May 30, 2017 – Leading up to the highly anticipated light heavyweight rematch between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev – set for Saturday, June 17 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of their first showdown which sparked a hot debate in the boxing community as the hard-fought encounter resulted in a razor-thin triumph for the undefeated challenger from the Bay Area.

On Friday, June 9 at 12:45 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, June 10 at 9:00 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Kovalev vs. Ward I 2016. Last November in the bright spotlight of Las Vegas, Andre Ward won a hotly debated unanimous decision against the reigning 175-pound champion Sergey Kovalev in the most anticipated fight of 2016. After suffering an early knockdown, Ward rebounded in the second half of the fight with an incredible display of will and skill that the judges decided was the difference. Now the question is which fighter is more determined to impose his will in the rematch?

The fight will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO NOW, HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® subscribers and on affiliate portals beginning Monday, June 5.

Ward vs. Kovalev 2 takes place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

By Norm Frauenheim

Andre Ward has talked retirement not just once, but at least twice, since his controversial victory over Sergey Kovalev. It sounds like some early posturing in negotiations that began the moment the news conference commenced in the wake of the 114-113 scores that favored Ward in November.

This time, Ward dropped the possibility in an interview with Rolling Stone. Never take anything off the table. Ward hasn’t. Retirement represents the nuclear option. Push that button and there’s no rematch.

It puts pressure on Kovalev, who was predictably unhappy with the decision and wasted no time in exercising the rematch clause in his side of the contract. That clause gives Kovalev some legal and financial leverage, but only if Ward continues to fight.

If he retires, that rematch clause wouldn’t buy that proverbial cup of coffee, much less a refill.

“I really just got to take my time right now because I really don’t have to fight anymore,” Ward told Rolling Stone.

He went on to say that he wanted to be “sure that every decision that I make and every fight that I take is the right situation because if it’s not, I don’t know if it makes sense to continue on.’’

Translation: Back off Kovalev.

Ward repeatedly suggested that he would continue to fight and even said there he had personal reasons to consider a rematch with the smart and dangerous Kovalev, who must have spent the Holidays wondering why he let Ward off the hook after knocking him down in the second round.

“You have to entertain [a rematch] and I would love to put my stats on in such a way that there isn’t a conversation about who won and who lost,” Ward said.

Then, he added: “Proving something to people is a tricky thing to get involved in. If we did the rematch it would be more just to silence Kovalev and silence his team and to just put a stamp on the rivalry we had.’’

There’s a strong suggestion in those words that Ward would like to silence more than just Kovalev and the Russian’s corner. There are also the fans and media who argued that Ward got an early Christmas gift.

His immense pride compels him to prove his critics wrong. It always has. I was there, at the Athens Games in 2004, when he was the last American man to win Olympic boxing gold on a day when nobody gave him a chance.

The U.S. men’s Olympic program was a mess then and has been ever since. But Ward rose above it all, the last American man to stand stop the medal stand’s summit. He didn’t lose in Athens and he hasn’t lost as an amateur or a pro since 1997.

To this day, Ward and his trainer, Virgil Hunter, talk about losing to Ernie Gonzales and John Revish as if it happened yesterday. He was 13 or 14 years old, yet he remembers the scorecards, the judges and the lessons. Those long-ago defeats are at the heart, the beginning, of what still drives Ward.

He finds a way. There’s an ongoing debate – as reasonable as it is noisy – about whether Ward’s way was good enough for a victory over Kovalev. Only a rematch for the light-heavyweight title and perhaps pound-for supremacy will settle that. The good news is that Ward knows that, mostly because nobody will let him forget about it. A rematch gives him another chance to say he was right the first time around.

Still, the negotiations are problematic for a couple of reasons. Above all, the money just doesn’t appear to be there anymore. Ward-Kovalev was a pay-per-view loser, generating a reported 160,000 buys, or nearly half of modest expectations.

Would promoters even try to go the pay-per-view route again? In boxing’s current business climate, can either Ward or Kovalev get a raise in a rematch? Ward collected a $5 million purse. Kovalev was guaranteed $2 million. How much money would be in the total purse for a rematch? How would it be split?

Ward told Rolling Stone that “it’s not about the money anymore.’’

I’m not sure it ever has been. It’s been about that pride. It motivates him to fight again in an answer to his critics. In part, it’s measured by his percentage of the total purse.

Offend that pride, however, and he’s shown that he’s willing to walk. He fought only once over nearly three years at the peak of his prime in large part because of a legal dispute with late promoter Dan Goossen.

Retirement? Not likely. Not at 32 and not with a chance to extend his unbeaten record, including a shot at an undisputed claim on the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate. Then, of course, there are all of those critics. Ward has another chance to do what he’s been doing all of his life:

Answer them.

HBO Boxing serves up a thrilling night of boxing action on Thanksgiving weekend when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: VASYL LOMACHENKO vs. NICHOLAS WALTERS is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 26 at 10:35 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 27 (8:45 a.m.) and 28 (12:50 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Nov. 29 (1:00 a.m.)

The fight will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

In a highly anticipated junior lightweight title showdown, reigning champ Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs), originally from Odessa and now training in Oxnard, Cal., faces off against undefeated knockout artist Nicholas Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) of Montego Bay, Jamaica in a scheduled 12-round contest.

Amassing impressive records as a brilliant amateur boxer and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008 & 2012), Lomachenko turned pro in 2013 and has already captured titles in the featherweight and junior lightweight divisions after just seven career fights, dethroning Gary Russell and Rocky Martinez. His willingness to meet any challenge has made him one of the sport’s most intriguing rising stars.

A formidable challenger with a sterling 78% knockout-to-win ratio, Walters’ only career blemish is a Dec. 2015 majority draw against Jason Sosa, which many observers considered a questionable outcome. His matchup with Lomachenko at 130 pounds has the boxing world buzzing with anticipation.

Prior to the live fight, HBO Sports will replay the hotly debated light heavyweight championship fight between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward that took place on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. The 12-round pay-per-view battle ended with all three judges agreeing that the challenger had won by the narrowest of margins.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Las Vegas, Nevada: In the wake of the controversial unanimous decision victory for Andre Ward over former WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev on Saturday night which most writers, commentators, and media scored a decisive Kovalev victory, Compubox released the breakdown of their punch stats for the November 19 megafight.

Factoring in the second round knockdown, Kovalev would have taken the fight based on total punches landed, total punches thrown, power punches landed, power punches thrown, accuracy of power punches or jabs thrown. Scoring based on jabs landed would have resulted in a draw. The only metric that could have handed Ward the victory was accuracy, but he was only more accurate in throwing jabs on a round-by-round basis.

Particularly glaring is the tenth round, which all three judges scored for Ward, though it looked like a clear Kovalev round according to the Compubox stats. In the tenth round, Kovalev significantly out-landed and out-threw Ward in total punches, jabs and power punches. Had all three judges scored the tenth round for Sergey, Kovalev would have won the fight 114-113.

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said, “I thought Sergey won the fight sitting ringside and it looks like the Compubox stats bear that out. The judges gave every close round to the challenger instead of the champion, plus the tenth round which wasn’t even close. Sergey has asked for an immediate rematch. As far as we are concerned, he won the first fight and he will win the second fight too.”

Programming Note: HBO will replay the fight this Saturday, November 26 at 10:35 pm ET/PT.

By Jimmy Tobin-

Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, light heavyweights Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward provided a proper prizefight for those weary of a year blighted with fights of little consequence and even less intrigue, of diluted titles both real and fantastic. To the surprise of many—including Ward, if anything can be read into the expression he wore as the victor was announced—and the disgust of plenty, Ward was awarded the victory by the narrowest of margins: 114-113 on all three cards.

The outcome is likely to be debated long after Ward and Kovalev have put the fight behind them; and for the most tenaciously outraged, perhaps even after the rematch—which there almost certainly will be—has provided some vindication. Because the explanation for Ward sweeping the last six rounds on two judges’ cards and picking up five of those six on a third, is near impossible to find in what transpired in the ring. This is not to imply judging corruption, only a sort of laziness, the judge’s fallacy that reasons that since Fighter A is no longer having the same success he had in the early rounds Fighter B must be winning. While it is true that Ward adjusted to Kovalev, and those adjustments got Ward back in the fight, the case that they won it for him was made most forcefully by people other than the “Son of God.”

Of course, a Kovalev victory in the rematch would not retroactively correct any perceived error in the scoring of the first fight; a clear, decisive (deserved?) second victory for Ward would not make his first any less controversial; nor, for that matter, should anyone expect anything more definitive in the sequel. If this is unsatisfying it is perhaps helpful to remember that, whatever your feelings on the outcome, the only nemesis either fighter has managed to find he found in the ring Saturday; and the animus they showed each other was born of respect.

Respect is something grudgingly given to Ward, who can be supercilious beyond the ropes, tedious between them, and until last night, was so far removed from a win worthy of comment he might well have been forgotten had HBO not paid so dearly for his services. But he is a great fighter—to suggest otherwise is to concede that Kovalev could struggle with anything less. Are you willing to make that suggestion?

When Kovalev sent Ward to his knees with a right hand in the second round, it seemed very much like the whispers of Ward’s decline had been right. And yet over the next ten rounds, things became more difficult for Kovalev—not easier.

Proof of this shift bore out in the clinches. Unhinged by Kovalev’s power, Ward’s early wrestling was preservative, which was telling considering his ability to work inside the clinch—and outside the margins of sportsmanship—figured to be his most glaring advantage. But as he calibrated his own offense to that of Kovalev’s, Ward turned the clinches in his favor. Working with his head on Kovalev’s shoulder, hitting while Kovalev wrestled and always delivering the last punch, Ward taxed the monster before him. That Ward managed as much while brandishing zero threat of a right hand, that he ostensibly defused a bomb with only his left, warrants praise that should not be denied him.

The effect of this inside work was nevertheless exaggerated by Max Kellerman, who approached each round like a 49er panning through the action looking only for those bits of it that allowed him to preserve a set narrative about Ward’s greatness. Kellerman also tried to dismiss the effect of Kovalev’s punches, as if his ability to force Ward to repeatedly retreat and reset was somehow inferior to the punches Kovalev calmly walked through. The commentary team’s efforts to guide rather than describe reached its low point during an absurd discussion about winning moments, as if the winner of a round could be determined by dividing each round into 360 or so moments and tallying, without any regard for quality, who earned more.

For those disgusted by Kovalev suffering so unconvincing a first loss there is this: the fight revealed that people will never see in Ward what they do not want to see and confirmed that there is more to Kovalev than the rhetoric about him suggests. Prior to the fight, it seemed plausible that his inability to put away Bernard Hopkins, a much older, slower, version of Ward, boded poorly for Kovalev’s chances. But he was better against Ward than he was against Hopkins because the moment demanded as much. As he did against Hopkins, Kovalev scored an early knockdown, and again, that knockdown came because an opponent underestimated his quickness. Unlike Hopkins, however, Ward fought to win, not stay upright, and when the outcome of the fight was thrown into doubt Kovalev responded with the type of comportment he need never have shown against the likes of Cedric Agnew and Blake Caparello. He is more than his puncher’s reputation reflects, and he out-boxed the boxer even if he could not overcome the judges.

