TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION ANDRE WARD AND UNDEFEATED SULLIVAN BARRERA SET FOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN ON SATURDAY, MARCH 26 AT ORACLE ARENA nan Oakland, CALIFORNIA

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NEW YORK, NY (Fevriye 9, 2016) - Roc nasyon Espò kontan anonse l ap ki De-Tan Mondyal Champion ak tèt-rated liv-pou-liv avyon de gè Andre Ward (28-0, 15 Ko) va tounen vin jwenn zanno a nan Samdi, Mas 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 Ko) 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® kòmanse nan 9:45 p.m. AK/PT.

 

Biyè pwi a $300, $150, $100, $50 ak $25, ki pa enkli sèvis chaj aplikab yo ak taks, go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 9 nan 5:00 PM PT and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, sou entènèt la nan Ticketmaster.com ak chaj pa telefòn nan (800) 745-3000.

 

“I don’t really have much to say other than this. Sou Mas 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,"Te di 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,"Te di 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. Mas 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.

 

Sou Mas 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, Egzekitif Vis Prezidan, HBO Espò. “With a perfect record dating back to the age of 12 ane fin vye granmoun, Andre has risen to every challenge as both an amateur and a professional, including world titles and an Olympic gold medal. Koulye a,, he takes on Barrera, one of the toughest challengers as Ward moves up the scale. Boxing fans won’t want to miss it.

 

Li te ye pou karaktè li gen fòs ak entegrite deyò bag la ak ensten vanyan sòlda l 'yo andedan li, Ward’s skill and talent were apparent early in his outstanding amateur career. He racked up every title in the books, abouti ak yon meday lò nan divizyon an pwa loud limyè nan la 2004 Jwèt Olympic nan Atèn. As the only male American boxer to claim Olympic gold since 1996, Ward ansanm renmen nan Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard ak Oscar De La oya. Jezi vire tèt li pwofesyonèl sou Desanm 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. Apre yo vin Ring magazin ak WBA Super Middleweight Champion a Mondyal, rising to the number two spot on the pound-for-pound list and winning the 2011 Avyon de gè nan prim lan Ane (ESPN, Espò Illustrated, Magazin Ring ak Asosyasyon la Boksè Ekriven nan Amerik), li te anonse ke Ward te siyen yon akò eksklizif pou chanje klas ak Roc nasyon Espò nan mwa janvye 2015, louvri yon chapit nouvo nan karyè l 'rakonte boksè. Pwodwi a Bay Area retounen nan zanno a nan mwa jen 20, 2015 nan Arena a Oracle nan devan nan fanatik pwovens li kote l nan Oakland, California ak bay nòt yon pentch nevyèm-wonn sou Pòl Smith, continuing his unbeaten streak which dates back to when he was a 13-year-old amateur. Ward dènyèman te demisyone nan devan kamera a pou yon wòl konplètman diferan, a part in the New Line/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Warner Bros. feature “Creed.” Fellow Bay Area natives, direktè Ryan Coogler ak zetwal fim nan Michael B. Lòt bò larivyè Jouden, te rive nan soti nan Ward pou l te ka bay ekspètiz li pou fim nan. Anplis de sa nan k ap travay nan devan kamera a ak Ward, Lòt bò larivyè Jouden te pase tan nan jimnastik lakay Ward nan nan preparasyon pou wòl li kòm pitit gason Apollo Kwayans nan. Now it’s time for Ward to get back to his day job when he faces the undefeated Barrera on Mas 26.

 

Born in Guantanamo Bay, Kiba, Barrera had an impressive amateur run with a record of 285-27. Kòm yon amatè, he was able to earn World Amateur Championships in Germany, Kiba, 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’sVandredi Goumen Night, 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, pran plas Samdi, Mas 26, 2016 nan Oracle Arena nan Oakland, California and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. AK/PT. Follow the conversation using #WardBarrera.

 

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