By Norm Frauenheim-

Sergey Kovalev returns to Russia on July 11 for his first fight in nearly five years with titles and an emerging celebrity he never had or perhaps could have ever envisioned.

Kovalev won his first championship, the WBO ‘s light- heavyweight version, in Wales with a 2013 stoppage of Nathan Cleverly. He defended it for the first time in the French-Canadian town of Quebec City with a knockout of Ismayl Sillah , also in 2013.

The Russian, a first-time champ in Wales with an initial title defense in Canada, gained his first chance at American-style stardom a 2014 upset of an enduring American legend, Bernard Hopkins in Atlantic City.

Therae was a Robin Williams’ line in Moscow on The Hudson, a 1984 film about the defection of a musician in the old Soviet circus during a tour stop in New York.

“Yesterday, I bought my first pair of American shoes,’’ the Williams character wrote in a letter home. “They were made in Italy.’’

In true American fashion, Kovalev is made of a lot of things, many of which are still being discovered in an ongoing story that is moving toward what could be a defining chapter against Andre Ward on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas.

First, however, a few things have to happen and not happen. Kovalev (29-0-1, 19 KOs) has to beat Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) in Ekaterinburg, 137 miles from Kovalev’s hometown, Kopeysk, in a bout that HBO will televise, tape-delay (10:15 p.m., ET/PT).

“I must get my victory for my next possible fight,” Kovalev said. “You lose once, everything goes broke.’’

Broke comes with a double meaning. The much-anticipated Ward-Kovalev bout sets up the winner as one of the game’s potential big earners. In a poll featuring boxing’s top earners in 2016, for Fortune magazine this week, Ward is ranked No. 5 and Kovalev No. 6.

Given the decision by Canelo Alvarez–Fortune’s No. 1–to bypass No. 3 Gennady Golovkin until at least next year, Kovalev-Ward looms as the biggie in 2016.

Ward has to uphold his part in the deal on Aug. 6 against Alexander Brand in Oakland. The guess here is that neither Kovalev nor Ward is in much risk of a loss. The bigger threat is an injury that could delay the fight, using it into 2017.

Kovalev, often as bold before a fight as he is dangerous during one, is already promising to do what no one else has.

Chilemba, awkward and mostly unknown, has never been stopped.

“Nobody has ever knocked Chilemba out,’’ Kovalev said. “I want to be the first.’’

Fighting at home for the first time since 2011 might come with some unfamiliar pressure on Kovalev. A hometown crowd might want something spectacular from a newborn star, who has been deadly on the road. Who knows how he’ll react at home?

There’s another element in all the plot lines surrounding the geography. Kovalev will be back in the same arena where his opponent, Roman Sinkov, died after he won by a stoppage.

Since then, Kovalev has said little about the tragedy. The people around him talk about it more than he does. For Kovalev, the job is more about the here –now, the immediate task in front of him.

Nevertheless, the Sinkov death is an unmistakable part of the Kovalev story in each day and every step he takes toward opening bell on Monday. If he wins as expected, he ‘ll have a definitive answer.

Maybe that’s just one reason he has gone home. Unresolved questions are a little bit like unfinished fights. They have to be confronted and Kovalev has yet to back away from one in a lifetime full of traveling from one confrontation to the next.

Ekaterinburg, Russia: On Monday night “The Krusher”, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, Sergey Kovalev, will return home to Russia to face challenger Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba in a 12-round championship bout. These two fighters have very different style and when they clash on July 11 sparks should fly. Below is the scouting report for this exciting event:

