Thursday 4 February 2016 19:53, UK
Andre Ward hopes to take on light-heavyweight king Sergey Kovalev this year after leaving the super-middleweight division "wide open".
The American (28-0-KO15) faces the dangerous Sullivan Barrera (17-0-KO12) on March 26 but is already targeting WBA Super, WBO and IBF champion Kovalev (29-0-1-KO26), who stopped bitter rival Jean Pascal in the seventh round on Saturday.
Ward said: "Me and Sergey Kovalev are on a collision course. I don't think it's a matter of 'if' - it's a matter of 'when'.
"I think we should meet some time by the end of the year. He's the best at that division, who's beaten everybody and is the guy that they say nobody wants to fight - so that's the guy I want to fight.
"He's a smart fighter and obviously has a good punch. One thing I respect about him is that he's gone in to everyone's back yard and defeated them. That shows me he has a strong mind and is not mentally weak.
"That's what big challenges are all about. You don't want to pick somebody you know you're going to beat. You want people to say it's 50-50. That's what makes a great fight.
Me and Sergey Kovalev are on a collision course. I don't think it's a matter of 'if' - it's a matter of 'when'.
"If I approach a big fight as if I'm a victim, I shouldn't be in the ring. I believe I have the ability to beat anybody in the world. It doesn't mean it's going to be given to you - you have to go take it.
"I've been watching the light-heavyweight division as well as the super-middleweight division for many years so I'm well acquainted with everybody there."
Looking back on the super-middleweight division he previously ruled, Ward added: "There weren't a lot of 168lb-ers who were ready to step up. Probably my biggest rival was Carl Froch and he retired. He was probably the only one who would be willing to face me.
"Once he made that decision, I looked at the horizon and there was James DeGale. He's a great talent. There were a few other guys as well but it wasn't the right situation so we made the decision.
"I'm trying to be great. All the great ones made these kind of decisions. They went up in weight and faced the best and that's why their names are in the history books. That's what I'm after.
"I wouldn't say it [the DeGale fight] is off the table forever. He seems a big kid so I don't know how easy it is for him to make the weight. Definitely down the road, if he continues to win and I continue to win then that could definitely be something that could happen.
"I think it [the super-middleweight division] is wide open. There's a lot of great talent like Badou Jack, James DeGale and the Dirrell brothers [Andre and Anthony].
"It's ready for the taking. Whoever wants to exert themselves and show they want to be dominant in that division, it's wide open for another dominant champion."
Kovalev has expressed his desire to attempt to unify the division by facing WBC holder Adonis Stevenson, who climbed in the ring to confront him after the Pascal rematch
