With an honest referee and judges, the following boxers would beat Ward: Kovalev (robbed by judges in the first fight, by a corrupt ref in the second) Bivol Gvozdyk Beterbiev and maybe Adonis Stevenson, if he hasn't slowed too much with age And at cruiserweight, with fair officiating Usyk, Briedis and Gassiev would easily defeat him
Ward beats everybody at 175 except maybe Stevenson if he hasn't aged too much, but Beterbiev, Bivol, and even Gvozdyk would all get schooled by Ward. The fact that Ward was willing to fight Kovalev twice, but wouldn't even entertain a Stevenson fights says all I need to know about how much a bigger threat Stevenson was.
Ward is a great fighter, but in the 2 fights with Kovalev, Kovalev won more rounds IMO. I think they went 1-1 in their fights. Ward is beatable, but there isn't a single guy that would do it easily.
Based on what? I mean, you can say you think he'd beat him, fine, but saying a guy who KO'd 12 nobodies vs a guy who has a resume FAR stronger would "Easily" beat him is just nonsense.
Ward took over from Kov in the second fight as he gassed from body shots, that`s why that right hand put him in trouble in the first place.