Prior to Saturday night, Kovalev and Ward occupied somewhat tenuous positions in a sport that in lieu of quality matchups, devolves further and further into a mere cult of personality. Ward was preserved by a reputation that persisted despite his not engaging in a fight worth mentioning since 2012. But his effort Saturday night, if not the way it was awarded, provides little reason to further a grudge against him. Kovalev’s best win was a decision over a man half a century old, but if Kovalev is for you an overhyped product of HBO’s infatuation with Eastern Europeans, his disputed loss to Ward undermines your claim. Perhaps any new animus directed at them too, will be born of respect.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas undefeated American light heavyweight Andre “SOG” Ward decisioned unanimously and narrowly undefeated Russian Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev by three scores of 114-113. Kovalev hurt Ward in round 1, dropped him in round 2 and sent him racing backwards in round 12, but in between Ward may have, conceivably, possibly, theoretically, landed exactly the number of enough punches to prevail on a fair scorecard.

First things first: I picked Andre Ward to win by late TKO. I watched the fight with four other Americans, all of whom picked Ward to win, and the five of us composed three distinct ethnicities. None of us thought Ward won before the decision got read, but one of us, having suffered the card’s preposterous co-main, advised the group to gird itself for a questionable decision in the main. That’s what we got. And we all felt a touch queasy when the judges’ scores were read.

At some point during the match one of HBO’s prissy broadcasters calculated Ward’s margin for error was zero. True as that statement sounded those judges scoring for Ward enjoyed a still narrower margin, didn’t they? If you bulged your jaw and squinted you probably could get a Ward scorecard after 36 minutes but even a moment’s absentmindedness’d’ve skewed it all to hell. But the judges played fair and turned in varying rounds of favoritism, and frankly things ringside are demonstrably different from things triplefiltered by the HBO lens – and our own Norm Frauenheim, more credible than a combination of Nevada judges and Harold Lederman, multiplied by ten, scored it for Ward 114-113 from ringside, so acceptance is appropriate.

Such a wise course’d feel appreciably better, though, were it not for that left hook to the liver Kovalev placed in the final minutes of round 12, the one that dropped Ward’s right elbow and sent him retreating – not feinting, not trapsetting, not resting: retreating – during the moments he was scheduled by friend and foe alike to trade his life for a knockout.

Ward won the benefit of ringside scorekeepers’ doubts by enduring then overcoming more pain and humiliation in the opening six minutes of Saturday’s match than he collected in the whole of yesteryears’ Super Six tournament. In round 1 a Kovalev jab buckled Ward and made him do the eye dance of widenblink widenblink while Kovalev enjoyed the view. In round 2 Ward drove his face in a sawedoff cross that, had Kovalev had time and space to turn it over, likely would’ve stopped the show then and there.

Then the bell rang for round 3 and Krusher seemed to mistake Ward for Bernard Hopkins, deciding he might hurt Ward whenever the impulse struck him and anyway let’s save some feet and force for the championship rounds. From there Ward got better every round and Kovalev did not, and while that still didn’t win Ward the match necessarily it did create objective space enough in scorers’ minds to fill with subjective considerations of patriotism and activity and heroism and such.

The difference in physicality was pronounced as possible; for those of us who recognize the futility of battling interested audio and video elements in pursuit of an accurate home scorecard, for those of us who no longer bother, in other words, with scoring fights on television, there’s a subjective criterion that serves just as well and requires a fraction the effort: Who appears the larger man? In the final 30 seconds of round 2 Kovalev appeared several weightclasses larger than Ward the way a 150-pound man appears several weightclasses larger than a 135-pound eighth grader. However much one cheered Kovalev after the knockdown it was hard not to feel sympathy for Ward – that’s how much bigger and more effective Kovalev appeared. But then.

Recently director Oliver Stone’s series “The Untold History of the United States” landed on Netflix, and whatever it intends to do or fails to do and however much it may tend toward agitprop it succeeds in encouraging Americans raised during the cold war to imagine Soviets and their leaders like decent and selfinterested folks no different from Americans. That sentiment returned to mind again and again during Saturday’s fifth and sixth and seventh rounds; however much the Krusher marketing plan relied on menace, in a pitched confrontation Kovalev was much more athlete than psychopath; butted and tackled and scored against, Kovalev expressed betrayal, not rage – whither fairplay, comrades?

The damage Kovalev did Ward nevertheless shortened SOG’s career while it revealed the American’s profound willfulness, even if things didn’t conclude conclusively as aficionados hoped. The untenable space between Ward’s fights of the last four years coupled with their dismal lack of competitiveness did nothing to prepare Ward for what he saw in Saturday’s opening rounds. Ward did not improvise so much as endure and believe; he used his entire body to offset Kovalev’s physical advantages while investing fully in his corner’s faith Kovalev’s advantages would diminish with time. They did, too, reducing the Russian’s offensiveness while doing nothing to soften his beard; the few times Ward’s punches did more than dissuade or marginally disrupt Kovalev’s rhythm those punches were to various parts of Kovalev’s body and not his head.

There should be a rematch, and for once the party most likely to benefit from such a happening is the entity most empowered to make it happen: HBO. If the network shows continuing backbone with Ward and tells him there’ll be no victory lap till a decisive victory then tells him too to tell his people to go to Showtime and fight Adonis Stevenson if they think that’ll pay better and not come back, there’s a good chance aficionados can have the rematch we deserve. Or we can have another four years of explaining how complicated such things are and see if there’s anybody left to buy the rematch in 2020.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action as Sergey Kovalev defends the IBF/WBA/WBO Light Heavyweight championships against fellow undefeated Andre Ward.  The action kicks off at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT / 5 AM Sunday in Russia.  The action kicks off with a 3 fight undercard featuring Curtis Stevens taking on James De La Rosa in a middleweight bout; Isaac Chilemba fighting Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a light heavyweight bout and Maurice Hooker taking on former world champion Darleys Perez in a junior welterweight bout

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED…THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1 Quick right from Ward and left to body…Hard jab drives Ward back…Hard right..Jab

Round 2 Jab from Ward…Left from Kovalev and another..right..Hard right..HUGE RIGHT AND DOWN GOES WARD,.Big right from

Round 3 Good jab from Ward..quick left,,,

Round 4 Kovalev lands a jab

Round 5 Good body shot from Ward,,Hook from Kovalev..Good jab from Ward..body shots in the clinch..Jab from Kovalv..Good right from Ward and jab,,

Round 6 Jab to body from Ward…Good right from Kovalev..Another right..Right..Body shot from Ward and another..

Round 7 Jab from Ward..hard jab ..another good jab…Kovalev lands a left..Right from Ward

Round 8 Good hook from Ward..Kovalev lands a jab..Right hand from ward..body from Ward

Round 9  Combo from Kovalev..Right from Ward,,,Hard right to body..Hard right..Straight right..Hard right from Kovalev..Combination from Kovalev…Hard right from Ward,

Round 10 Kovalev lands a hard counter..Hard right from Ward…Right from Kovalev..Hard right..Left from Ward..Kovalev belleding from nose…Hard right.

Round 11 Solid left hook from Ward..2 rights from Kovalev..Body and head from Ward..Kovalev lands a left..Good jab from Ward..

Round 12 Good left hook from Ward..Good hook from Kovalev..Body shot from Ward..Good body shot from Kovalev,..Jab..

114-113 on all cards…..FOR….WARD

PUNCHES:  Kovalev     Ward

Round 1 Right from Perez and left from Hooker…Left hook from Perez

Round 2 Good left from Hooker..Good right from Perez

Round 3 Hard right wobbles Hooker..

Round 4 Perez lands a right to the head

Round 5

Round 6 Looping right from Perez..

Round 7 Body shot from Perez…

Round 8 2 rights from Perez

Round 9 Good right from Perez…Left hook from Hooker..Left from Perez

Round 10 Hard right from Hooker…Left hook to the body..Good jab from Perez..2 shots from Perez..Right Hand.

97-93 PEREZ; 97-93 HOOKER…95-95 DRAW

PUNCHES:  Hooker 104-485    Perez 146-413

Round 1

Round 2 Body shot from Gvozdyk

Round 3 3 punch combo from Gvozdyk…quick left hook and another

Round 4 Quick left hook by Gvozdyk..Gvozdyl unloads a big combination on the ropes..Chilemba bleeding from the nose..Left hook from Chilemba..Good right hand to the body..Good right over the top..Gvozdyk lands a perfect uppercut..2 good body shots from Chilemba..

Round 5 Good right from Chilemba..uppercut..Good bidy shot..Gvozdyk lands a left to the head..

Round 6 Good left from Gvozdyk…Jab..left…Hard right to thehead..

Round 7 Gvozdyk pressuring

R0und 8 Right shakes Gvozdyk up..Hard right to head and body..CHILEMBA CANT CONTINUE AFTER THE ROUND IS COMPLETE

Round 1 Big lefts hurts De La Rosa..Right…Working in the corner..LEFT AND DOWN GOES DE LA ROSA…

Round 2 De La Rosa cut over left eye..Hard combination on the ropes By Stevens..De La Rosa pumping jab..

Round 3 Stevens landing hard body shots..Great exchange..Big left hook and hard right from Stevens..Big left hook..Good uppercut from De la Rosa..Left hook from Stevens..Hard left to body from De la Rosa..

Round 4 De La Rosa landing jabs in the corner…Body shot from Stevens…

Round 5 Stevens lands a body shot…De La Rosa lands some jabs a right

Round 6 Hard right from De La Rosa..

Round 7 Good Straight right from Stevens…

Round 8 1 POINT DEDUCTED FROM STEVENS FOR A LOW BLOW…Counter right from Stevens.

Round 9 Stevens has a hurt left hand…Right to body from Stevens

Round 10 Good right from Stevens..Right over the top…right to the body…

Punches:  Stevens  148-457   De La Rosa 123-672

98-90; 96-92 TWICE FOR CURTIS STEVENS

LAS VEGAS — Andre Ward delivered. He got stung by punches early. He was down early, on all fours and only canvas looking back up into his dazed eye. But he got up. He adjusted. And, in the end, he did what he has done for just about as long as anybody can recall.

Ward-Kovalev undercard finally ends with a dull draw

A forgettable undercard finally came to an end with a result that summed up everything that came before it.

Gvozdyk punishes Chilemba for a TKO victory

Ukrainian light-heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk calls himself The Nail. It’s an appropriate nickname. At least, it was on HBO’s pay-per-view undercard before the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward main event.

Stevens retains minor middleweight title with a unanimous decision

Curtis Stevens retained his role as a fringe middleweight contender with a 96-92, 98-90, 96-92 decision over James De La Rosa for a minor 160-pound title in the first pay-per-view bout on a card featuring Kovalev and Ward Saturday.

Claressa Shields wins pro debut

There’s more than Olympic gold in Claressa Shields’ possession. There some pro power, too. Shields, a two-time gold medalist from Flint, Mich. used it repeatedly in a head-rocking debut for a unanimous decision over Franchon Crews, a Baltimore super-middleweight who also was making her debut on the Kovalev-Ward undercard.

