. While each man has a formidable opponent in front of him they both have their eyes on Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey Kovalev and his three belts and only one will move on to meet him.

Before we get to Andre for his opening statements and questions I just want to say that unfortunately, Virgil Hunter is not going to be joining us on the call. He had a last minute conflict arise. But if he were on the call I’m sure he would tell everyone that camp is going great and Andre is right on schedule. And will be ready to execute the game plan on March 26.

The next gentleman I’m going to introduce really doesn’t need much of an introduction. He was a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, the last U.S. boxer to bring home a gold. He destroyed the super-middleweight division with wins over Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Saio Bika. He dominated and knocked out former light heavyweight world champion, Chad Dawson in the 2012 showdown and his last fight he dominated former two-time world challenger, Paul Smith on June 20 at Oracle Arena.

On March 26 he makes his move up to light heavyweight with designs on doing what he did at super middleweight, cleaning out and dominating everyone that stands in his way. It’s my pleasure to introduce one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on planet; the future of the light heavyweight division with a record of 28-0 and 15 KOs, a man who has an unblemished record dating back to the age of 12 from Oakland, California, Andre Ward.

Andre Ward: Hey, David. Excited to be on the call as usual. Excited that the fight is a little under two weeks away. We got a really great camp. And, you know, excited to answer any questions. And I want to also thank everybody that’s associated with the event, my team, obviously HBO and everybody on the other side, Barrera side as well.

David Itskowitch: All right thank you, Andre. I guess we can turn the call over to questions now for Andre.

Operator: Our first question comes from Eddie Goldman with No Holds Barred. Please go ahead. Eddie, your line is open.

Eddie Goldman: In the time since the other conference call a couple of weeks ago, what have you learned about your opponent, Sullivan Barrera? And what can you tell us other than obviously you record and your experience, you see as your advantages over him?

Andre Ward: Well it’s tough to get into what I, you know, what I want to exploit and capitalize on. But he’s a solid fighter; he’s a good fighter. He seems to be technically sound. He seems to have a good pedigree. And he’s got a good team. So, yeah, we’ve taken him very seriously like we do every opponent. And, you know, he’s a formidable opponent for sure.

Eddie Goldman: What do you see the level of – the role of experience plays? Because he’s fought some former champions who were at the end of their career, and he got the knockout over Murat. But he’s never fought like a fighter on your level. How much does that really play into it?

Andre Ward: I mean, time will tell. You know I feel he’s going to see the difference in the fight. No question about that. You know, you can watch film, your team can tell you what they want to tell you. You can talk. You know, but at the end of the day when you get in there that’s a different story, man, and I’ve said that my whole career. And I think that’s one of my biggest strengths is for whatever reason what happens in that ring, you know, guys don’t see it on film. And, you know, when they get in there and figure out everything that’s going on, the fight’s over.

At the same time, you know, you can’t put too many eggs in that basket because at one point in time I was a young fighter back in 2009 and that same type of thing was said about me and I knew in my heart that I’m going to do this and nobody else believed it. So, you know, it’s tough. We know what we know, we see what we see and we look at records, we look at performance and we say okay, we take a mental note. You can’t put too much into that because, you know, guys tend to rise to the occasion sometimes so you got to be ready for that too.

Eddie Goldman: He’s had a string of knockouts and TKOs in shorter fights. Do you see this, you know, being a long fight or plan for that?

Andre Ward: Yeah, I mean, I always train for 12 rounds, a strong 12 rounds. And I think that’s something else he’s going to realize when he gets to the fight is the pace is not the normal pace he’s used to. And I believe he’s going to get tired. And I don’t mean he’s going to stop fighting but I mean, he’s going to feel it, there’s no question about it.

Eddie Goldman: Okay. Do you want to make a prediction?

Andre Ward: I think predictions are overrated. That’s never been my style, that’s never been how I approach a fight. The one thing I do is I always guarantee that I’m ready. And, you know, I’ve never come in a fight overweight. I’ve never come in a fight not prepared. And you can’t predict what happens in a boxing ring. I know that I’m prepared for war. You have to be ready for anything and that’s what I’m prepared for. I’m prepared for a tough-tough fight. But I expect to get my hand raised at the end of the night.

Operator: Our next question comes from Martin Gallegos. Please go ahead.

Martin Gallegos: HBO is back in Oakland for the first time since your Dawson fight in 2012. And, you know, since that time we’ve seen fighters like Terrence Crawford do big numbers in his hometown. Are you going to be looking to continue fighting in Oakland and perhaps replicating that type of success in Oakland like we’ve seen Crawford in Nebraska and stuff like that?

Andre Ward: Yeah, no, first of all it’s always an honor and a privilege to have the HBO team here in the Bay. You know, when you see that HBO truck you know it’s time to go to work, you know, the whole team is here, the whole production is in town and, you know, it’s a big deal so that’s first and foremost.

But, you know, I’ve heard people talk about all he does is fight in Oakland. But, you know, I’m coming up on almost 30 fights as a pro and I think this may be my 8th time fighting in Oakland. So it’s a huge disparity versus the amount of times I have fought here versus when I haven’t.

But we take it a fight at a time. We don’t just predict that the next five fights are going to be here. We look at the fight, we look at the opponent and we look at everything and the team makes the decision. So, you know, anytime I’m afforded that opportunity knowing what I’ve come from and knowing these type of moments do for the city and the Bay area as a whole, I’m going to jump all over it and I’m always excited about it. I train and prepare for every fight but there’s something special about fighting at home.

Martin Gallegos: Okay. And I think just getting to the fight a little bit, obviously, you know, you have a tough match up with Barrera coming up. With this being your first fight at 175 do you see any, you know, a lot of people are wanting to see you fight, you know, obviously Sergey Kokalev later in the year, do you see from the time that you’ve seen Kokalev fight in the past, any similarities between the two?

Andre Ward: Not really. Not really. I don’t think they’re similar at all between Barrera and Kokalev?

Martin Gallegos: Yeah.

