Andre Ward says Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis now hold 'face of boxing' title as he answers key debate

27/08/2024 13:08

Andre Ward insists Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis are the two most prominent figures in boxing right now.

Boxing has seen a resurgence in recent years with a new era of stars being born after the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have hung up their gloves.

Heavyweight has always been seen as boxing’s glamour division with some huge global names competing, but some of the lower weight classes have also produced the sport’s biggest superstars.

And boxing legend Ward, who retired undefeated as a two-weight world champion, believes 168lbs champion Alvarez and 135lbs champion Davis are currently carrying the torch.

"If I had to say who's the face of boxing now, I think the face of boxing is a two-headed monster right now,” he told All The Smoke Fight.

“I think it's Gervonta Davis — you cannot deny what he's done, you cannot deny what he generates, and you cannot deny the performances — and you also cannot deny what Canelo Alvarez has done for a very long time.

“I think one thing they both have in common is Gervonta had Floyd Mayweather, Mayweather gave a cold alley-oop to Gervonta, Gervonta took the alley-oop and took it to the next level.

"If you look at the history of Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez had an amazing alley-oop from Oscar De La Hoya, the biggest fighter in the game at one point in time and the biggest Mexican fighter before Canelo came.

“You have to give both of those fighters credit because they took the alley-oop and they did something with it.

“A lot of fighters fumble the bag or fumbled the alley-oop or fumbled the ball — they didn't do that.”

Ward even later included current pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford in the list, who added to his portfolio of achievements with a world title win in a fourth weight class earlier this month.

Alvarez has had a stellar career in the squared circle, emerging as a superstar after high-profile duels with the likes of Shane Mosley, Mayweather and Miguel Cotto.

He has won world titles in four weight classes, and has most recently put together a dominant period of defences of his undisputed 168lbs titles he earned after beating Caleb Plant in 2021.

The superstar was mentored into the sport by legend De La Hoya, but the pair no longer see eye-to-eye after disagreements.

But he has built his reputation, earned bumper paydays and headlined huge events, becoming a superstar in the global market.

Davis is earlier on in his career but has emerged as a true mercurial talent in recent years.

Tank’s selling power matches his boxing skills, as he was taken under the wing of Mayweather, which saw natural comparisons made to the gifted legend.

Some huge KOs saw him break out as a big US star, and he is perhaps the biggest draw stateside which was proven for the huge interest generated for his win over Ryan Garcia in 2023.

Many seismic opportunities lay in the store for the ferocious puncher, which could include a rematch with Garcia and a mega-fight against Shakur Stevenson in 2025.

It is certain that boxing is in a good place right now with the next crop of bright young talents coming through.