OAKLAND -- Andre Ward wanted a test in his light heavyweight debut, and he got one Saturday night before scoring a unanimous decision over No. 1-ranked contender Sullivan Barrera in front of 8,532 sometimes anxious fans at Oracle Arena.

Ward knocked down the 34-year-old Cuban in the third round, but Barrera never stopped coming hard at the 2004 Olympic champion from Oakland.

When the 12-round bout was over, Ward, 32, certainly looked like he'd been in a fight.

But in his seventh bout in his hometown, the former super middleweight world champ survived to set the table for a November title shot at unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev.

Abel Sanchez, Barrera's trainer, said Ward is "absolutely not" ready to fight Kovalev.

"The shots he was getting hit by Sullivan today, Kovalev would destroy him with those," said Sanchez, who believes Ward was a better fighter five years ago. "It's difficult for me to think he has even a slight chance against Kovalev. Not the Ward we saw tonight."

Answered Ward, "No disrespect, but who made Abel Sanchez the voice of boxing?

"There were some sour grapes being spilled in here tonight. We're not going to get in the pigpen. It's just a bad look for them."

Asked how he thinks he'd fare against Kovalev, Ward said, "I feel like I'm going to win. It's not going to be an easy fight. He's the champion.

"But I don't fear anybody."

Ward (29-0) gave his performance a B-minus grade.


"I liked that we showed we're plenty strong for this weight class. We showed the pop," Ward said. "We just need to keep sharpening up offensively, defensively."

Barrera (17-1) lost for the first time as a pro since defecting in 2009, but he distinguished himself. "I thought he put up a good fight," Ward said.

Barrera staggered Ward early in the 12th round, but Ward answered with a sharp combination a minute later to maintain control.

Kovalev (29-0-1), who was watching Ward in person for the first time, predicted Saturday afternoon that Ward would "win easy." That wasn't the case, but the Russian champ said he looks forward to a high-stakes, pay-per-view duel with Ward in November.

The matchup would be "the biggest test in my boxing career," Kovalev said. "Ward is a great boxer."

Each man is expected to fight once more by the end of June before prepping for their showdown, likely at Las Vegas, New York or Atlantic City.

After a cautious start, Ward sent Barrera the canvas with a left hook midway through the third round and the partisan crowd came alive.

The crowd reacted again when Ward knocked Barrera to the ground in the eighth, but the referee waved it off, signaling a low blow by Ward.

"He's a great boxer, but he's a dirty boxer. Everybody knows that," Barrera said.

Ward said he was surprised he didn't get a warning before the point deduction came. "The shot was borderline. I think I hit him on the belt," he said.

Ringside for the fight were Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who arrived to some of the biggest cheers of the night. When the video screen showed Curry and wife Ayesha settling into their seats, the crowd began the familiar "MVP" chant. Recently retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch of Oakland and actor Michael B. Jordan sat together, and other luminaries included former 49ers running back Frank Gore and retired boxing stars Roy Jones Jr. and Shane Mosley.

Southpaw Joseph Diaz Jr. (20-0) defended his NABF featherweight crown, scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over Jayson Velez (23-2-1) in the co-feature event.