The 32 year-old, who is gearing up to make his debut at 175 pounds this weekend, is one of a few top names to make their interest public, despite some fierce opposition from the World Boxing Council and others.
Pound for pound contender Ward is in the midst of a bid to face Sergey Kovalev for the divisional crown later this year, but says knowing more details on the Olympic situation, the ‘S.O.G’ wouldn’t rule out participating at Rio 2016.
“I read that (professionals can fight at the Olympics) and it’s pretty interesting. It’s pretty interesting. I think right now it’s just about maybe getting more information about how something like that will work. But it definitely has sparked my interest and has gotten my attention,” said Ward.
“You can’t rule anything out. You know, you’ve to get all the facts on the table. You’ve got to get all the details. I don’t have all of that right now. And obviously I’m preparing for a fight but I would just want to see everything and then just kind of digest it and then make a decision from there. But definitely interesting, very interesting.
“I was surprised and intrigued at the same time. You know I was like, wow. Like I had to read it a couple of times over to make sure I was reading what I thought I was reading.
“So my publicist, she’s heavy into USA Boxing. She’s been a focal point in USA Boxing for a long time. So I picked up the phone and I was like man, did you see this? She was like yes, it’s legitimate. You know we’re trying to get more information.
“So I think that’s where I am with it. You’ve got a lot of thoughts like wow that would be amazing for your country. Just wanting to know more about the process and what that would actually look like.
“But I’m very interested and I think it’s a very interesting proposition,” he added.
Sullivan Barrera stands in the opposite corner to Ward this Saturday night in Oakland, California as the one-time 168 pound ruler edges closer to what could be a defining night against Kovalev at the back end of 2016.
Putting that in jeopardy in a bid to win a gold medal may well be seen as a wrong move for many, although the process in which Ward could compete is still cloudy as far as the paid ranks are concerned.