Andre Ward: No. I don’t really see any similarities.

Martin Gallegos: Okay.

Andre Ward: Different body types, different styles, just different all together.

Operator: Our next question comes from Gayle Falkenthal with Community Digital News.

Gayle Falkenthal: Thank you very much. Andre, following up that last question, what differences do you feel at this new weight division? How would you describe those?

Andre Ward: Oh I get to eat more. That’s #1. I mean, you definitely feel stronger when you don’t have to strip extra pounds off, you definitely feel stronger. I mean, that’s just, you know, it’s kind of a no brainer. But I still feel like I have my speed. I still feel like I have all the things that made me who I was at super middleweight but I also feel a lot stronger at 175. You know, to be honest I’m a lot happier because I didn’t have to kill myself, per se, to make weight. So just definitely happier. I feel very strong and I feel like I still maintained all the things that made me who I was at 168.

Gayle Falkenthal: And changing gears a little bit, there’s been a lot of discussion about professional boxers competing in the Olympic games. You are the last American man to win a gold medal for the U.S. so I’d love to know what you think about that and whether or not you’d be tempted to go for two.

Andre Ward: Yeah, I read that and it’s pretty interesting. It’s pretty interesting. I think right now its just about maybe getting more information about how something like that will work. But it definitely has sparked my interest and has gotten my attention.

Gayle Falkenthal: And would you rule it out? Would you consider it?

Andre Ward: You can’t rule anything out. You know, you’ve to get all the facts on the table. You’ve got to get all the details. I don’t have all of that right now. And obviously I’m preparing for a fight but I would just want to see everything and then just kind of digest it and then make a decision from there. But definitely interesting, very interesting.

Gayle Falkenthal: I agree. Thank you very much, Andre. Good luck.

Andre Ward: Thank you.

David Itskowitch: Andre, I have a question for you. And I think it was sort of touched on a little bit. But, how has this camp gone differently from the other camps that you’ve had based on now being higher in weight?

Andre Ward: For the most part everything is the same. Same mentality, same work ethic. I think, from a preparation standpoint you add certain things in that you otherwise couldn’t add it, you know, at a lower weight. It’s not really about adding anymore armor or anything, more muscle, but you’re just able to implement other training strategies to prepare for the heavier weight. More explosion work, a little bit more strength work and I definitely think that the fans will see the results of all of this a few weeks from now come March 26.

Operator: Our next question comes Mitch Abramson with Ring TV.com. Please go ahead.

Mitch Abramson: Just wondering, what was your reaction when you heard the news about the Olympics, you know, potentially allowing pros to compete? I’m just curious about what your gut reaction was to that.

Andre Ward: I was surprised and intrigued at the same time. You know I was like, wow. Like I had to read it a couple of times over to make sure I was reading what I thought I was reading.

So my publicist, she’s heavy into USA Boxing. She’s been a focal point in USA Boxing for a long time. So I picked up the phone and I was like man, did you see this? She was like yes, it’s legitimate. You know we’re trying to get more information.

So I think that’s where I am with it. You’ve got a lot of thoughts like wow that would be amazing for your country. Just wanting to know more about the process and what that would actually look like. But I’m very interested and I think it’s a very interesting proposition.

Mitch Abramson: Do you think that a lot of other professional fighters will take the plunge and actually compete in the Olympics?

Andre Ward: It’s tricky, you know. I think it just depends on the individual because there’s an argument for doing it and there’s an argument for not doing it.

I mean you – you know I’ve heard a quote – I read a quote rather that, Manny Pacquiao said that he, you know, paraphrasing a little bit, where basically that he’s excited about it. Not to say that he’s going to do it, but he’s willing to do anything for his country.

So you have guys like maybe a Manny who’s just very gung ho and he’s ready to go. And you’ve got other guys who, maybe like a Floyd Mayweather where, does it really, even though he felt like he got robbed in ’96 for an opportunity to want to go, does it really make sense to him to do something like that at this stage in his career and with all that he’s accomplished?

It’s a three minute round fight. And do pros and in his case, a legend like that, want to take a risk of something happening where he takes a L, or it just doesn’t look good or anything can happen. Is that something you want to take a risk doing at this stage in your career?

I really think it depends on the individual. It’s going to be really interesting to see if this is legitimate, what decision I make. Because I’ve got a lot of reasons to do it and a lot of reasons not to do it. So, I don’t know, it’s tough to say.

David Itskowitch: While we’re waiting for the next question to queue up. Andre I have an off-subject question to ask you but, it’s appropriate given the time of year that it is. And I know you live in an area that has two very popular college basketball teams. So fortunately I’m not going to ask you to pick one or the other because one is in the tournament.

Do you have any thoughts on the NCAA Tournament and who’s going to win?

Andre Ward: Oh, my goodness, I’m the wrong guy to ask. I get people asking me all the time to build brackets and I cheat. You know I cheat. When it gets to the last eight and the final four, that’s when I tune in and I start watching.

But the excitement around the NCAA is just amazing. And I mean it’s worldwide. So yes, I think it’s a good. And to see these athletes compete at this level at that age with that kind of pressure on them is amazing to watch.

Operator: Our next question comes from Keith Idec with The Record. Please go ahead.

Keith Idec: I was just wondering if you’ve given more thought to, if everything goes well on March 26, would you like to get another fight in before you fight Kovalev, or is that something you haven’t decided yet?

Andre Ward: Yes, I think that I’ve left that in the hands of my manager and my promoters. I think that’s the plan.

I’ve been entrenched in this fight and haven’t even talked anything past this fight. The reality is, without this fight and without a victory in this fight, there is no fight too. There is no Kovalev.

So, you know with situations like this, I really got to kind of put my blinders on and any other distractions and really just focus on this. Because that is the reality of the situation.

Keith Idec: So do you feel like kind of – it depends on how you feel after this fight and then you’ll decide from there basically?

Andre Ward: Well again, I’m the type of person that I literally put my blinders on and I don’t deal with it, you know.