A sparse crowd booed. Only Tyler McCreary cheered. The Toledo featherweight had good reason to. McCreary (12-0, 6 KOs) won a controversial majority decision over Vincent Jennings (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a dreary eight-rounder in the fourth bout on the pay-per-view card featuring Kovalev-Ward

Toledo junior-welterweight Sonny Frederickson (15-0, 9 KOs) employed quicker hands and superior reach to score a unanimous decision over Gabriel Duluc (11-2, 2 KOs), a Boston fighter who was left with nasty over his left eye midway through an eight-rounder on the non-televised portion of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Rock rock solid in winning one-sided decision

Philadelphia heavyweight Darmani Rock stayed unbeaten (6-0, 4 KOs) with a one-sided decision — a four-round shutout on all three scorecards — over Brice Ritani-Coe of San Pedro, Calif., (4-5-1, 3 KOs) in the last bout before HBO’s pay-per-view telecast of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Russian middleweight scores Kovalev-like stoppage

Russian middleweight Bakhraim Murtazaliev (7-0, 5 KOs) came into the ring wearing trunks with Sergey Kovalev’s last name on the belt line. It didn’t take long for the Robert Garcia-trained Murtazaliev to do what the guy with the familiar name does in the second bout on Kovalev-Ward card. He crushed Bortirsher Obidov (6-1-1, 2 KOs), knocking down the Uzbekistan fighter three times in the second for a stoppage at 2:52 of the round.

First Bell: Kovalev-Ward card underway with middleweights in opening bout
In an empty NHL arena seven hours before the main event, a couple of unknown middleweights opened a card that would end later Saturday night with Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.

Meiirim Nursulatnov and Henry Beckford stayed upright. Nobody got iced. But heavy-handed Nursulatnov (1-0) of Kazakhstan emerged with an easy victory in his pro debut, winning a unanimous decision with a shutout on all three scorecards over Beckford (5-5, 1 KO) of Hempstead, N.Y

The day is finally here – Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev – I wanted to share with you a collection of notable social posts from premiere Roc Nation athletes and celebrities supporting Andre Ward in his quest for boxing immortality.

NBA megastar Kevin Durant, 7x All-Star Robinson Cano, popstar Nick Jonas and floor general Jeremy Lin all tweeted out their support for Andre as he approaches the fight of his life, as well as a multitude of other prominent sports and entertainment figures. See below!

In addition, there will be many athletes and celebrities in the crowd at Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound’ tonight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas including: Dave Chappelle, Michael B Jordan, Pete Berg, Romeo Santos, Angie Martinez, E-40, Fabolous, Omar Miller, CC & Amber Sabathia, Wilson Chandler, Robinson Cano, Melvin Ingram, Dexter Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Andre Johnson, Andre Berto, Gennady Golovkin, Vasyl Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Danny Jacobs, Deontay Wilder, Lennox Lewis, Shawn Porter, Braden Shipley, DJ Peterson, Dustin Perterson, Memphis Bleek and Stephen A. Smith.

We will uploading photos from the D’USSE Lounge throughout the evening to this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nqso5v0bfjxamrr/AACM2fTj_LfQ1mKEbJGeFzrRa?dl=0
PHOTO CREDIT: Roc Nation Sports

Warriors’ Kevin Durant: https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/796772305363988481 and https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/799641699370700800
Nick Jonas: https://twitter.com/nickjonas/status/798995953877327872
Chargers’ Melvin Ingram: https://twitter.com/MelvinIngram/status/796078125721341952
Nets’ Jeremy Lin: https://twitter.com/JLin7/status/796945599551696896
Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein: https://twitter.com/THEwillieCS15/status/796860367502594048
Nuggets’ Wilson Chandler: https://twitter.com/wilsonchandler/status/796764277927505921
Gold Glove shortstop Erick Aybar: https://twitter.com/Erickaybar/status/797109077583294464
Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley: https://twitter.com/ronnie_stanley/status/798199831248465925
Texans’ Jaelen Strong: https://twitter.com/JaelenStrong/status/798983423360716801
Mariners’ Robinson Cano: https://twitter.com/RobinsonCano/status/798253988781166592
Seahawks’ CJ Prosise: https://twitter.com/Prosisely_22/status/798573235227029508
Nets’ Caris LeVert: https://twitter.com/CarisLeVert/status/799634818434813952
Twins’ Miguel Sano: https://twitter.com/SanoMiguel/status/799279920950218752
Red Sox Rusney Castillo: https://twitter.com/RusneyCastillo/status/799272522772426754
Miguel Cotto: https://twitter.com/RealMiguelCotto/status/799376693551054852
Jets’ Geno Smith: https://twitter.com/GenoSmith7/status/799346089073803265
Celtics’ James Young: https://twitter.com/realjamesyoung/status/799359523433672704
Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes: https://twitter.com/ynscspds/status/798603157207130112
Pistons’ Henry Ellenson: https://twitter.com/HenryEllenson13/status/798651946940801024

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – On the scale, there was no difference. Not even a fraction of an ounce separated the two. It was 175 pounds even for each in a weigh-in that seems to reflect how tough it is to pick between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.

The betting odds are almost as even as the scale was Friday for the light-heavyweight bout scheduled for Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena and HBO’s pay-per-view television. Talk in the press room tips one way, then another, favoring Kovalev at one moment and Ward the next.

It’s a fight that looks to be as close as possible. Each has 30 victories. Each has never lost. As advertised, it also should have a heavy impact on the pound-for-pound debate. The winner figures to get No. 1 recognition in the first bout between unbeaten fighters ranked among the top five in The Ring’s pound-for pound ratings since Felix Trinidad’s upset of Oscar De La Hoya in 1999.

The only real question is whether anybody really cares. Ticket sales have been slow. Seats at all prices were available Friday. Less than two years since Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao disappointed a record 4.6 million PPV customers, the boxing pay-per-view business has been in the toilet. Kovalev-Ward promoter would be happy – make that ecstatic – with 300,000 buys.

It’s anybody’s guess what a reasonable PPV expectation might have been in the heady days before Mayweather-Pacquiao. Kovalev-Ward has all the elements that would have made it a solid attraction. Maybe there would have been 500,000 PPV buys in the bout’s history, knockout power in Kovalev’s right hand and tactical skill in Ward’s overall ring IQ. It’s puncher versus boxer. It could be a classic.

For now, however, it might be fight that a lot of people wished they had had seen. That might represent a new beginning for a battered business. A great fight might lead to a rematch, a renewed appetite and perhaps a recovery. In the here and now, however, Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) can only take care of the immediate task that awaits them at opening bell.

The close nature of the bout has led to each camp trying to get an edge, which means there has been a lot of talk over the last few days.

“I think it’s simple,’’ Ward said moments after he stepped off the scale. “He doesn’t like me. I don’t like him. This will be my best performance of all time. I’m not leaving Las Vegas without those belts.’’

The belts – an acronym collection that includes the IBF, WBO and WBA light-heavyweight titles – belong to Kovalev, a Russian whom Ward has repeatedly called a bully.

“I’m not going to disappoint you,’’ said Kovalev, an unknown amateur in Russia whose steady rise began in North Carolina five years after Ward got big headlines for winning America’s last boxing gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.

In many ways, it’s an unusual fight. To wit: The purses are upside-down. Kovalev, the champion, is getting $2 million or less than half the challenger’s purse. Ward is getting $5 million.

“The challenger gets a boat load of money, but the champion don’t,’’ said Ward trainer Virgil Hunter, who has had a lot to say throughout press conferences and even weigh-ins. “I don’t understand it. Maybe, it’s not true. But it bothers me.’’

Over the last couple of weeks, Hunter has spent a lot of time confronting Kovalev trainer John David Jackson, questioning his credibility and even his readiness on the eve of the bout. As Kovalev and Ward posed after stepping off the scale, Hunter started in on Jackson in an exchange that proved to be the weigh-in’s only fireworks.

He told Jackson that Kovalev looked “a little dry,” suggesting that the Russian might have weakened himself in battle to make weight. Jackson replied, saying that Hunter isn’t taking the punches.

“Ward will,’’ Jackson told him.

Enough said.

Las Vegas, Nevada: On Saturday night, live on HBO Pay-Per-View the new pound-for-pound king will be crowned when WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev 30-0-1 (26 KOs) and Two-Time World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward 30-0 (15 KOs) square off in their much-anticipated showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Below is the scouting report for this highly anticipated fight:

Category
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Andre “S.O.G.” Ward
Age
33
32
Record
30-0-1 (26 KOs)
30-0 (15 KOs)
Strength
The Krusher has a stiff jab, devastating knockout power in both hands and a granite chin. He is a physically strong fighter who has also shown that he can cut the ring off.
Ward is a phenomenal defensive fighter who is incredibly difficult to hit. He is an effective counter-puncher with quick hands and moves well around the ring.
Weakness
Kovalev tends to leave openings in his guard, which causes him to get hit more than he should. He will have to tighten up his defense when facing a quick counter-puncher in Andre Ward.
He has not been nearly as active as his opponent; Ward has only fought three times over the last three years. He also lacks adequate knockout power, which could be an issue now that he has moved up to a higher weight-class to face the big puncher, Kovalev.
Experience
Sergey is well-seasoned at this point in his career. He put on a clinic in his win over future Hall-of-Famer Bernard Hopkins and has defended his titles on nine separate occasions.
Andre has profound amateur experience; he earned a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. As a 168 lb contender, Ward cleaned out his division soundly. He defended his Super Middleweight strap on six separate occasions.
Power
The Krusher possesses tremendous power in both hands. He throws each punch with bad intentions and has the potential to end the fight with a single punch.
He will be at a disadvantage; Andre is a technically skilled fighter who relies more on his inside game and his defense, rather than power.
Speed
Kovalev has average speed but he tends turn it up a notch when his opponents go into survival mode.
S.O.G. will be the faster fighter, both with his hands and on his feet. His hand speed has posed a problem for the majority of his opponents thus far.
Endurance
Sergey has gone a full twelve rounds on two separate occasions; which were both unanimous decision wins: Bernard Hopkins and most recently in his win over Isaac Chilemba.
Andre’s endurance is one of his strengths; he has been a full twelve rounds on nine separate occasions, including his two recent bouts at light heavyweight.
Accuracy
Kovalev likes to utilize a long-range aggressive style that starts with a pinpoint accurate jab. He also delivers very accurate and powerful body shots.
Ward is an incredibly accurate puncher. He times his punches well and also uses a sharp jab to help set up his shots.
Defense
The Krusher will be at a disadvantage as his opponent specializes in defense. However, Sergey’s main strength is his offense, which he has established as his best defense thus far.
Andre’s defense may just be his most prominent strength. He has proved throughout the years that he is very difficult to hit. He utilizes an inside fighting style that his previous opponents failed to iron out.
Chin
Kovalev has proven many times he has a durable chin. He has been knocked down twice in his career, but he has risen to the occasion both times to finish the fight and remain undefeated.
Ward has a solid chin, he has been knocked down earlier in his career, but managed to get off of the canvas and earn a decision win.
Style
He utilizes a long-range aggressive style and never takes his foot off the gas. He has one goal in mind from start to finish, which is to knock his opponents out or inflict as much damage as possible.
Andre Ward is a technically sound boxer who has an effective inside fighting style. He utilizes good defense and picks his opponents apart with sharp counter-punching.
Intangibles
Kovalev cleaned out the light heavyweight division during his reign as champion. He has an old-school fighter mentality: he only wants to fight the best. Just four months after earning a hard-fought decision win over the previously top-ranked Isaac Chilemba, The Krusher will continue his quest to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Ward spent most of his pro career successfully dominating the 168 lb division. After being out of action for some time, he has opted make the leap to the light heavyweight division to take on the best that the division has to offer. Many would have chosen to climb the ladder in a timely manner before taking on such a challenge, but Ward hopes to be the sport’s pound-for-pound best fighter.
Crowd Support
Kovalev’s aggressive style and decorated punching power may win him the crowd support by the time this fight is over.
Andre Ward is very well known by boxing fans. It is likely that he will have an even share of the crowd.
The Match-up
1. Will Kovalev be able to cut off the ring and catch Ward?
2. Will Ward’s inactivity get the best of him?
3. Will Kovalev get frustrated with Ward’s style?
4. Will Ward be able to handle the power of Kovalev?