Category
Sergey
“The Krusher” Kovalev
Isaac
“Golden Boy” Chilemba
Age
33
29
Record
29-0-1 (26 KOs)
24-3-2 (10 KOs)
Strength
Kovalev has solidified his position in the sport as one of its most devastating punchers. He possesses knockout power in both hands.
Chilemba is a crafty fighter with good technical skills. He is an effective counter-puncher with great endurance and strong defense. He is also very accurate and uses his jab well.
Weakness
Sergey tends to leave openings in his guard allowing himself to be hit. He has been knocked down before but not hurt. He will have to pick his shots wisely in this bout when facing a good counter-striker in Chilemba.
“The Golden Boy” does not possess much punching power in either hand; he has only recorded one knockout victory since 2011. He also has a tendency to be a slow-starter in the ring, which can cost him immensely if The Krusher is able to land one early.
Experience
While Isaac has plenty of experience, Kovalev has been just as active and has been in the bigger fights throughout his career.
Isaac is very experienced and has been steadily active throughout his career.
Power
“The Krusher” has tremendous power in both hands; he throws every punch with bad intentions and puts together very effective combinations.
Isaac is a technically skilled boxer, but lacks the initial pop that could change the momentum of the fight.
Speed
Kovalev has average speed that picks up once he smells blood and goes for the finish.
Isaac is quick on his feet. He moves around the ring well making it difficult for his opponents to connect at times.
Endurance
Sergey showed the world that he can go a full 12-rounds when he earned a unanimous decision win over former titleholder and future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, but he has only been past 8 rounds once.
Chilemba has excellent endurance; he has gone a full 12-rounds on nine separate occasions throughout his career.
Accuracy
Sergey shows great accuracy with the long-range aggressive style that he utilizes. He throws very accurate and powerful body shots as well.
Isaac is a very accurate puncher who chooses his spots wisely and times his punches well. His accuracy and timing have been effective in taking his opponents out of their rhythm.
Defense
Sergey’s strength is his offense, which he has established as his best defense thus far. However, his aggressive style has allowed past opposition opportunities to land shots as well.
Chilemba is a good defensive fighter who utilizes effective counter-punching skills. He exhibits impressive foot work and moves around the ring well.
Chin
Kovalev has been knocked down twice in his career, but he has risen to the occasion both times to finish the fight and earn the victory.
Isaac has never been stopped, and was able to get off the canvas to earn a win over previously unbeaten Maxim Vlasov after overcoming two knockdowns in the fight.
Style
Sergey is an offensive fighter who likes to walk his opponents down and go for the finish. He utilizes a long-range aggressive style and does not take his foot off the gas throughout the match.
Isaac 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
Kovalev will compete in his backyard for only the third time in his professional career. Rather than provide his fans with a tune-up bout to improve his chances of earning a victory at home, he will instead face a fighter in Isaac Chilemba who can pose a problem for anyone in his division, and who has never been stopped.
Chilemba is coming off a controversial loss in a title-eliminator bout against current top contender Eleider Alvarez. Rather than request a tune-up bout to get back on track and polish up any mistakes from his last bout, he opted to seize an opportunity to take “The Krusher’s” titles in his own backyard.
Crowd Support
Sergey is fighting in his homeland of Russia and grew up not too far from the site of the bout. Expect a packed house all rooting for their hero.
He is in his opponent’s backyard and has never competed in Russia thus far in his professional career. However, Isaac has proven he can be a road-warrior.
The Match-up
1. Will Sergey be looking past this fight to his fight in November against Andre Ward?
2. Will Isaac be able to handle Sergey’s power?
3. Sergey will be fighting near his hometown for the first time as the light heavyweight champion, will he be able to handle the additional pressure?
4. Will Isaac be able to handle fighting in Sergey’s backyard?

Ekaterinburg, Russia: Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) is in for the fight of his life against the world’s fiercest light heavyweight Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KOs) on July 11 in Ekaterinburg, Russia but the 29-year old from Malawi is no stranger to fighting in enemy territory. The grudge match between Kovalev and Chilemba will be for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles.

Chilemba grew up in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries but in order to make it as a professional fighter he left Malawi for South Africa. According to Isaac, “As a professional I have never fought at home in Malawi. I have fought mostly here in South Africa which is a foreign land for me. I have also fought in the UK, Canada and the US. That has made me who I am.”

Isaac Chilemba
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

This road warrior attitude has contributed to Chilemba’s confidence as he prepares to fight “The Krusher” in Kovalev’s backyard. He said, “I love fighting in someone’s home. That is where I can prove to the world that I am not just a fighter in the ring but I am fighter in my spirit and my soul. I can go to someone else’s hometown and defeat them in their backyard.”

For the past several years, Chilemba has trained in the United States. However, for this training camp he decided to stay in South Africa. Isaac explained, “This is a new chapter for me. This is turning a new page. We have been chasing this dream for a long time. I came up short three times. This is not an eliminator fight. I am going straight for three world tiles. In order to win this fight, I believe I needed to be here. I needed to train here. I have all of the spirit right here. This is where it all started. I have got everything I need at my fingertips.”

Chilemba is coming off a controversial majority decision loss to Eleider Alvarez in Quebec late in 2015. Many believed it could have gone either way and one judge scored the contest a draw. After the tough decision Isaac believed he would need to start over again so he was surprised when he was offered this opportunity. He said, “This is something that I didn’t even dream of especially coming off a loss in Canada. I thought after that I was going to have to start at the bottom again and instead God blessed me with the opportunity to fight for three world championships. I thank God and my team for always believing in me and making this happen. I thank Main Events for standing up for me and never giving up on me even after a loss and still offer me such a big opportunity.”

Both Kovalev and Chilemba are promoted by Main Events. CEO Kathy Duva said, “Isaac Chilemba is a legitimate top ten light heavyweight contender and he’s coming to win. He won’t be intimidated by the crowd. We know he is focused on the biggest opportunity of his career and we’ll see if he can capitalize on it.”

About Kovalev-Chilemba:

The July 11 bout between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba is a 12-round fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles at the DIVS Sports Palace in Ekaterinburg, Russia as part of the opening night ceremonies for the International Industry Trade Fair “INNOPROM-2016.” The event is sponsored by Russian Copper Company and Igor Altushkin and presented by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with German Titov Promotions, will be televised in the United States at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT (same day tape-delayed) exclusively on HBO.

