Sullivan Barrera was led to believe the job was his, but Andre Ward insists he has yet to decide whom he will face on March 26.
What can be said with great certainty is that Marco Antonio Periban is no longer in the running for the assignment, having removed himself from the mix in favor of remaining at super middleweight.
The former title challenger from Mexico was contacted by Ward’s team over the Christmas holiday to field an offer for a tentatively scheduled March 26 HBO-televised headliner in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California. The bout was to mark the first official light heavyweight fight for Ward, the former World super middleweight champion who has opted to move up in weight.
The sentiment was not shared by Periban and his team, deciding that – barring an offer that would blow them away – there remains work to be done in the super middleweight division.
“Marco Antonio Periban will not be moving up to 175,” Oswaldo Kuchle of Promociones del Pueblo, Periban’s promoter confirmed to BoxingScene.com. “He should no longer be considered (a potential) opponent for Andre Ward.”
Periban (23-3-1, 15KOs) has won three straight following a miserable four-fight winless stretch that included a failed bid at becoming the first ever boxer from Mexico to win a super middleweight title. A narrow points loss to Sakio Bika in June ’13 remains his lone title fight to date, the defeat followed by a 10-round draw with Badou Jack and back-to-back losses to J’Leon Love and James DeGale.
Jack and DeGale both went on to capture separate super middleweight titles and – along with Arthur Abraham – remain the best of the division at present moment.
It will take a few more wins and against upgraded competition in order for Periban to return to title contention. His last fight and victory came last October, scoring a 3rd round knockout over Joshua Okine in Veracruz, Mexico.
What’s next in store for the 31-year old boxer has not yet been revealed by his team, though will likely include an appearance on Televisa in the first quarter of 2016. Perhaps by then, the social media battle between Barrera and Ward (though largely one directional as Barrera’s account has reached “must-follow” status) will spill over into one in the ring.
Article courtesy of Boxing Scene