Hall-of-Famer, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, is no stranger to pound-for-pound match-ups. He faced both Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr. and Oscar De La Hoya in pound-for-pound battles during his 16-year professional career. When asked his thoughts on Kovalev-Ward, Pernell said, “The Krusher is much stronger and works the body well. He also has a good left hook. Ward has fast hands. He is quick and mixes it up with good combinations. However, I think the Russian wins. I am looking forward to this fight baby!”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.
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LAS VEGAS, NV (November 18, 2016) – On Thursday, Nov. 17, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Two-Time World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) participated in the final press conference for their Nov. 19 “Pound For Pound” showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The final press conference was hosted by renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Below is what the fighters, promoters and other dais guests had to say at the final press conference:

Sergey Kovalev, WBO, WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion:

“Hi everybody, I am very glad to be here. It is very nice. Maybe like two, three years ago, I can never imagine that I can get this level and fight Andre Ward, undefeated boxer and Olympic Gold Medalist. I have very big respect for him, for his success in the pro and amateur career. It is really great success but now we are facing each other and I should prove that I am better. Thanks a lot to HBO and personally to Peter Nelson, my promoter Kathy Duva and Main Events promotions, Egis Klimas and to my sponsor Hublot. I really hope that our fight will be very clear and honest. I am very excited for this fight and a little nervous because I never was on this level. HBO Pay-Per-View is the highest level in pro boxing and I am very happy to be here. Welcome to the TV screens on Nov. 19 and T-Mobile Arena where you will see very great fight. Thank you very much.”

Andre Ward, Two-Time World Champion:

“I want to thank everyone who is here today – the media, all my sponsors, MGM Grand, the great team that put this fight together and HBO. I was off to the side trying to mind my own business when Kathy Duva woke me up. She started talking, I don’t know why she keeps doing that, but it’s interesting that the ones that are not getting in that ring are the ones that are doing the most talking. They’re not feeling those punches, so she can keep doing what she’s doing. I love it, that’s what a big promotion is all about, what a big fight is all about; we’re not supposed to like each other. His side has been doing a lot of talking, and that’s fine, we love it. It’s not our first rodeo, we’ve been down this road before. We don’t always respond right away. Sometimes our silence is misinterpreted as us not getting it. We watch, we take notes, but in the meantime we keep working and we produce come fight night. That’s what we specialize in. So all the talking is great, I love it, but know one thing – I’m not taking no mess come Saturday night. Ima be there. Thank you very much”.

Kathy Duva, CEO, Main Events:

“Welcome everyone to the best, most significant and most anticipated fight of the year. Main Events’ journey with Sergey Kovalev began just four years ago. In the Fall of 2012, he made his first appearance in a U.S. televised co-feature on NBCSN. It was the first time he was ever on television in the United States. At the time, he told me he had three goals: 1. win title, 2. unify title, 3. become Pay-Per-View fighter. He made it very clear that this is what he wanted and that he would win fights. He made his first appearance on HBO less than a year later when he won the WBO title. His first appearance on HBO happened less than a year later, and he’s fought on HBO nine times in three years and now his first Pay-Per-View is finally here. I’m bringing this up now because there’s a storyline out there about what a shame it is that this fight isn’t as big as Mayweather-Pacquiao. As I tend to do when I try and solve problems, I did some research to try and gain some perspective. Floyd Mayweather fought on HBO nine times just like Sergey, and of course the four-year period where he headlined his first HBO PPV versus Arturo Gatti in June of 2005, Gatti was the big draw of that fight. Manny Pacquiao fought on HBO for two years before headlining his first HBO gig in January of 2005 with Eric Morales. Those events sold in hundreds of thousands of buys, it wasn’t until Floyd and Manny got the opportunity to defeat the already well-established superstar Oscar De La Hoya that they reached that million buy benchmark. They fought on parallel paths for 10 years on PPV to get to the place where they arrived last year, and that of course is where every fighter wants to be and that is where Kovalev and Ward want to go. And so they have to start somewhere. The fact that Manny’s first PPV opponent Morales had been on PPV before and had already attained legendary status with his trilogy with Mickey Ward and was well known to casual sports fans.

“Very few fighters ever get the chance to fight consistently in the rarified world of Pay-Per-View, and those are typically the same fighters who get to earn pound for pound status in the ring. In the past few months, I have watched Sergey work so far to promote this spectacular event. Sergey has shown me he has the chops to be the kind of star that has that rare ability to connect with each and every one of his fans, make new ones every time he’s out, and works very hard to convince them he’s worth paying to see. His boxing ability, his concussive punching power, his electrifying presence in the ring.

“Among Sergey’s goals, one that I added in was to be a big fighter in Las Vegas, so this is big. This is huge, we are so happy. I want to thank Bob Bennett of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, it’s such a pleasure to work with such professional people and you make our job a whole lot easier. I want to thank all of our sponsors. Finally, want to thank all of you for being here, and I just can’t wait until the bell rings.

“Our co-featured fight is NABF light heavyweight champion Alexander “The Nail” Roddick, who’s undefeated and making a lot of noise in the light heavyweight division, he’s from Ukraine. He’s going to be fighting Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba, who’s originally from Malawi and fighting out of Johannesburg, South Africa. They’re going to take part in a ten-round light heavyweight fight. A true crossroad-fight where I honestly have no idea who’s going to win. Obviously, Main Events is with Isaac, who put up a tremendous fight against Sergey a few months ago, I think he simply never gets the credit he deserves. He is quite possibly the second-best light heavyweight in the world, and I know Isaac has his eyes on coming back strong and impressing everyone Saturday night.

“Also opening the televised undercard, WBA continental middleweight champion, Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stephens of Brownsville, Brooklyn. One of the most fun fighters in the whole business. Curtis, you brighten up our day, every day. He’s going to be facing James “The King” De La Rosa, 23-4 of San Benito, Texas in a ten-round middleweight bout. This has all the earmarks of a train wreck, but Curtis has his sight set on bigger and better things and I know he and James are going to be working very hard to impress because the middleweight division is hot, and there’s a lot of opportunity there.

“I don’t think I have to tell anybody in this room why this is a great fight or why you should be interested in it or why you should want to see it. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t already know that but we do need you to go out and carry the word out to the rest of the world. This is the fight that you bring your friend over, the one who likes boxing a little bit but isn’t sure. This is the fight that you tell your friend, the one who says MMA is better than boxing. Get them to come over your house to see this one because Kovalev-Ward is going to make big fans out of a lot of people, Saturday night, and I’m looking forward to that and seeing all of you there.”

Michael Yormark, Roc Nation President & Chief of Branding and Strategy:

“Honesty is the best policy. So I’m going to start this off with a giant dose of honesty. For the next 48 hours, you’re probably going to hear a lot of respect and admiration between these two undefeated fighters. The simple fact is, we are just two days away from the biggest fight of the year, and I don’t expect them to admire one another. But who can blame them? The only thing standing between an undefeated record and boxing immortality is each other. That adds a layer of distaste and a very sharp edge to a fight that is already set to be an absolute classic. My perspective on this fight is pretty simple. Saturday night is going to be a tough night for Sergey, when he is systematically picked apart by the world’s best pound for pound boxer, Andre Ward.

“I’ve known Andre for quite a few years, and I’ve never seen him more focused, more determined, more motivated and more prepared for the biggest fight in his career. These moments are the ones that generational athletes live for and they dream about. This is an opportunity to make history, to write the latest chapter in Andre’s legend, and frankly, close the book on Sergey’s. Make no mistake about it, Team Ward has come to Vegas to win, and to walk out of Sin City with three—I repeat, three—new championship belts. Boxing needs a fight like this, two undefeated fighters in their prime. Edges sharpened by natural competitiveness, as well as an utter dislike. Fighting on the world’s biggest stage at T-Mobile Arena, and on HBO Pay-Per-View. It doesn’t get any better or bigger. Epic is the only word to describe it, and as a life-long boxing fan, I am thrilled to be a first-hand witness.

“I’d like to recognize the official fight partners we have secured for this event. Our presenting partner Corona as well as Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. I’d also like to thank Andre’s fighting partners, including ProSupps and Lyft, Monster Products, BODYARMOUR and JetLux, as well as his long-standing partners Jordan Brand, POWERHANDZ and Shoe Palace. This support and the support from fans and media is a stark recognition of Andre as a true once-in-a-generation-athlete. His skill is matched only by his commitment to family and community. His competitiveness equal only by his charisma. At Roc Nation, we are honored to represent this man, an Olympic gold medalist, undefeated since he was 13 years old, the pride of Oakland, and of course, the next light heavyweight champion of the world.

“While our main event looks to be a fight for the ages, it is a deep and talented undercard that will make Saturday’s event a truly special one. Roc Nation is proud to work with a number of talented fighters on the card, starting with Dallas-native Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker, who is putting his undefeated record and NABO Junior Welterweight title on the line against Darleys Perez on HBO Pay-Per-View. We will also feature rising heavyweight superstar Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock of Philadelphia, as he looks to improve to 6-0 against Brice Ritani-Coe during his Las Vegas debut. Opening up the freeview telecast on the Pay-Per-View events channel prior to the official telecast, will be an eight-round junior welterweight bout featuring undefeated rising prospect Sonny “Pretty Boi” Frederickson of Toledo, Ohio. The freeview will also be available through live streaming on HBO Boxing’s YouTube channel. Frederickson will take on Gabriel Deluc of Boston, Massachusetts. Another Toledo, Ohio native, with an unblemished record, Tyler “Golden Child” McCreary will go toe-to-toe with Vincent “Pooh Bear” Jennings of Grand Rapids, Michigan in an eight-round featherweight bout. Fans will be able to catch the matchup on the freeview portion of Kovalev-Ward as well. Meanwhile, National hero and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields will make her much anticipated professional debut on the freeview broadcast. She will be taking on longtime rival Franchon Crews who will also be making her pro debut in a four-round middleweight bout. Simply put, boxing fans are in for a treat on Saturday evening and we are ecstatic to be a part of it.