And after the fight it’s something that I can sit down with the team about. And I believe they’ll get something worked out that everybody is happy with.

Operator: Our next question comes from Richard Bioceros with Boxing News.

Richard Bioceros: Hey, I just got one question for you. How did it change you to be in a big movie like Creed with Sylvester Stallone? And do you see yourself wanting to be in more big movies like that again?

Andre Ward: Absolutely. I communicated that to my team and I hope I get some other opportunities because even more so than just the exposure and the opportunity, the process was really, really, fun. The process was really fun. And it’s work.

I mean I couldn’t believe that I – the scenes that everybody saw in the movie, I think that was either three or four 12-hour days that I shot in Philadelphia. I mean 12-hour days straight and you get small breaks when they’re trying to set up new scenes or go over certain things.

But you’re not really breaking for an extended period of time. And I’m going back to my hotel room icing my shoulder, taking Epsom Salt – I was like man, this is crazy. Like this is a movie but its work. You know you literally have to work.

So I left the set being appreciative and thankful but then really feeling like man, I enjoyed that. And I would love to do more of it.

Richard Bioceros: Hey Andre, Stallone he’s a big huge boxing fan. How is he outside of not working. Does he talk about a lot of boxing?

Andre Ward: He’s a regular dude from what I can tell. He’s a regular guy. We knew each other for years. You know I’m not a guy that’s going to be like hey, Sylvester Stallone. Like I just fall back you know, and just kind of play my role. And if he speaks I’ll speak or maybe I’ll wave. And he came up and was like “Hey Andre, how you doing?”

We just talked. We sat there and talked. And on the Red Carpet we talked for a long period of time. I talked to his brother. He’s an amazing man. And as storied as his career and his life has been, he seems to be just a regular person, which is really cool to see.

David Itskowitch: All right Andre, you want to give any closing thoughts before you sign off?

Andre Ward: It’s March 26, it’s around the corner. Everything that I’ve done as a super middleweight; that book is closed. And the same hunger that I had in 2009 when I was unaccomplished and I had my opportunity against Mikkel Kessler, that’s the same drive that I have right now, years later. It’s the same mindset that I have.

So I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I’m excited to showcase March 26. Don’t miss it.

David Itskowitch: All right I think we’re now ready to continue. I’d like to introduce now to say a few words and introduce Sullivan Barrera, the CEO of Main Events, Kathy Duva.

Kathy Duva: Hello. Thank you Dave. Welcome everyone. It is going to be my distinct pleasure to introduce to you a fantastic young fighter who has been in the background working hard, earning his shot. And he is one of the most exciting fighters I think, in his weight division certainly.

And somebody who’s coming in to win and is going to go in there and make a statement on next Saturday. So it is my pleasure to introduce Sullivan Barrera.

Sullivan Barrera: Hello everyone, good afternoon. Camp has been great. I feel great. I’m ready to make history on March 26.

Kathy Duva: Also, Luis Molina is on the phone and Abel Sanchez. Luis and Abel, would you like to say something? Luis, do you want to go first?

Luis Molina: Yes Kathy, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity that was presented to Sullivan to fight Andre Ward on the March 26. I’d like to thank HBO, everyone involved and looking for a great turnout on March 26.

Kathy Duva: And Abel, do you have anything to say? Is Abel there? I guess not. So, we’ll open it up to questions for anybody.

Abel Sanchez: Well we’re happy to be involved in this promotion that we feel is a big opportunity for Sullivan. We feel that it’s at the right moment for Sullivan being that he is 34-years-old. We’re fighting a great fighter in Andre Ward. I know a lot about him because of my other client.

Andre is undoubtedly one of the top three fighters in the world. So we’re looking forward to a very, very hard fight and hopefully it pleases the fans.

Operator: Our first question comes from Dan Rafael with ESPN. Please go ahead.

Dan Rafael: Thank you very much. Everybody, hello. My question is for Sullivan. If you could ask Sullivan you were very vocal on social media, calling Andre Ward out for this fight which is unusual. There’s not a lot of boxers who actively seek out fights with Andre Ward.

I’d like to know from you, what was the reason that you targeted Andre Ward and that you wanted this fight specifically so much? No title on the line. Obviously you’re the underdog. What was it about this matchup that had you calling him out so vocally, for a while?

Sullivan Barrera: One of the main reasons that I targeted him was because he is considered one of the top three or four fighters in the world. I admire him a lot. He’s a great talent. I love what he’s done. But I also consider myself a great talent and I also consider myself one of the best fighters in the world. And this opportunity is something that will prove to the world that I am at the top.

Dan Rafael: Abel, when you heard his desire for this fight as his trainer what were your thoughts about what he was doing and when this fight was made? I mean, I’m sure you have confidence in him. I know you see him regularly in the gym. But, you know, it’s a big step up for him in terms of the guys he’s faced previously. So when you saw that your guy was really, really dogging Ward on social media, calling this fight what were you thinking?

Abel Sanchez: Well as a coach you’re excited because your guy really wants to go at the best. That’s something that’s consistently a topic in the gym. And to have him put it out like that on social media. I want to have a guy that wants to go to fight – wants to go get his and become the star that everybody else is around you.

Dan Rafael: Could you ask Sullivan about the fact that Andre has not been the most active fighter in the world. He’s moving up in weight. Does he feel like it’s sort of the sweet spot of where he can get him? I know he had that Paul Smith fight but that was a while ago already and it didn’t really do a whole lot for him. But that what it means to him that he’s getting him in this right spot I think possibly, moving up in weight and the level of inactivity, they’re sort of right there to maybe catch him off guard a little bit possibly.

Sullivan Barrera: Yes I think that I’m getting him at the right moment not only because he’s moving up. He didn’t say anything about the inactivity by the way Dan, but he is moving up and I am ranked – rated number one in the IBF. So it’s a perfect time for me to prepare for the future.

