Column: Andre Ward’s legs, as much as his punch, will be key in title fight against Sergey Kovalev

Strip down the light heavyweight championship fight on Saturday night to its essence and it comes down to one question.

What kind of fighter is Andre Ward at 32 years old?

This isn’t meant as a slight toward Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), the technically sound power puncher who will be defending his 175-pound title at T-Mobile Arena.

This speaks to the fighter Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) used to be — and perhaps still is.

While Kovalev is a dangerous opponent — he’s one of the five best fighters at any weight class — the reality is that the Ward of four or five years ago would have boxed circles around him. That version of Ward was about as hard to hit as smoke is to grab with bare hands.

Ward’s form in his two fights this year, however, has raised questions.

He was curiously stationary in his decision victories over the pedestrian Alexander Brand and Sullivan Barrera. Ward, the former super middleweight champion who used to swiftly move in and out of punching range, was suddenly standing in pocket, relying less on foot speed and more on upper body movement to avoid incoming blows. It didn’t always work.

Perhaps he was rusty. Ward has fought three times in the last 18 months, but was limited to only two fights in the 3 ½ years before that because of injuries and legal dispute with his then-promoter.

However, the absence of movement from a once-mobile fighter is generally a sign that his legs are gone. That’s what happened to Sugar Ray Leonard, that’s what happened to Roy Jones Jr., that’s what happened to Floyd Mayweather Jr. And if it hasn’t already happened to Ward, it will.

Ward insisted his strategy was dictated by his opposition, not his age.

“I’ve heard some people say that I’m not the same fighter that I was when I was in my 20s and I hope I’m not,” he said. “I should be getting better and more efficient. It’s not about making unnecessary moves. The last two opponents I had, that was what was necessary.”

Kovalev’s trainer wasn’t buying.

“He’s slowed down a little bit,” John David Jackson said of Ward. “He’s a little bit older. The legs aren’t as quick as they once were. Not that he’s lost a lot, but he has slowed down.”

Jackson acknowledged the 33-year-old Kovalev is also in decline.

“But he’s a puncher,” Jackson said of his fighter. “The last thing a puncher loses is his punch.”

And Kovalev can really punch. Jackson anticipates Ward will use whatever is left of his legs to evade that power.

“I don’t think he’ll dance as much, but he’ll try to walk around him,” Jackson said. “When he walks, [Kovalev] has to cut the ring off and make him engage.”

Kovalev isn’t the typical brawler. He is well-balanced, which allows him to continually throw punches while advancing. He doesn’t have the quickest set of hands in the world, but he makes up for it with timing.

“He’s not a brawler who doesn’t think,” Ward said.

Still, Kovalev looked less than formidable in his last fight against a mover named Isaac Chilemba.

“Chilemba fights a similar style as Andre Ward,” Kovalev said. “But Andre Ward is Andre Ward. He’s a little bit different. Stronger, smarter, undefeated and more motivated than Chilemba, you know?”

Ward is also adaptable. If he doesn’t have the legs to fight from the outside, his other option would be to engage Kovalev at close quarters, which would prevent the Russian from gaining optimal extension on his punches. This would also allow Ward to take advantage of his superior infighting skills.

Ward spent the majority of his career seven pounds south in the super middleweight division, but Kovalev isn’t viewed as the larger fighter. Ward competed in the 2004 Olympics as a light heavyweight. And while Ward isn’t a big puncher, he has considerable physical strength, which makes him adept at tying up his opponents.

“We’ll be wrestling,” Kovalev joked.

Kovalev has called Ward a “dirty fighter,” saying he anticipates Ward to weaponize his elbows and head.

“I’m ready for this, too,” Kovalev said.

He’s also curious. The fan in him wants to know which version of Ward will show up.

“I’m interested, too, what he will bring,” Kovalev said.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

Twitter: @dylanohernandez