Andre Ward vs Paul Smith: who will benefit from the catchweight?

The catchweight is becoming a common concern, so we asked The Panel whether Paul Smith or Andre Ward will benefit from it most...

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Johnny Nelson

It benefits Andre Ward big time. I always thought Paul Smith was more of a middleweight, even when he boxed Arthur Abraham. It worries me because we've seem him put down by big guys like James DeGale and George Groves, never mind what Ward could do at 172lbs.

Ward is doing everything in his favour and he's probably thinking this is going to be easy - a guy in his own backyard and at the weight he wanted.

Although Ward has been ticking over in the gym, he's not boxed for almost two years so to get down to 168lbs and fight again at the best of his abilities, would’ve been too much - even for him. He is doing everything in his favour and he's probably thinking this is going to be easy - a guy in his own backyard and at the weight he wanted.

Spencer Oliver

Ward has been out for a while so making the super-middleweight limit was probably going to be difficult for him. The catchweight limit is only going to benefit one person and that's Ward.

Smith walked around as a middleweight in the early part of his career and has done well with his step-up but this is another extra bit above that

As we know, Smith walked around as a middleweight in the early part of his career and has done well with his step-up but this is another extra bit above that, while Ward was a light-heavyweight in his younger days. This weight suits one man and that’s Andre Ward.

Jamie Moore

Paul is not a huge super-middleweight. He boxed at middleweight for a few years and moved up, so being 4lbs above the super-middleweight limit is only going to be a massive advantage for Ward.

With Ward being out for so long it was obviously going to be very difficult for him to get down to the weight

With Ward being out for so long it was obviously going to be very difficult for him to get down to the weight because he hasn't done it for a while. Ward has all the advantages and you'd expect that with home advantage. You get no choice when you box away.

Glenn McCrory

Paul Smith was a middleweight and he's done extremely well to get here. Now, why do they have to give Andre Ward another advantage? Is he not good enough already to fight Smith at the proper super-middleweight limit? Ward won his Olympic gold medal at light-heavyweight so he's a big guy. 

Ward won his Olympic gold medal at light-heavyweight so he's a big guy.

He's a great professional and a great fighter but my question to him and his camp would be: 'Do you need to wield your power that much?' It's a disgrace that the governing body can give the best super-middleweight in the world yet another advantage.

Jim Watt

I don't really understand the reasoning behind it because neither are huge super-middleweights - and Ward is still looked upon as the WBA champion at 168lbs. Sometimes you can safeguard your titles but I don't think that is going on here because Ward is a big favourite. 

I don't think it particularly suits either.

I don't think it particularly suits either. Ward did fight a light-heavyweight in the shape of Chad Dawson but he dragged him down to super-middle, so it is a strange one. Smith is not the biggest either, so I just can't see how either can really gain much from it.

Watch Andre Ward v Paul Smith and Adrien Broner v Shawn Porter live on Sky Sports 1, from 1.30am, Sunday, June 21.