Dan Rafael: All right. I just have one more question for Sullivan. Andre has been a consummate boxer. Maybe not the most power but he’s had some knockouts here and there. I wondered if when he looks at the – and you can answer this too Abel — when you make your plan for how you’re going to approach this fight do you think Sullivan needs to stalk him and bring it to him offensively or because of his background as also a quality amateur fighter, comes from a Cuban system, knows how to box also, or is he going to be the guy that’s going to try to box in Andre Ward and maybe, you know, how point him? It seems like a tough call either way.

Sullivan Barrera: So obviously right now I’m not going to divulge my strategy but I have – we have a plan and if I have to box, I’ll box. If I have to attack him, I will attack him. But I will be ready for anything that – as the fight goes on.

Abel Sanchez: As far as for me Dan, Andre Ward is a great fighter. Andre Ward has been inactive but he still has a history of some great, great fights in the past. For me as a coach I’ve always believed that I have to prepare my guys to the best of my guy’s ability and go in doing the things that we do best. We’re not going to adapt to Andre Ward. We’re going to do what we do best and if that’s not good enough then we’ll have to go back to the drawing board and start again. But if I start to adapt to Andre Ward then my guy’s not doing what he does best.

Operator: Our next question comes from Eddie Goldman with No Holds Barred.

Eddie Goldman: Thank you very much. Hello everybody. A question for Sullivan: obviously Andre Ward is very well known, Olympic gold medalist, undefeated, Super Six Champion and so forth. You’re coming into this fight also undefeated but not as well known a fighter to the TV audiences. Could you explain why you think you’re going to be able to win this fight and be the first person to defeat Andre Ward since he was basically a kid?

Sullivan Barrera: I like everybody else, recognize that Andre is a great boxer. But I too am a great boxer I believe. The only thing that’s missing in my resume is that I haven’t had the opportunity. I think this is the opportunity for me to prove that I am just as good.

Eddie Goldman: And a question for Abel Sanchez. Abel, Andre has described his own style in the past as being a chameleon. In other words, he could be a boxer, he can get into a slug fest, he could be a boxer puncher and he’s proven that in the ring. How do you – since Sullivan’s gotten a lot of knockouts and TKOs recently how do you prepare and what kind of Andre Ward do you think is going to show up for this fight?

Abel Sanchez: Well the Andre Ward that we’ve watched in the past we haven’t seen lately. But it’s the best that I can do is prepare Sullivan to take what’s given to him, to take what’s in front of him. Sullivan has a style that is from the – I meant to say from part of the Cuban school and part of my school. The attacking style that he has now and the knockouts that he has now are some of the stuff that we practice in the gym. It’s just a matter of going at Andre and taking what he gives us but not to let Andre breathe.

It’ll make for a great fight because Andre I think has to prove – in my opinion anyway has to prove that he belongs at 175. He’s starting a full-fledged 175-pounder that’s very athletic, that has a long history of a Cuban background and has had a great history with me. So if Andre can handle that more power to him if he’ll come out. We don’t think he can. We think that we’ll be too good for him at this moment in Andre’s career. So that remains to be seen I guess on March 26.

Eddie Goldman: And if this fight goes long Sullivan’s never fought 12 rounds before. How is he prepared physically and mentally for those 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th rounds if it goes that long?

Abel Sanchez: You know, all coaches that have that level fighters, we always train for 14, 15 rounds. We never train for 12. It’s just a matter of making sure that we convince him and we take care of him in the corner so that he can continue to perform at the level that he does at the beginning of the fight. You’re right, he has never been that distance but there’s always a first time. We’ll see how he reacts. It’s up to us to keep him calm.

Operator: Our next question comes from Gayle Falkenthal with Communities Digital News.

Gayle Falkenthal: Hi Abel. You just mentioned merging your style with the Cuban style of boxing in working with Sullivan. I’d like to know a little more about how you go about doing that. How do you merge a style of boxer that is a little different than your approach and get the best of both working for you?

Abel Sanchez: First you have to have a willing fighter. There’s a lot of Cuban fighters that just will not change. On my own with Sullivan, Sullivan was willing to do anything that I asked him to do. So if I’m having that luck in the gym that just shows him that we can change, that we can combine styles and make them better.

I wasn’t trying to change his Cuban style. What I was trying to do is just make him a little more aggressive, make him sit down on his punches a little bit more, have better balance, a little better positioning and technique with his legs. But we haven’t really changed it. We’ve added to it and by adding the two styles together I think that it just gives more opportunities to do what he has to do.

Gayle Falkenthal: Now I’m not going to ask you to name names but have you ever had a Cuban fighter come to you and want to work with you that you had to turn down for the reasons you just described?

Abel Sanchez: Actually no. I had Mikey Perez for a little while and he went off somewhere else. But I’ve never had anybody decline because whether it’s Cuban, Mexican or whatever if you’re not willing to work to what I do in the gym there’s no sense in me having them. So right off the bat we would’ve separated. There was no way that I would’ve worked with somebody that didn’t want to cooperate.

Gayle Falkenthal: So the question is have you ever had to turn someone down for that reason?

Abel Sanchez: No.

Gayle Falkenthal: No – don’t need any names.

Abel Sanchez: No Cubans, no. I’ve turned other fighters down but no Cubans.

David Itskowitch: Okay. Sullivan or Abel anyone have any closing thoughts?

Sullivan Barrera: Yes I’d like to thank my team, I’d like to thank HBO, I’d like to thank everybody that’s concerned that has something to do with me fighting Andre Ward. I promise that I will – to all the TV viewers that I will put up a great fight and I look forward to March 26.

David Itskowitch: Thank you. Kathy, anything to say in closing?

Kathy Duva: I want to think you Dave and Roc Nation Sports for the opportunity. And we’re all looking forward to March 26. It’s going to be a blast.