“We’ve heard a lot of honesty today. But clearly Saturday is going to be an epic night. Kovalev-Ward is without a doubt going to be the fight of the year in boxing, we all know that. Roc Nation is proud to be a part of it, it’s in our DNA to promote big global events, and we are honored after working on this fight for the better part of last year, we have finally arrived at the moment of truth. There are a lot of organizations and people that have helped this event, and I’d like to thank all of them. First and foremost, Team Ward, including James Prince, Josh Dubin and Virgil Hunter. Peter Nelson and Tony Walker from HBO for bringing this fight to a global audience. Richard Sturm and Sid Greenfeig from MGM, as well as T-Mobile Arena GM Dan Quinn for hosting this event at a world class facility. Kathy Duva and her team at Main Events, who have been our partners on this fight from the very beginning. Last but certainly not least, the city of Las Vegas, the spiritual home of the biggest events in boxing, and the rightful setting for a fight that will change the face of the sport for many years to come.”

John David Jackson, Trainer of Sergey Kovalev:

“Thank you to all the press for being here. I want to thank two different groups. First, I want to thank Main Events promotions. These women at Main Events plus my man, Joe Rotonda, are truly some of the greatest people in the world. If you want to find a promotional company that will treat you fairly to all fighters and across the board and give you what you deserve in boxing, then go see them. Number two, I would like to thank all the press that is out here at this event. It is truly wonderful to see some of the people who, with their words, can help boxing swim or sink. Your words help a lot. Sometimes you don’t help us as much as we would like to be helped but I am so grateful to see all of you out here because we need this to keep boxing striving. This is a wonderful, beautiful sport that sometimes can get funky but all in all it is a wonderful, beautiful fight. I thank all of you that came out to support and write your words down for this wonderful sport.

“One fight does not define a fighter’s career. That last fight for both fighters it is what it truly was: a tune-up. They did what they were supposed to do. They both won convincingly in order to make this fight happen here. I don’t remember what reporter asked that but that is the answer to your question. One fight does not define a fighter’s career.

“Some of the things I say are to get into someone’s head but what it boils down to is that I do respect these people; they are very good people. The whole team is very good. They are very professional. To answer [Virgil’s] question which was a two-part question. He said in the last fight I was there for a week. I would love to tell you that wherever you got your information from was bad information. I was there longer than two weeks or three weeks. Whoever said I was there for a week I am glad they said that. It makes it look like we are a bad team. I love that. To answer your questions about the cohesiveness of our team, whatever goes on in camp, whatever disagreements that we may have or people say we have, I want you to remember this, all the writers out here, come fight night we will leave the same way that we came in – undefeated. Sergey wins every fight. He wins the way he is supposed to win and he did everything that I asked of him. With that said, I look forward to Nov. 19 and I will see you all there. Thank you very much.”

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev:

“Thank you everybody for being here. Media, without you nobody will know where we’re going or what we’re doing, so thank you very much. Wanted to thank our promoter Main Events, Kathy Duva did a very good job bringing us to this stage to this very big fight. MGM Grand, very good host, thank you very much. HBO Pay-Per-View has brought the whole audience in America. I hope I didn’t miss anyone else. Of course I’m very, very proud to represent one of the best fighters in the world and hopefully, we’re going to see that Saturday night, who’s the pound for pound boxer. I hate when trainers, managers, promoters start talking about how it’s going to beat each other because they aren’t the ones stepping the in the ring. None of the promoters, trainers or managers can understand what’s going to happen in the ring. It’s only two warriors who will be in the ring. We have two best light heavyweight fighters in the world who are going to show on Saturday night who is the best pound-for-pound fighter. I hope it’s the best show that we’ve seen in years. Thank you very much”.

Virgil Hunter, Trainer of Andre Ward:

“I’ve been here for many fights and to see the media room filled for this fight, it really makes me feel good. I would like to thank Peter Nelson, the team at HBO, my Rap-A-Lot family, Richard Sturm and MGM. I would also like to thank the press, no matter who you choose to win.

“I turned 63, last Wednesday, and it’s no secret that I’ve worked with youths, all of my professional career. It does have an emotional effect on me when it comes to young men. Watching HBO’s My Fight touched me deeply. My heart goes out to Sergey Kovalev and everybody now knows Andre Ward’s background.

“I believe it’s going to be a great fight. I believe that Kovalev is everything that they say he is. He is a dangerous opponent; he’s coming intended to win. We’ve seen him do things to opponents that when they step into the ring, they shiver. Now, it’s just up to us to dilute that situation. I’m looking forward to Nov.
19.

“I would encourage all promoters to treat your fighters fairly, don’t hoodwink them. Don’t keep them robots. Encourage them and teach them how to be businessmen. If you have a champion, he deserves a champion’s ration.”

James Prince, Manager of Andre Ward:

“I’d like to thank God for this opportunity. HBO, the commitment and sacrifices that they made to bring this fight to us. MGM Grand and Richard Sturm. We appreciate Roc Nation, our promoter – JAY Z, all those in the background supporting Michael Yormark, who has been on the line of duty doing a great job. Antonio Leonard is in the house, we appreciate you Tony and all that you do. The list goes on and on. I feel really grateful for this opportunity, and I speak on behalf of Team Ward. We’ve been looking forward to this day, it’s here, and I’m going to deal with the elephant in the room: this is Russia vs. the United States of America. In my opinion, the best of Russia can’t beat the best of the United States of America in anything. I just needed that to be said. We have a Russian fighter over here, Kovalev; we respect your fight game, you’re a great fighter. You remind me of Goliath. We have my man Andre Ward, whom I consider David. I don’t know if you all understand David and Goliath but that’s what we’re dealing with here. Come Saturday night, we’re going to have an opportunity to see the modern-day David, which is Andre Ward, defeat Goliath. I mentioned this at the last press conference in New York, and Ms. Duva said to me that Andre Ward doesn’t have a sword. But she missed the real substance of the story, she missed the learning on David. His obedience and all of these different spiritual realms where David was concerned. He’s fixing to fight the S.O.G, that’s the Son of God, if you all didn’t know, that’s Andre Ward. So, no, we don’t have a sword, and we can’t cut his head off and raise it up as David did, but Andre Ward is going to raise the belt up come Saturday night.”

Bob Bennett, Nevada State Athletic Commission:

“It’s unequivocally a pleasure and an honor for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to regulate this very sensational championship fight. This event should be second to none. You should know we take our job very seriously, and we’ve done our homework and we’re ready to go to work. At this time, we would like to thank Kathy Duva and Main Events, and Michael Yormark from Roc Nation for having this electric championship fight in the fight capital of the world. We’d also like to recognize Richard Sturm and the MGM for hosting this event at the T-Mobile and HBO for broadcasting the event, and for the shows leading up to the event, which have definitely been entertaining and interesting. Last but not least, we want to recognize and thank the warriors, all the fighters, because without them, none of us would be here.”

Richard Sturm, President of Entertainment and Sports, MGM Resorts International:

“We are thrilled to once again host an international championship at the T-Mobile Arena. This weekend, we close our company’s boxing calendar as Russian Sergey Kovalev battles American Andre Ward. We look forward to this matchup of these two undefeated fighters. Kovalev returns to Las Vegas following his 2015 knockout win over Nadjib Mohammedi while Andre Ward and his team make their Las Vegas debut. As we have seen over the last seven months, T-Mobile Arena has quickly changed the landscape of entertainment and sports in Las Vegas, and we look forward to continuing that tradition. We’d like to give a special thanks to Kathy Duva and Main Events Team, and Michael Yormark and the Roc Nation staff. Both fight camps, Tony Walker with HBO Pay-Per-View and Bob Bennett of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.”

Tony Walker, Vice President, HBO Pay-Per- View:

“Thank you all for coming out today to talk about the great sport of boxing. I’d like to thank Roc Nation and Main Events and their staffs for putting together such a great main event, and also a fantastic undercard that we will televise on Saturday night. The wonderful thing about the main event is that it’s been a very, very long time since two elite fighters have made their Pay-Per-View debut against each other. Credit to Andre and Sergey for coming together and making this a big time event. All of the elements are there for it to be a big fight. Both fighters have applied their trade over several years fighting everyone who got in their way. Winning, their undefeated, all the pride in the world, and most importantly, the outcome is in doubt. Quite diverse group of opinions among you over who’s going to win the fight, and that’s what sells Pay-Per-View. For those of you who have not seen the HBO video pieces that were produced to showcase the fight and the fighters, I would encourage you to go to HBO On Demand, HBO GO or HBO.com and check out those shows. They’re provocative entertainment and I think they’re going to get you all primed for Saturday night. This month in November, there have been several high profile Pay-Per-View shows, and I have to give thanks to our distributors on the cable TV, satellite, Telco side, who have promoted this Pay-Per-View show and given us a great presence in the marketplace and really given it its due with all the other stuff going on. We have a great broadcast team on Saturday night, the telecast starts at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The Pay-Per-View suggested retail price is a very attractive $54.95, and we look forward to seeing you there.”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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New York, NY (11/18/16) – Tomorrow, DiBella Entertainment will return to the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT, for the latest installment of its popular Broadway Boxing series, presented by Cedars Mediterranean Foods, Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House. New Haven’s undefeated Luis Rosa Jr. (22-0, 10 KOs) will headline the card facing Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa (22-2, 14 KOs), in an IBF junior featherweight world title eliminator scheduled for 12 rounds.

Opening up the event will be a six-bout amateur card presented by the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) featuring boxers from the United States Military Academy (West Point), United States Coast Guard Academy, University of Massachusetts, University of Connecticut and Trinity College.

As an added bonus, boxing fans in attendance will not have to worry about missing the highly anticipated Kovalev-Ward light heavyweight championship pay-per-view, as the event will be shown live on Foxwoods property that night as well.

Tickets for the November 19 Broadway Boxing event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Teiken Promotions and presented by Cedars Mediterranean Foods, Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are priced at $125, $75 and $45. Tickets can be purchased online at Foxwoods.com, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-200-2882, or visiting the Foxwoods box office. Doors open at 6:30pm, with the first fight scheduled for 7:00pm.

“New Haven’s Luis Rosa Jr. headlines Saturday’s action-packed Broadway Boxing at Foxwoods Resort Casino against Japan’s Ryosuke Iwasa in an IBF junior featherweight world title eliminator,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “The loaded undercard features the New England heavyweight championship, Russian prodigy Radzhab Butaev vying for the NABF junior middleweight title in his fourth pro bout, Army Reserve Captain Boyd Melson fighting to raise awareness for Staten Island’s heroin epidemic, as well as other local prospects. The event will open with amateur bouts staged by the NCBA and fans in attendance will also be able to watch the Kovalev-Ward pay-per-view broadcast that will be shown live on-site.”

