HBO Boxing Weigh-in Results: Andre Ward, Alexander Brand Ready to Go

Andre Ward is an unbeaten fighter with a seemingly limitless ceiling. Alexander Brand is a massive underdog but he’s planning on playing the role of spoiler on Saturday night when the two collide in a light heavyweight showdown on HBO. After both men came in on point at the scales on Friday, the only thing left to do is settle the score in the ring.

Ward (29-0, 15 KOs) is slated to face Sergey Kovalev in November in Las Vegas as long as he gets past Brand. It’s a fight the boxing world badly needs and it’s one that will help define Ward, who dominated everybody at super middleweight, including high-level foes Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Chad Dawson before battling injuries and contract disputes. He’s back in the saddle and is aiming to climb atop the pound-for-pound mountain, but he’s aware of the criticism he’s been receiving in the press since signing on to take on the unheralded Brand.

“I’ve gotten a lot of heat in the press about fighting here but I won’t apologize,” he said at the final pre-fight press conference. “I dreamed about fighting here (Oakland) and being a headliner. We’re going to continue to headline. I’m excited about the future.

“I want to be the light heavyweight champion of the world, a two-division champion,” he continued. “Everyone knows that, but it’s impossible for me to overlook this man (Brand). I’m not built like that. As a young fighter, I don’t operate like that. This man is coming, this is his super bowl. My ribs are showing, I’m hungry. I’ll see you all Saturday night.”

Brand (25-1, 19 KOs) has a stellar record but he hasn’t taken on anybody even close to the caliber of Ward. The Colombian will be fighting in Ward’s hometown on the biggest stage of his life and virtually everybody is picking him to lose, and his body language and what he said at the final presser didn’t indicate a man confident to prove everybody wrong.

“I want to thank you all for being here today,” he said. “It’s a pleasure for me to be in this wonderful city. All I want to do is give a good show and make sure that I give that to my fans here in Oakland. I want to have a good fight and work hard. It’s really a true honor to be in the ring with a champion like Andre Ward.”

Whether Brand is awe-struck or not remains to be seen. The final hurdles were cleared at the scales, though as Brand came in looking like an elite fighter when he officially weighed in at 173.2 pounds. Ward, meanwhile, came in right at the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds.

The event will go down at Oracle Arena and the main card will be aired live on HBO beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

HBO Boxing Weigh-in Results:

Andre Ward (175) vs. Alexander Brand (173.2)
Maurice Hooker (139.6) vs. Tyrone Barnett (142)
Junior Younan (172.8) vs. Genar Guerrero (171.6)