David Itskowitch: Thank you very much. And just in closing I wanted to thank everyone for being on the call today. Thank you to Andre and Sullivan, Kathy, Abel, Luis and everyone that joined us. Again March 26, Oracle Arena, Oakland, live on HBO. If you’re in the Bay Area get your tickets on Ticketmaster now. If you’re not going to be in the Bay Area you don’t really have a good excuse. But if you absolutely can’t be in the Bay Area please tune in on HBO at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Thank you again and we will see everyone next week in Oakland.

NEW YORK, NY (March 14, 2016) – A slate of six non-televised undercard bouts will serve as support when Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) faces undefeated and number one rated IBF light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) in a 12-round IBF number one position and mandatory position eliminator at Oracle Arena in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California on March 26. Opening the HBO® telecast will be Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Jayson Velez in a 10-round fight NABF Featherweight title fight.

In addition to the exciting televised lineup, some of boxing’s hottest rising stars will be featured on the non-televised undercard including Roc Nation Sports standouts Maurice Hooker, Daniel Franco, Rudy Puga Jr. and Junior Younan along with 2008 Olympic Super Heavyweight Silver Medalist Zhang Zhilei and local favorite Aaron Coley who will all see action on March 26.

Roc Nation Sports will bring names from the entertainment world to the event as well, including notable event emcee, SiriusXM/Shade 45 morning show host of Sway in the Morning, Executive Producer and talent for VH1 & MTV and Oakland-native Sway Calloway, who will serve as the event’s host, and hit master DJ Franzen, resident DJ at Las Vegas’ Hot 97.5 and Drais Nightclub. Sway and Franzen will entertain together throughout the night to keep fans entertained between bouts at Oracle Arena.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com (bit.ly/WardBarreraTix) and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

On March 26, NABO Junior Welterweight Champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (19-0-2, 14 KOs) risks his unbeaten record against Wilfrido “La Roca” Buelvas (17-5, 11 KOs) of Barranquilla, Colombia in a ten-round junior welterweight bout. Hooker, rated number seven by the WBO, is coming off of a career-best win on October 17, 2015 against his toughest opponent to date in Ghislain Maduma (17-2, 11 KOs) at Madison Square Garden. Hooker successfully defended his NABO title with the 10-round decision win over Maduma on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux in a fight that was featured on the event’s “freeview” in the United States and streamed online around the world. Buelvas, a former WBA Fedebol champion, has won two of his last three bouts by knockout and fought Humberto Soto for the WBC Silver International Super Lightweight title in 2014, going the 12-round distance before losing a decision to the former World Champion.

Born and raised in Oak Cliff, Texas, a rough suburb of Dallas, Hooker found a boxing home at Maple Avenue Boxing Gym by way of an outreach program for at-risk youths. His natural talent was soon noticed resulting in him competing as an amateur, during which time he participated in over 100 fights, compiling a record of 97 wins and only 7 losses, with 67 victories coming by way of knockout. Hooker turned professional on April 29, 2011, taking on the vastly more experienced Tyrone Chatman (7-1, 5 KO’s) at the Orpheum Theater in St. Louis. After four rounds, the judges saw the fight 40-36, 37-39 and 38-38, making the fight a split draw. Undeterred, in his next fight on June 24, 2014, Hooker scored his first professional win, knocking out Wilbert Mitchell in the first round at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Eleven wins (eight by knockout) later, he took on undefeated Abel Ramos (8-0, 4 KO’s) on January 17, 2014 in a bout that was featured on ShoBox from the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. After eight close, hard-fought rounds, the judges saw the fight a draw. Hooker followed the draw with a six-round unanimous decision win over Adrian Rodriguez Garza (8-2, 6 KO’s) on April 26 at Fitzgerald’s Casino and Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi. Four consecutive knockout victories would follow before he took on fellow undefeated prospect Eduardo Galindo (10-0-1, 7 KO’s) on June 26, 2015 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas for the vacant NABO Junior Welterweight Championship. “Mighty Mo” did not disappoint his legion of hometown fans who saw him capture the title with a sixth round technical knockout victory.

Hailing from Rancho Cucamonga, California and fighting out of the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, undefeated Daniel “Twitch” Franco (12-0-3, 7 KO’s) meets Mexican veteran German “Panteonero” Meraz (52-37-1, 30 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout on March 26. Featured for the second time on a Ward undercard, the sharp-boxing Franco will look to improve on his undefeated record against an opponent with literally six times his pro boxing experience. Meraz is only 29 years old but has already logged an amazing 90 professional bouts and has won four of his last six fights by knockout. He has fought current World Champion Juan Carlos Payano, Three-Time U.S. Olympian Rau’shee Warren and highly-touted prospect Gervonta Davis, going the distance with all three.

Franco began boxing at the age of eight, amassing an amateur record of 67-15, winning the Oxnard PAL Championship in 2006 and the California State Silver Gloves Championship in 2007 along the way. During Franco’s professional debut on December 18, 2010, he defeated Emanuel Machorro at Club 401 in Ontario, California via a third round technical knockout. Despite being enrolled as a full-time student at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Franco impressed early in his career, compiling an undefeated record with two draws in venues throughout California by the end of 2013. One of those draws came against Alejandro Ochoa at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, California on September 20, 2013, but in a rematch three months later, Franco outmatched Ochoa scoring a six-round unanimous decision victory at Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. On June 20, 2015, during Ward’s return to the ring at Oracle Arena, Franco saw action in an eight-round junior lightweight bout against Jonathan Alcantara and won by unanimous decision. A hand injury suffered in that bout kept Franco out of action until December 21 when he scored a decision victory over Hector Garcia in Tijuana, Mexico.

A promising unbeaten prospect from Salinas, California, Rudy “The Revelation” Puja. Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) looks to extend his undefeated streak against Carlos “Kalimba” Lozano (7-5, 4 KOs) of Ensenada, Mexico in a six-round middleweight bout. Puga turned in a career-best performance in his last match-up on February 12 in knocking out Alejandro Osuna (4-2, 2 KO’s) in two rounds at the Double Tree Hotel in Ontario, California. Now, just a little over a month later, “The Revelation” will step into the ring against a tough opponent in Lozanao, a southpaw who has never been stopped and already has a ten-round decision victory under his belt.