Trained by his father Luis Sr. and managed by his mother Marilyn and Mike Criscio, 25-year-old Puerto Rican Luis Rosa Jr. was an accomplished amateur who quickly built a local fan base upon turning pro. After establishing himself as a formidable prospect, Rosa burst onto the national scene in 2014 with signature victories over the highly regarded Jorge Diaz on ESPN and the top-rated Orlando Del Valle on HBO Latino. A perfect 4-0 last year, including a fifth-round stoppage over Jonathan Perez on ESPN, Rosa, now ranked no. 7 by the IBF, is determined to prove against Iwasa that he is ready to win a world title and conquer the junior featherweight division.

“I know Iwasa has faced good competition, but I’m looking to do damage quick and end the fight early,” said Rosa. “I’m going for the knockout. I know he’s a slick southpaw, but he’s a bit basic and I will take advantage of that. The world title is within my reach and there’s nothing that will stop me from achieving my ultimate goal. I am ready to take over the junior featherweight division.”

Japanese southpaw Ryosuke Iwasa, from Kashiwa, Chiba, rated no. 3 by the IBF, turned pro in 2008 at age 18 following a successful 60-6 amateur career that included winning the High School, Interscholastic and National Festival titles. As a pro, he has won the Japanese and OPBF bantamweight belts. After losing to Englishman Lee Haskins for the interim IBF world bantamweight championship in his only fight outside of Japan, Iwasa moved up to junior featherweight. He has earned three impressive wins since then and will be making his US debut against Rosa.

“I would like to thank DiBella Entertainment, Teiken Promotions and Celes Boxing for this opportunity,” said Iwasa. “I had a great training camp in Japan and am in the best condition of my career. I have been here in Mashantucket for a few days and am fully acclimated, no jet lag issues. I am excited to be fighting in the United States for the first time. It has been my dream to fight here and I am very motivated for this bout.”

Army Reserve Captain and middleweight Boyd Melson (15-1-1, 4 KOs), of White Plains, NY, last fought in May of 2015, seizing the WBC USNBC 154lb. title with a victory over Mike Ruiz. Though happy in retirement, Melson felt compelled to return to action for a very important cause. As fatal drug overdoses are on the rise, Melson is fighting to bring awareness to the heroin epidemic currently plaguing the borough of Staten Island. Throughout his pro career, Melson regularly donated his fight purses to stem cell research via the Fight To Walk foundation. However, his purse for Saturday’s eight-round bout against Brooklyn’s Courtney Pennington (8-4-1, 4 KOs) will be donated to Big Vision, a nonprofit that helps those battling addiction. Melson, who graduated from West Point as a Lieutenant, made it to the Olympic trials in 2004 and 2008 as an amateur, and won the 2004 World Military Boxing Championships as well. Turning pro in 2010, Melson’s only loss came in a 2012 war against the unbeaten Delen Parsley, in which both boxers hit the canvas.

Popular heavyweight prospect Alexis Santos (16-1, 14 KOs), of Lawrence, MA, will square off against local rival Jesse Barboza (11-2-1, 7 KOs), of Hyannis, MA, with the vacant New England heavyweight championship at stake, scheduled for eight rounds. Santos had a brief amateur career ending with an 18-2 record and two New England Golden Gloves titles. Barboza, also a successful amateur, was a three-time New England Golden Gloves champion. With a style better suited for the professional ranks, six of Santos’ 14 knockouts since his 2009 debut have come in the first round. His only loss came to Daniel Martz, having suffered a torn ACL in the opening round. However, Santos avenged that defeat on April 9, with a seventh-round knockout of Martz to win the IBO International heavyweight crown.

Russian amateur prodigy Radzhab Butaev (3-0, 3 KOs), co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. and managed by Vadim Kornilov, will challenge for the NABF junior middleweight title against the experienced Hungarian Gabor Gorbics (22-3, 13 KOs), of Budapest. The 22-year-old Butaev, born in Salsk, Russia, and now living in Los Angeles, was a highly accomplished amateur, having compiled an incredible 304-12 record, with 164 knockouts. He participated in the World Series of Boxing as well, finishing at 9-1. Gorbics is a former Hungarian junior welterweight and welterweight and Slovakian welterweight champion, who also has a 35-3 record as a kickboxer. Gorbics has wins over six undefeated opponents and has never been stopped in his three losses. Incredibly active, he has already fought 12 times this year.

Debuting in April, 18-year-old local favorite Mykquan Williams (4-0, 3 KOs), of East Hartford, CT, will seek his fifth straight victory at Foxwoods, in a four-round welterweight bout versus Puerto Rican Jimmy Rosario (2-3, 1 KO). Williams was a decorated amateur with a 45-13 record, highlighted by three gold-medal performances at the Ringside World Championships, in addition to winning the PAL Tournament and Silver Gloves Championships. Rosario has never been stopped and has a win over 3-0 Hector Rivera in his last bout in September.

A native of County Cork, Ireland, former Irish National champion Noel Murphy (6-0, 2 KOs), now living and training in Yonkers, NY, will box Mohamed Allam (3-1, 1 KO), of Holyoke, MA, in a junior middleweight bout scheduled for six rounds. Allam is coming off a six-round unanimous decision victory over 4-0 prospect Travis Demko in May.

Following a first-round stoppage victory in his July pro debut, middleweight Christopher Davis-Fogg (1-0, 1 KO), of Framingham, MA, will also be on the card in a four-round bout versus Quincy Brown (1-3), of Milbrook, AL. Davis-Fogg was a three-time Rocky Marciano Tournament winner and a Lowell Golden Gloves champion as an amateur.

Tickets for the November 19 Broadway Boxing event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Teiken Promotions and presented by Cedars Mediterranean Foods, Nissan of Queens, Azad Watches, OPTYX, and Christos Steak House, are priced at $125, $75 and $45. Tickets can be purchased online at Foxwoods.com, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-200-2882, or visiting the Foxwoods box office. Doors open at 6:30pm, with the first fight scheduled for 7:00pm.

LAS VEGAS, NV (November 17, 2016) – World renown trainers, John David Jackson and Virgil Hunter, squared off in a debate moderated by HBO Boxing Insider Kieran Mulvaney on Wednesday, Nov. 16, ahead of Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward “Pound For Pound” showdown on Nov. 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

John David Jackson is the trainer of WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs). Virgil Hunter is the trainer of Two-Time World Champion and 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (30-0, 15 KOs). Here is what the trainers had to say:

John David Jackson, Trainer of Sergey Kovalev:

“Alright, thank you very much it’s nice to have the press out here and I’m glad you made it out the Sergey Kovalev – Andre Ward fight is a fight that I am glad was made for a lot of reasons, but one reason is for the fans because this fight was deserved. In boxing today, there’s too many fights that aren’t being made these are the best fighters in the world so it definitely had to be made.

“Decline I say because when you look at his past (Ward’s) last five years and the way he dominated 168. He fought different fights and he fought a different way.

“In Andre I see many thing but you know what on that night they might not show. He may become totally different but we are prepared for what he brings to us.

“Andre has a lot of strengths. You know when you look at him or when you really study him he’s a well schooled fighter he listens to everything Virgil preaches and he definitely absorbs it. The one beautiful thing I’ve noticed from that is he trusts Virgil. When you trust your trainer that speaks volumes for you, you listen to everything he tells you to do, so any game plan that Virgil advises he’s gonna follow.

“I really studied Andre these past few weeks I have a great appreciation for what he does because looked and I said you know what his style was similar to mine. I was busy in my fights, I was very captivated in my moves, I set traps for my opponents. As soon as I sat down and recognized what he does, I like what he (Ward) does he’s very smart.

“Once I really sat down and studied Andre and Virgil I had to sit back and give them all the credit they deserve I kinda sold them short a couple years back.

“He don’t need to worry about the knockout if the knock come it come but if it doesn’t we are prepared to go 12 hard rounds to get the victory by decision.

“We knew going in that this was the fight that would make Sergey a household name his names good but being in a fight with a name like Andre ward makes it even better.

Virgil Hunter, Trainer of Andre Ward:

“Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward ‘Pound For Pound’ is going to be a historical initiation. As far as preparing for this fight, we’ve been preparing for it from the first time that he started boxing.

“Each fighter is different but you have the masses, the critics who need to be impressed by a certain way that a victory comes up. We came out of the garage from a one-and-a-half-year layoff and fought Sullivan Barrera. He was the number one contender at the time, so it was a dangerous fight until the fight was over, then Barrera was garbage. Nobody is ever going to be satisfied. That’s just the nature of the game so you have to be satisfied with yourself.

“I’m very attuned to body language, I’m very attuned to tone of voice, and from what I hear, from what I see, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of disarray in that camp. What I mean by that is I don’t even know if Coach Jackson is getting the respect he is due in that camp but time will tell. For instance, why do we have to make an excuse for Kovalev in Russia for selling tickets and things. Don’t you have a team who could have taken care of that? You’re supposed to have a team to take care of that to take the pressure off the fighter.

“I believe somebody probably told Kovalev to say that Ward is a dirty fighter because you go eight, nine weeks and all of a sudden he is a dirty fighter? Kovalev will learn, one day, to not be everyone’s robot and do what they tell and ask him to do. He does it because he’s loyal. It doesn’t even sound like him. That’s not him saying that. That’s not in his character. That is his promoter saying that. It’s nothing but if he kicks Ward, he’ll get kicked back. Simple as that.

“We know Kovalev is a dangerous fighter, we give him all he’s due. I give Coach Jackson all he’s due. The coaching fraternity is a very tough fraternity. We are the first ones to get the blame. The fighter never takes full responsibility for his shortcomings. The fighter always has other people in his ear, telling him there is a better way, so I understand what he goes through as a coach.

“I just want the best Andre Ward and the best Sergey Kovalev. If Kovalev wins the fight, my respect goes out to him. If we win the fight, my respect goes out to him because they can’t be great unless they fight each other. Sometimes two people come out of that situation looking great. I wish the best to both of them regardless of what happens.

“‘Do I believe that Ward will exhibit mental toughness? Yes, without a doubt. Do I believe that Kovalev will exhibit it? I’m sure he will as well, and that’s the making of a great fight.”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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Curtis Stevens

“Training camp was excellent. I did the first half in Boca [Raton], Florida and the second half we did up in Oxnard. It was great. I brought in Cicilio Flores for strength and conditioning. Everything was great.

“I need to go in there and let my hands go like I did in the Teixeira fight. I don’t look at this fight as another step towards the big fight. A fight is a fight. He is coming to win and so am I.

“This is the road back to GGG. I am the only one that wants a rematch because I gave him his toughest challenge so far. I know I can beat him. I just gotta let my hands go.

“I am glad that de la Rosa took the fight because before him no one else would take a fight with me. This is the biggest fight of the year so this is the stage. The world is gonna be watching.”

James De La Rosa
“We worked on it in training camp. You know this is a big fight for me, we asked for this fight coming off the two losses but I talked to my manager I wanted a big fight.

“I told my manager, what would be a better opportunity to be on the undercard of this (Kovalev-Ward) and whoever they have I will fight.

“I have nothing bad to say coming in as a fighter you know I don’t bash nobody I don’t talk down on nobody unless they come at me like that. I have nothing but respect for every fighter that gets in the ring. It takes a lot to get in there.