Having compiled an exceptional amateur record of 99-8, Puga made his professional debut on September 2, 2011, scoring a fourth round technical knockout victory over Raul Talamontes at the Sports Complex in his hometown. Back in the ring less than two months later, Puga Jr. raised his record to 2-0 with a first round technical knockout of Jose Jesus Hurtado at the Sherwood Inn in Salinas. In June 2012, he sent Thomas Turner to the mat four times in scoring a second round technical knockout win at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a little more than a year away from the ring, he rededicated himself to the “sweet science” with a vengeance and on February 17, 2014, Puga Jr. made his comeback stopping Charon Spain in the third round with an overpowering body shot at the Salinas Storm House in his native Salinas. Promotional issues kept Puga Jr. out of the ring for the next year and injuries led to a slow 2015, but Puga Jr. scored a a fourth round technical knockout win over of Katrell Straus on April 24 and a six-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Rojas on November 21, both fights taking place at the Double Tree Hotel in Ontario, California.

Brooklyn’s 20-year-old, undefeated Junior “The Young God” Younan (7-0, 6 KO’s) returns to the ring on March 26 after a nine-month layoff to take on Cristian Solorzano (4-7, 3 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico in a four-round super middleweight fight. Younan has battled multiple nagging injuries since scoring a second round technical knockout victory over Mike Sawyer on the Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale undercard on June 6, 2015 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Now 100 percent healthy, Younan looks to make Solozano his third straight knockout victim. Solorzano, a naturally bigger fighter, has campaigned in the light heavyweight division and is coming off of a knockout win.

Younan, trained by his father Sherif, a former professional boxer himself, began fighting competitively at age eight and only two years later was called a “boxing prodigy” by the New York Times. He compiled an amateur record of 90-5, racking up an impressive series of titles along the way including nine Junior Olympic championships, nine Junior Metro championships, eight New York State Silver Gloves championships and five Regional Silver Gloves championships. In 2011, he was crowned National Junior Golden Gloves champion and was U.S.A. Boxing’s number one rated junior boxer in his weight class. Less than a month after his 18th birthday, Younan made his professional debut on November 9, 2013, at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, New York, stopping Kenneth Schmitz in the first round. Younan would go on to knockout his next three opponents before going the distance for the first time against Azamat Umarzoda on July 2, 2014 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. He followed that fight with a first round knockout of Marlon Farr on August 13 the BB King Blues Club and Grill in New York on August 13.

Chinese heavyweight Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei (7-0, 4 KOs) joins the undercard on March 26 in a four-round bout against an opponent yet to be determined. The Silver Medalist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics continues to infuse excitement into the heavyweight division and is coming off of a first round technical knockout win over David Koswara on February 20 at the Lanzhou Sports Arena in Lanzhou, China.

Born on May 2, 1983 in Henan, Zhang began his amateur career in 2003, participating in the World Championships. A breakthrough came in 2007 at the World Championships where Zhang defeated the trio of Nurpais Torobekov, Rustam Rygebayev and Daniel Beahan en route to the semifinals where he lost to Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov. By capturing a bronze medal and finishing the competition in third place, he qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The Chinese powerhouse nearly reached the zenith of amateur success in the summer of 2008, entering the super heavyweight finals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing against Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle. It was not to be as Zhang suffered his first defeat of that Olympiad, losing to Cammarelle, but proudly adding to the host country’s medal total with a Silver. In 2009, Zhang captured a gold medal at the China National Games, an event of equal prestige to the Olympics in China. 2013 saw yet another gold medal winning performance in the China National Games, setting the stage for “Big Bang” to embark on a professional career while basing himself in the United States. On August 8, 2014, Zhang made his professional debut by scoring a first-round knockout win over Curtis Lee Tate in Fallon, Nevada in a fight that was televised live on ESPN2. On March 14, 2015, Zhang beat Eric George via a four-round unanimous decision at the Armory in Jersey City, New Jersey. He followed that with another four-round unanimous decision win, this time over Glenn Thomas on the highly anticipated Cotto-Geale undercard at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 6. Next came a sixth round technical knockout win over Dennis Benson at The Playground in Atlantic City on August 15. To end the year, Zhang was featured on the undercard of the November 21 Cotto vs. Canelo mega-fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, where scored a four-round unanimous decision victory over Juan Goode.

Local Hayward, California favorite Aaron Coley (12-1-1, 6 KO’s) faces a very stern test in a six-round junior middleweight bout against Urmat Ryskeldiev (11-3-2, 7 KOs) of West Hollywood, California, a Kyrgyzstan native who is undefeated in his last seven fights.

On March 26, Coley will look follow his most recent victory, a unanimous decision over Jeremy Ramos on January 23 at the Marriott on Broadway in Oakland, with another win in front of his hometown fans. Prior to his January win he scored two unanimous decision triumphs, including his June 20, 2015 performance against Yusmani Abreu (who Ryskeldiev defeated by technical knockout in September) on the undercard of Ward’s last fight. Considered a promising prospect in boxing circles, Coley’s lone loss came via decision to one of boxing’s hottest prospects in Ievgen Khytrov in a bout that was televised live on Showtime’s ShoBox on April 10, 2015 from The Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York.

Ward vs. Barrera, a 12-round fight which is presented by Roc Nation Sports in association with Main Events, takes place Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Ticketmaster, Corporate Travel Management Solutions (ctms), Glad, Lyft, Zappos, BodyArmor, SAN Nutrition, Shoe Palace and The Waterfront Hotel. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. Opening the HBO telecast will be Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Jayson Velez in a 10-round fight for the NABF Featherweight title presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions.

For more information, please visit www.rocnation.com, www.mainevents.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.promocionesmiguelcotto.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation, @main_events, @goldenboyboxing, @cottopromotions and @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation, www.facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

Follow the conversation on Twitter by using #WardBarrera.

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ABOUT ROC NATION SPORTS
Roc Nation Sports, a sub-division of Roc Nation, launched in spring 2013. Founder Shawn “JAY Z” Carter’s love of sports lead to the natural formation of Roc Nations Sports, helping athletes in the same way Roc Nation has been helping artists in the music industry for years. Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes’ career on a global scale both on and off the field. Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy. Roc Nation Sports launched its boxing division, a full service promotional company which represents Five-Time World Champion Miguel Cotto and Two-Time World Champion Andre Ward, in August 2014. Roc Nation Sports’ roster includes premiere athletes such as Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Kevin Durant, Geno Smith, Victor Cruz, CC Sabathia, James Young, Dez Bryant, Ndamukong Suh, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jaelen Strong, Todd Gurley, Wilson Chandler, Erick Aybar, Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jerome Boateng, Miguel Sano, CJ Prosise and Ronnie Stanley.

ABOUT ORACLE ARENA & O.co COLISEUM:
Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, managed by AEG Facilities, are the premiere sports and entertainment complexes in Northern California. These venues are the home of the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and MLB’s Oakland Athletics as well as host to concerts, family shows and special events. Additional information on Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, including a complete schedule of events can be found online at www.coliseum.com. Follow Oracle Arena on Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat @OracleArena and on Facebook www.faecbook.com/OracleArenaO.coColiseum.

One of the world’s greatest fighter’s, Andre Ward, returns to BoxNation exclusively live on Saturday 26th March when he faces undefeated challenger Sullivan Barrera.

BoxNation secures its position as The Channel of Champions with four of the current top ten best pound-for-pound fighters in the world showcasing their skills on BoxNation this year with Sergey Kovalev last month, Terence Crawford this Saturday night and Guillermo Rigondeaux next month.

Undefeated Ward, a former WBA and WBC World Super-Middleweight Champion, and top ranked contender Barrera, clash in an exciting 12-round light-heavyweight contest at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, with the winner targeting a prize showdown against Unified World Champion and Russian terror Kovalev.

Oakland native Ward, 32, known as S.O.G (Son Of God), heads into the fight against Barrera with a perfect record of 28 wins with 15 knockouts and is renown for his immense talent, great in-fighting and magnificent defensive skills.

He returns to action at his home arena where he destroyed Paul Smith last June with a brutal and scintillating display, after a year-and-a-half lay off, to cut down the Liverpool fighter in nine rounds, leaving his face a mess with a suspected broken nose.

All-action Ward, the last American boxer to win a gold medal at an Olympics, cleaned up at 168 pounds by winning Showtime’s Super-Six tournament in 2011 with impressive victories over Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and then Carl Froch in the final. He then smashed Chad Dawson in ten rounds followed by soundly out-pointing Edwin Rodriguez before meeting Smith at a catchweight contest.

On his quest to become a three-time and two-weight world champion and recognition as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, Ward said, “I don’t really have much to say other this: On March 26 it will be very simple. I’ll be in a new weight class against a tough opponent but I’m coming with the same approach. I’ll be in great shape and ready for a battle. Sullivan Barrera has had a lot to say lately and I love it. He’s going to have an opportunity to back up every word that he has spoken. These are the type of challenges I like and on March 26, it’s go time.”

Miami based Cuban Barrera won gold in the middleweight division of the World Junior Amateur Championships in 2000 and in the pros has racked up an unblemished record of 17 wins with 10 coming by knockout.

The 34-year-old has previously won the Interim WBO Latino and WBA Fedelatin titles and has notable victories over Former IBF World Super-Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy and IBF World Light-Heavyweight title challenger Karo Murat last time out.

Barrera is currently ranked number one by the IBF and would have got a mandatory shot against Kovalev following his knockout victory over Murat, but opted instead to go for Ward with a fight against Kovalev unlikely to happen until the summer.

He’ll be looking to scupper Ward’s plans of meeting Kovalev and instead secure a showdown with his promotional stablemate and is confident of pulling off an upset with top trainer Abel Sanchez, the 2015 Boxing Writers Association Trainer of the Year, in his corner.

“We as a team had a tough choice to make – crash the party by taking out Ward first or wait for the mandatory and take out (Sergey) Kovalev,” said Barrera. “We decided that the time is now. Ward will fall first, and then we will go after the belts.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said, “I’m delighted that Ward v Barrera has been added to a packed March schedule for our subscribers. BoxNation continues to broadcast the best fights and the best fighters in the world and we’re two months into the year and by the end of March we’ll have shown four of the top ten best pound-for-pound fighters in Kovalev and Crawford, Rigondeaux and Ward.”

– Ends –

About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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NEW YORK, NY (February 9, 2016) – Roc Nation Sports is pleased to announce that Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) will return to the ring on Saturday, March 26, to begin his assault on the light heavyweight division when he takes on undefeated and number one rated IBF light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (17-0, 12 KOs) in a 12-round bout at Oracle Arena in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges and taxes, go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 5:00 PM PT and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

“I don’t really have much to say other than this. On March 26, it will be very simple. I’ll be in a new weight class against a tough opponent but I’m coming with the same approach,” said Ward. “I’ll be in great shape and ready for battle. Sullivan Barrera has had a lot to say lately and I love it. He’s going to have an opportunity to back up every word that he has spoken. These are the type of challenges I like and on March 26, it’s go time.”

“We as a team had a tough choice to make – crash the party by taking out Ward first or wait for the mandatory and take out Kovalev,” said Barrera. “We decided that the time is now. Ward will fall first and then we will go after the belts.”

“Having cleaned out the super middleweight division, Andre’s next challenge is to become the best light heavyweight in the world, and that challenge begins with the IBF’s number one rated contender in Sullivan Barrera,” said David Itskowitch, COO of Boxing Roc Nation Sports. “With both fighters having their sights set on an eventually showdown with Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey Kovalev, there’s a lot on the line in this fight, but only one man will move on. March 26 is a night of boxing that no fan should miss.”

“I’m excited to be on Team Ward as we enter the light heavyweight division. No weapons formed against us shall prosper,” said James Prince, Ward’s manager.