“I think what hurts boxing is that everyone waits so long to fight each other why wait a year, why wait two years, why wait? You know for me when I was always coming up I started boxing at 8 years old that’s all I wanted to do is fight and as I turned pro that was the same thing. I want fights, I’ll go to peoples’ back yards, it didn’t matter to me. I believe like my 8th or 9th pro fight I fought someone in their back yard and knocked them out. You know that’s all I wanted to do, I always wanted to go in and be the underdog, nothing to lose, everything to gain.”

Oleksandr Gvozdyk

“I’m very excited and I had good preparation and I understand that the opponent is very hard and we will see what happens on Saturday night. He is the best opponent in fights so far.

“It’s normal every fighter is supposed to be nervous before a fight and if you’re or maybe you’re crazy or maybe your blind you know of course but not so much it’s just regular for me.

“I like Oxnard. I like our gym you know now we have big boxing gym Egis like brought all the fighters, now it’s like a lot of people in the gym its funny. It’s not boring.

“I know him (Lomanchecko) for a while maybe since 2009 I knew him before but I know him personally like 2009 we was from the same Olympic national team. We were at the world championships together. He is my very good and close friend.

“You know I just going to do my same job just try to keep him and not get hit with punches.”

Isaac Chilemba

“If you are asking about power, you are asking the wrong person. Power doesn’t bother me. When I go into the fight I don’t think about how much power my opponent has. I might get hit but I don’t take a minute to think about how strong my opponent is.

“I will do whatever it takes to win. Roy Jones Jr. and me make a great team. Roy is a champion and I want to become champion. I watched Roy fight when I was younger. When I started boxing I tried to fight like Roy. I have really enjoyed working with him and I am really looking forward to the fight.

“This is every fighter’s dream to fight in Las Vegas because this is where big fights are happening. I am really glad I am here. I am happy.

“Camp was great. I had a really good time training with Roy. We worked on a lot of new things. I am stronger now.”

Maurice Hooker

“Darleys Perez is a good fighter. He’s a world champion and it takes a lot of hard work to get there. To me, he is a boxer, but I’m tall and long, and I will keep him to the outside and outbox him. He has someone who punches really hard like me. Perez is 32. He’s going to do what he has done to get himself here so far. Why change that now? If he does, I’m going to make him pay for it.

“I’m so ready! My last two fights came as first round knockouts and this will be my third fight this year so why not go for another first round knockout? My first fight, this year, they said was a step up… I knocked him out. The last fight, they said was a step up… I knocked him out. Now, this fight is another step up, a real test… I’m going to knock him out.

“I’m ready to show the world who I am. I’m Maurice Hooker… Mighty Mo Power! I’m excited to be on this card, it’s a big card… it’s a big fight, and I can’t wait to watch the main event between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward as well on Saturday night!”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux, Zappos, Jordan Brand and Shoe Palace. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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Las Vegas, Nevada: Before they enjoy Kovalev-Ward “Pound For Pound” on Nov. 19, the HBO Pay-Per-View audience will get to see another great 50-50 bout between the veteran and the prospect when Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs) challenges Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk (11-0, 9 KOs) for Gvozdyk’s NABF Light Heavyweight Title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The boxing world is split 50-50 on the outcome of this exciting match-up. Below is the scouting report:

Category
Oleksandr Gvozdyk
Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba
Age
29
29
Record
11-0 (9 KOs)
24-4-2 (10 KOs)
Strength
Oleksandr has raw power in both hands, he does a good job of applying pressure on his opponents. He also has a good jab that remains at constant throughout the fight.
Isaac is a tough, durable and crafty fighter with plenty of experience. He utilizes his jab well and has been in the ring with some of the best fighters in the division.
Weakness
He is inexperienced as a professional compared to Chilemba. This will be the biggest challenge of his career thus far. Also, he tends to stand directly in front of his opponents. In his last bout against Tommy Karpency this got him in trouble. After being caught by a shot, he got knocked down.
“The Golden Boy” lacks adequate punching power and has a tendency to start slow. He may need to step on the gas early against Gvozdyk who has wasted little time finishing opponents thus far in his career.
Experience
Oleksandr has an impressive amateur background, but as a professional he lacks the big-fight experience that Chilemba has.
Isaac has been in almost triple the amount of pro bouts as Gvozdyk. He has competed all over the world. In his most recent bout he competed on the biggest stage of them all when he came up short in a decision loss to titleholder Sergey Kovalev in Kovalev’s backyard.
Power
Gvozdyk has tremendous power and a devastating right hand when he lands clean.
Chilemba is a technically skilled boxer, but lacks that initial pop that could change the momentum of the fight.
Speed
He has significant hand speed, especially when he puts his combinations together.
Isaac has average speed, he keeps a steady and consistent pace throughout the fight.
Endurance
Oleksandr’s endurance is still in question. He has yet to fight more than six rounds in any of his pro bouts thus far.
Chilemba has excellent endurance; he has gone a full 12-rounds on ten separate occasions throughout his career, including his most recent bout against three-belt champion, Sergey Kovalev.
Accuracy
Similar Chilemba, Gvozdyk is a very accurate puncher. He has a jab that is constantly in motion, and a right hand that very few have been able to avoid.
Isaac is a very accurate puncher who chooses his punches wisely and times his punches well. He has an accurate jab that has been a key factor in taking his opponents out of their rhythm.
Defense
The Ukrainian’s offense has been his best defense thus far. He has managed to walk his opponents down and inflict damage at will.
Chilemba is a defensive fighter with effective counter-punching skills. He has good foot work and moves around the ring well.
Chin
His chin is still a question; he was knocked down in the first round of his recent bout. However, he managed to get back to his feet and score a sixth round TKO.
Isaac has never been stopped, he took some heavy shots and was knocked down in his most recent bout with The Krusher, but he managed to get off of the canvas and make it to the final bell.
Style
Oleksandr is an aggressive, in-your-face fighter who is always looking to finish the fight early. He is constantly putting his jab to work and picking his opponents apart during the process.
Chilemba is an effective technical fighter with good counter-boxing skills. He likes to utilize his defense and a sharp jab to take his opponents out of their comfort zone.
Intangibles
Despite having only 11 professional fights under his belt, Gvozdyk is coming off of two dominant wins over former title contenders: Nadjib Mohammedi and Tommy Karpency. He clearly plans on wasting no time with meaningless tune-ups, as he is looking to make a statement in the light heavyweight division by taking on another former title contender, and also one of only two fighters to go the championship distance with Sergey Kovalev.
Isaac is coming off of consecutive losses for the first time in his career: WBC #1 contender Eleider Alvarez and light heavyweight kingpin Sergey Kovalev. At the young age of 29, Isaac has time to polish his game against lesser opposition before he is called upon for another major title implication bout. However, Isaac is a gamer and believes in his skillset, which is why he has decided to take on a top-five ranked contender and knockout artist in Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Crowd Support
Gvozdyk may have an edge because he has competed in Las Vegas on four separate occasions, including his two most recent bouts. He also possesses a fighting style that may attract new fans.
Chilemba has only competed in Las Vegas once in his career back in 2012. However, he raised a lot of eyebrows during his hard-fought bout against Kovalev in July so he may have gained some new fans in the process.
The Match-up
1. Will Chilemba be able to handle the power Gvozdyk has?
2. Will Gvozdyk get frustrated with Chilemba’s boxing ability?
3. Will both guys rise to the occasion with fighting on such a big stage?

According to Main Events’ matchmaker and 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year Jolene Mizzone, “This is the match that should be made more often in boxing. Gvozdyk is an up-and-coming boxer who could have passed on the fight to keep building his record but instead he opted to challenge himself against a fighter that no 175lber ever wants to fight, unless they have to. Chilemba just came off a hard-fought 12-round fight with Sergey Kovalev and could have opted for a tune-up fight before taking another big fight. Instead he wanted the challenge. This is your typical veteran against the prospect. There is not one person who can say for sure who will win this fight and boxing needs more fights like this!”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux and Zappos. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.
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Las Vegas, Nevada: On November 19, Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (28-5, 21 KOs) will attempt to defend his WBA Continental Americas Middleweight Title against James “The King” De La Rosa (23-4, 13 KOs) in a 10-round bout which kicks off the Kovalev-Ward “Pound For Pound” HBO Pay-Per-View telecast live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:

Category
Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens
“King” James De La Rosa
Age
31
28
Record
28-5 (21 KOs)
23-4 (13 KOs)
Strength
Curtis is a power-puncher that can end the fight with any punch he throws. He has plenty of experience and has fought better opposition than his opponent.
James has quick hands and is fast on his feet. He is a brave fighter who has never turned down a fight. He also has faced a number of current and former ranked opposition in his young career.
Weakness
Stevens has been somewhat inactive, his recent victory in May of this year was his first time in a boxing ring since 2014. He also has a tendency to not let his hands go, which could be costly when fighting De La Rosa who is in a must-win situation.
Similar to his opponent, James has been somewhat inactive with only one fight since 2014. He also has a suspect chin; he’s been stopped once in his career. He will have to tighten up his defense when facing a heavy-handed puncher in Curtis Stevens.
Experience
He is a young, but seasoned veteran. Curtis has been on the biggest stage of them all when he came up short in a title bout against GGG and he also holds a TKO come-from-behind win over current top-rated contender Tureano Johnson.
Other than his recent inactivity, James was an active fighter for the majority of his career. He earned a clear-cut decision win over former title-contender Alfredo Angulo in his most recent win.
Power
Curtis has knockout power in both hands; if he connects clean with any punch it can be a game-changer at any time.
King James is more of a technical boxer who relies more on his speed than power.
Speed
Curtis turns it up a notch when he smells blood. He shows off his quick hands and savage-like combinations.
James is naturally lighter in weight and will be sure to use his quick feet and fast hands to attempt to take Stevens out of his rhythm.
Endurance
Stevens is a young veteran who has proven his endurance; he has gone 10 rounds on four separate occasions and 12 rounds twice.
De La Rosa has proven that he can go the distance without an issue. He has gone a full 10 rounds on six different occasions.
Accuracy
If Curtis can work his way to the inside, then he may be able to utilize some accurate bodywork.
King is an accurate fighter with a sharp jab and solid left hook. If he can keep his composure and put his punches together, his accuracy can become a problem for anyone.
Defense
Curtis’s best defense has been his offense. He often finds himself in situations in which his opponents are running from him rather than running towards him.
James is quick on his feet and moves around well. He will need to double-up on his jab, as he has done in the past, in order to keep his opponent from breaking through his guard.
Chin
Although Curtis has been stopped in his career, he has a solid chin. He has been knocked down from some big shots by big punchers and has gotten back to his feet.
His chin has been an issue throughout the past couple of years. He has been stopped once in his career and has been knocked down multiple times.
Style
Curtis is a no-nonsense, in-your-face power-puncher who is always looking to end the night early rather than to drag it out.
King James is a slick boxer who gets very busy with his jab. Although he is not a heavy puncher, he is a brave fighter who likes to engage.
Intangibles
Curtis is a fighter who, at one time, was written-off by critics of the sport. However, he continues to rise to the occasion and beat the odds. After a lengthy layoff, Curtis returned with a bang this past May when he defeated previously undefeated prospect Patrick Teixeira with a brutal second round TKO. He is willing to take on any top-rated middleweight but none are willing to accept his challenge. So he decided he would rather be in the ring than on the sideline waiting for someone to step up.
At one point in time King James was a highly regarded prospect. He experienced some minor bumps in the road but is eager to get his name back in the mix. After two consecutive losses to highly regarded prospect Hugo Centeno Jr and Jason Quigley, James would not even consider a tune-up fight. He believes in his abilities and has chosen an opponent who many other top middleweights are avoiding. He understands the challenge of facing a seasoned veteran and big puncher like Stevens, but he is focused on the possibilities that lie ahead if he wins.
Crowd Support
Curtis is a fan-friendly fighter and does his best to provide fans with the knockouts they love to see.
De La Rosa has fought in Las Vegas on four separate occasions, including his recent bout.
The Match-up
1. Will Curtis look past this fight and look to bigger fights on the horizon?
2. Will James be able to pull the upset like he did with Angulo?
3. Will Curtis be able to cut off the ring and not fall into fighting Delarosa’s fight?
4. Will Delarosa be able to handle Curtis’ power?

According to Main Events’ matchmaker and 2015 NABF Matchmaker of the Year Jolene Mizzone, “Curtis Stevens could be looking ahead at the bigger fights with the likes of Canelo Alvarez, David Lemieux, Billy Joe Sanders, to name a few and de la Rosa is looking to come in and put a stop to those big plans. When a fighter like de la Rosa doesn’t hesitate to accept a fight I wonder, ‘What does he know that I don’t know?!’ Curtis needs to make sure he doesn’t fall into the trap of looking past de la Rosa.”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Monster Products, JetLux and Zappos. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.
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Las Vegas, NV (November 15, 2016) – NABO Junior Welterweight Champion Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (21-0-2, 16 KOs) and Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa “T-Rex” Shields participated in a media workout in Las Vegas, NV on Monday, Nov. 14, ahead of their undercard appearances on Kovalev-Ward “Pound For Pound” taking place Saturday, Nov. 19 at T-Mobile Arena.

Shields, who will be making her professional debut against American rival Franchon Crews, will be featured on the freeview telecast beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT on the Pay-Per-View events channel prior to the official telecast, and through livestreaming on HBO Boxing’s YouTube channel.

Hooker, who will be defending his NABO title against veteran Darleys Perez (33-2-1, 21 KOs), will be featured during the televised undercard leading up to the main event on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Both fighters put on a display of mitt work, heavy bag, speed bag and shadow boxing for the media in attendance. Below is what the rising stars had to say during the media workout:

Maurice Hooker, NABO Junior Welterweight Champion:

“Kovalev-Ward is a special event. I’m going to do what I do best and hopefully, steal the crowd. The crowd is going to love me…they love knockouts, and that is what I am ready to give them.

“Aaron Pryor is one of the best. He brought a lot of knockouts. He was a great fighter whom a lot of people dodged. Like him, I’m coming into this fight with people dodging me. They are afraid because they don’t know what I can do. This fight means a lot…an opportunity to show them who I am. I am going to bring the knockout just like ‘The Hawk’ would.”

“I want to stay busy. I want to fight Ricky Burns and Eduard Troyanovsky and win ‘em belts. Shout out to my big bro Terrance Crawford. He’s doing his thing. Hopefully, he gets a fight with Pacquiao, move up and let me take over.

“My prediction for Saturday is a knockout. I love knockouts. I am always going for the knockout. With every punch that I throw, even the jab, I am going to try to take Darleys Perez’s head off.”

Claressa Shields, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist:
“I’ll have been in camp for seven weeks. I’m excited. I’m ready to take on this new task of being a professional fighter and ultimately, winning a belt.

“When deciding to go pro, I thought about my legacy—I didn’t want to disappear for four years, and win another gold medal but have people not know my name or what I look like or how I box.

“Expect to see a really good fight, a very skilled fight from me, this Saturday. The world is going to see a level of boxing that no woman boxer has ever showed before. I’m a smart fighter. I’m an entertaining fighter. I throw everything well and have great combinations.

“Franchon Crews and I have sparred and boxed before in huge tournaments. She’s coming into this fight fully prepared and I’ve been training for a KO. In the amateurs, my overall record was 77-1 but I’ve never KO’d anyone. Now, we have smaller gloves, no headgear and I’m way stronger than I’ve ever been. This is a different kind of pro debut. This should actually be a World Championship fight between me and Franchon Crews but somehow, she took it for a pro debut.

“I love boxing. That’s why I commit my time and body. I look forward to fighting in front of all the fight fans. I have friends, family, fans from all over flying into Vegas just to see me fight, so hopefully I can pack the house before the main event.”

Follow Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker on Twitter @mightymohooker, Instagram @mauricemightymohooker and Facebook: www.facebook.com/mauricemightymohooker/.

Follow Claressa Shields on Twitter @ClaressaShields, Instagram @ClaressaShields, and Facebook: www.facebook.com/claressa.shields.7.

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Zappos and JetLux. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Main Events: Ellen Haley, ehaley@mainevents.com, 973-903-6715
HBO: Patrick Byrne, patrick.byrne@hbo.com, 212-512-1361
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MGM Resorts International: Scott Ghertner, sghertner@mgmresorts.com, 702-692-6750 / Katharine Sherrer, ksherrer@mgmresorts.com, 702-692-6724

Pensacola, Florida: As Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs) prepares to attempt to reclaim the NABF Light Heavyweight Title from Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk (11-0, 9 KOs) live on the Kovalev-Ward “Pound For Pound” HBO Pay-Per-View undercard from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada he will have former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. in his corner for the first time. Below Jones assesses the match-up and his observations of the young Malawi native:

Question: Does Chilemba’s performance against Kovalev give him more confidence going into this fight?

Roy Jones Jr: “Oh yes, most definitely. Kovalev had been crushing everybody and he didn’t get crushed so it has to give him confidence.”

Q: Chilemba has almost three times as many fights as Gvozdyk. How big of an advantage is this?

RJ: “It’s not a big advantage because Gvozdyk probably has three times more fights than Chilemba does in amateurs. These Eastern European guys have so many more amateur fights than we do. They fight from when they’re small and they go through schools and everything. These guys are very, very high-tech when it comes to being skilled in the ring in the sport of boxing so he probably has a little bit more experience if you add up the fights over the years.”

Q: What must Chilemba do in this fight in order to win?

RJ: “He’s got to disrupt Gvozdyk. He can’t let Gvozdyk fight at his own pace. He can’t let Gvozdyk constantly push him backwards so he’s gotta make Gvozdyk change, make Gvozdyk do things he does not like to do.”

Q: What must Chilemba prevent Gvozdyk from doing or take away from him in order to win?

RJ: “Chilemba must prevent Gvozdyk’s control of the power of the jab and setting up the big right hand.”

Q: Do you think, now that you are working with Chilemba, if he defeats Gvozdyk he should be entitled to a rematch with Sergey?

RJ: “Of course, of course he should. Chilemba deserves a rematch with Sergey.”

Q: What are Chilemba’s biggest strengths and weaknesses. How are you working to correct them?

RJ: “His feet are his biggest strength. His feet are very good, he can be very elusive. And his biggest tool is his straight right hand. His weakness is that he had a lack of punching power because he wasn’t turning his shoulder, turning his body with his punches. We are fixing that, working on it right now.”

Q: As a former light heavyweight world champion, what are your observations on the Kovalev-Ward fight?

RJ: “Very good fight. Best fight of boxing today. I look forward to seeing it. To me it’s one of the best fights we had in boxing in years as far as guys being in their prime, being the two best in the division. That is just a great fight. A great fight for boxing.”

Q: How would you break down this match-up?

RJ: “No I don’t have a prediction. Andre Ward hasn’t been beaten in a long time, and if there was a guy that could beat him, there is the guy, so…”

Q: Which fighter, Kovalev or Ward, would have given you the best fight when you were 175-pound world champion?

RJ: “Both of them would be really good fights, very hard fights to fight. Very different fights to fight. My hand speed maybe would be better against both of them but they’d be tough guys to fight. Kovalev because of the power and Ward because of his mentality, he’s a very smart guy in the ring. Very hard fights, but speed factor is probably what I would use to get both of them beat.”

Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Zappos, JetLux and Monster Products. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.

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Toledo, Ohio (November 14, 2016) – Undefeated fighters super lightweight Sonny “Pretty Boi” Fredrickson (14-0, 9 KO’s) and featherweight Tyler “Golden Child” McCreary (11-0, 6 KO’s) will see action on November 19, as part of the highly-anticipated Light Heavyweight Unification showdown between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fredrickson and McCreary, both natives of Toledo, Ohio, will both perform on their biggest stage to date. The two will be featured on the Kovalev-Ward freeview telecast which begins at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT on the Pay-Per-View events channel prior to the official telecast, and to be announced cable, satellite, and telco channels. The freeview will also be available through livestreaming on HBO Boxing’s YouTube channel.

Fredrickson will fight Gabriel Duluc (11-1, 2 KO’s) while McCreary will battle Vincent Jennings (5-2-1, 4 KO’s).

“I’m thrilled that my fight will be offered to fans as part of the freeview telecast,” said Frederickson. “I have been on previous Andre Ward cards, but this one will be especially meaningful since it’s also my first fight in Las Vegas.”

Fredrickson, who is looking to make a big statement in front of a large crowd and packed media contingent, also added, “I have fought in front of a lot of people before and hopefully, this leads television fights and big opportunities. I want to thank my promoter Roc Nation Sports for allowing me the opportunity to shine on this incredible stage, my team at Victory Sports & Entertainment and also to Andre Ward for all his help and guidance. This is a big steppingstone for me and in 2017, I expect to move up in the rankings and take my career to the next level.”

McCreary, who is also eager about the opportunity, stated, “This is a big opportunity for me and I wanted to thank my team and my promoter Roc Nation Sports. I have been training hard and am excited to showcase my skills on this big stage. I am ready to show everyone that I can to rise to the occasion. It’s also exciting for me to fight on Andre Ward’s undercard. He and I have become friends since we met last year at the Cotto-Canelo fight, and he has become a mentor to me, so I am very thankful to be on this fight card.”

“We are very excited to have both Sonny Frederickson and Tyler McCreary fight on, arguably, the biggest card of the year,” said Rick Torres, President of Victory Sports & Entertainment. “We know that the Kovalev-Ward fight will produce a great battle and look forward to two of our young guns getting the fireworks started earlier in the evening. Both have been training very hard for this and are looking forward to putting on great fights as they take the next steps in their careers. Fans at home, especially those in Toledo, who tune in early can see both on the freeview telecast. All of this couldn’t be possible without Roc Nation Sports and we’re very appreciative of the commitment and confidence they have shown in Sonny Frederickson and Tyler McCreary.”

ABOUT VICTORY SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2013 by President Rick Torres and Chief Operating Officer Michael Leanardi, Victory Sports & Entertainment is an athlete management company with offices in New York and Las Vegas.