On March 26, before a hometown crowd, pound for pound star Andre Ward returns to HBO in his light heavyweight debut against undefeated Sullivan Barrera” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “With a perfect record dating back to the age of 12 years old, Andre has risen to every challenge as both an amateur and a professional, including world titles and an Olympic gold medal. Now, he takes on Barrera, one of the toughest challengers as Ward moves up the scale. Boxing fans won’t want to miss it.”

Known for his strong character and integrity outside the ring and his warrior’s instinct inside it, Ward’s skill and talent were apparent early in his outstanding amateur career. He racked up every title in the books, culminating with a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. As the only male American boxer to claim Olympic gold since 1996, Ward joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya. He turned professional on December 18, 2004, scoring a second round technical knockout victory over Chris Molina at Staples Center in a fight that was televised live on HBO. He has gone on to rack up 27 more victories since then, building an ever-growing legion of fans in the process. After becoming the Ring Magazine and WBA Super Middleweight World Champion, rising to the number two spot on the pound-for-pound list and winning the 2011 Fighter of the Year Award (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America), it was announced that Ward signed an exclusive promotional agreement with Roc Nation Sports in January 2015, opening a new chapter in his storied boxing career. The Bay Area product returned to the ring on June 20, 2015 at the Oracle Arena in front of his hometown fans in Oakland, California and scored a ninth-round knockout over Paul Smith, continuing his unbeaten streak which dates back to when he was a 13-year-old amateur. Ward recently stepped in front of the camera for a completely different role, a part in the New Line/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Warner Bros. feature “Creed.” Fellow Bay Area natives, director Ryan Coogler and the film’s star Michael B. Jordan, reached out to Ward so that he could provide his expertise for the film. In addition to working in front of the camera with Ward, Jordan spent time at Ward’s home gym in preparation for his role as Apollo Creed’s son. Now it’s time for Ward to get back to his day job when he faces the undefeated Barrera on March 26.

Born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Barrera had an impressive amateur run with a record of 285-27. As an amateur, he was able to earn World Amateur Championships in Germany, Cuba, Venezuela and Central America. During his amateur career he also defeated former Light Heavyweight World Champions Chad Dawson and Beibut Shumenov. Following his defection from Cuba, where he was a member of the country’s national team, Barrera made his professional debut in 2009 with a first round technical knockout win over Anthony Adorno in his adopted hometown of Miami, Florida. He would go on to knockout the first five opponents he faced in his professional career in either the first or second round. Barrera made his television debut in January of 2015 with his appearance on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, when he scored a fourth round knockout win over former Super Middleweight World Champion Jeff Lacy. Barrera quietly rose through the ratings of the light heavyweight division until he was afforded the opportunity to fight former Light Heavyweight World Title Challenger Karo Murat to become the IBF’s number one rated light heavyweight contender. Barrera seized the opportunity, knocking out Murat in the fifth round on December 12, 2015 in his HBO Latino Boxing debut at the Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California. Sullivan is trained by legendary trainer, Abel Sanchez, who is best known for his work with middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. When he is not at The Summit in Big Bear Lake, California training with Sanchez, Barrera resides in Miami, Florida.

Ward vs. Barrera, a 12-round fight which is presented by Roc Nation Sports in association with Main Events, takes place Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. Follow the conversation using #WardBarrera.

For more information, please visit www.rocnation.com. Follow Roc Nation on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation.

For more information, visit www.hbo.com/boxing, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @HBOBoxing and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.

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ABOUT ROC NATION SPORTS
Roc Nation Sports, a sub-division of Roc Nation, launched in spring 2013. Founder Shawn “JAY Z” Carter’s love of sports lead to the natural formation of Roc Nations Sports, helping athletes in the same way Roc Nation has been helping artists in the music industry for years. Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes’ career on a global scale both on and off the field. Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy. Roc Nation Sports launched its boxing division, a full service promotional company which represents Five-Time World Champion Miguel Cotto and Two-Time World Champion Andre Ward, in August 2014. Roc Nation Sports’ roster includes premiere athletes such as Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Kevin Durant, Geno Smith, Victor Cruz, CC Sabathia, James Young, Dez Bryant, Ndamukong Suh, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jaelen Strong, Todd Gurley, Wilson Chandler, Erick Aybar, Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jerome Boateng, Miguel Sano, CJ Prosise and Ronnie Stanley.

ABOUT ORACLE ARENA & O.co COLISEUM:
Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, managed by AEG Facilities, are the premiere sports and entertainment complexes in Northern California. These venues are the home of the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and MLB’s Oakland Athletics as well as host to concerts, family shows and special events. Additional information on Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, including a complete schedule of events can be found online at www.coliseum.com. Follow Oracle Arena on Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat @OracleArena and on Facebook www.faecbook.com/OracleArenaO.coColiseum.

Pedro Campa remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Alan Herrera in Glendale, California.

Campa won by scores of 100-90 and 98-92 twice and is now 17-0. Herrera is 21-4-1.

Sullivan Barrera remained undefeated as he stopped former world title challenger Karo Murat in round five of a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

At the end of round four, Barrera landed a right to the body and a left to the top of the head that sent Murat to the canvas. Clearly still hurt, Murat ate a huge flurry of power shots at the beginning of round five and the bout was stopped at 25 seconds.

Barrera, 172 lbs of Guantanamo, CUB is 17-0 with 12 knockouts. Murat, 174 lbs of Berlin, GER is 27-3-1.

Arif Magomedov remained undefeated by scoring a 7th round stoppage over Jonathan Tavira in a scheduled 10-round Middleweight bout.

In round four, Magomedov dropped Tavira with a right hand in the corner.

Magomedov dropped Tavira again in round seven from a heavy combination and the fight was stopped upon Tavira getting to his feet at 55 seconds.

Magomedov, 159 lbs of Russia is now 17-0 with 10 knockouts. Tavira, 159 lbs of Mexico is 12-4.