LONDON (July 4) – Pound-for-pound star Sergey Kovalev’s Russian homecoming against Isaac Chilemba will be screened exclusively live on BoxNation on Monday July 11th.

The undefeated and unified light-heavyweight world champion will be looking to add to his impressive destruction of the 175-pound division when he takes on the well-schooled Chilemba, who, despite three points losses has never been stopped in 29 fights.

The iron-fisted Kovalev on the other hand has racked up 26 knockouts in his 29 wins and will be out to do what no one has done before by knocking out Chilemba in front of his home fans at the DIVS Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

33-year-old Kovalev is lined up to face Andre Ward later this year in a super-fight but Malawi born Chilemba is looking to crash the party and is hoping that the Russian has unwisely overlooked him.

Kovalev, however, has stated he will be raring to go come fight night when the two clash exclusively live on ‘The Channel of Champions’.

“I am so excited to fight in my home country of Russia,” said Kovalev. “It gives me great pride to bring my titles home at last. I would like to thank my manager, Egis Klimas, my promoter Kathy Duva and Igor Altushkin of Russian Copper Company for making this dream of mine a reality. Chilemba is a tough opponent and I will be ready for him on July 11.”

Chilemba, with 24 wins on his record, is undaunted at sharing the ring with one of boxing’s most feared punchers.

“I have met a lot of obstacles and every time I think I’ve got it right, I fall again, but I know my goals and I never stop following my dreams,” said Chilemba. “When I received a call from my manager Jodi Solomon regarding this opportunity, I was over the moon. I thank Sergey and his team for putting their titles on the line to face me, all I want to say to them is: they are in for a surprise; they gave the wrong guy an opportunity. I’ll work my ass off and I’m in it to win it! Russia here we come!”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “This is a really intriguing fight because Sergey Kovalev cannot look too far ahead when he faces Isaac Chilemba. We have seen it many times in the past when fighters have overlooked opponents that are immediately in front of them and paid the price. There is no doubt that Kovalev is one of the most exciting and biggest punchers around so we are delighted to have him back on BoxNation.”

BoxNation will be airing a host of big fights exclusively live including Guillermo Rigondeaux v Jazza Dickens, Terence Crawford v Viktor Postol and Canelo Alvarez v Liam Smith.

Kovalev v Chilemba is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/Online & App) on July 11th. To buy go to boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
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Ekaterinburg, Russia: WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev recently completed the first phase of his training camp in the mountains of Armenia as he prepares to face Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba on July 11 in his first fight in his home country of Russia since 2011. The champ will return to the DIVS Sports Palace in Ekaterinburg, Russia to defend his three titles as part of the opening night ceremonies for the International Industry Trade Fair “INNOPROM-2016.”

Kovalev Training in Armenia
Photo Courtesy of: Sergey Kovalev

The event, sponsored by Russian Copper Company and Igor Altushkin and presented by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with German Titov Promotions, will be televised in the United States at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT (same day tape-delayed) exclusively on HBO.

This is the first time Krusher has trained outside the United States since he won his first WBO crown against Nathan Cleverly in 2013. For his much-anticipated Russian homecoming, the 33-year old from Chelyabinsk, Russia opted to change-up his training camp in preparation for Chilemba. According to Sergey, “I try to look for mountainous regions which provide the right elevation and terrain for my conditioning training (biking, running). Armenia is well-known for their mountains and terrain, plus it was also a good opportunity to get away from the attention, to focus solely on training.”

Kovalev was not alone in Armenia. He said, “The Russian Boxing Olympic team had their training camp in the same area (Tsaghkadzor, Armenia) as well, so I had good company around me, the right training mentality and focus level. Help from the local trainers and Russian national team boxers was quite handy with finding the new trails for my runs and biking.”

Kovalev Overlooking Armenian Mountaintop
Photo Courtesy of: Sergey Kovalev

Although Sergey changed the location of training camp, his team and routine remains the same. He added, “I am known for sticking with my plans, for adhering to the established system that works for me. New places, but old routines. I will have my trainer, John David Jackson, joining me in Ekaterinburg’s sport base “Kurganovo”, along with my long-time friend and training assistant Eduard Abzalimov from Chelyabinsk and massage therapist. I will have my sparring sessions (will have three partners for that) and mitt work.”

It has been a long-time dream of Sergey’s to return to Russia and bring his belts home to his fans. He is grateful to those people who helped make his dream a reality. He said, “The main sponsor of the event, Igor Altushkin of “Russian Copper Company”, manager of the sport base “Kurganovo”, Vitaliy Kochetkov, and the governor of Sverdlovskaya Oblast, Evgeniy Kuivashev, have all put a lot of effort in exceeding all of my expectations with making the training atmosphere as comfortable as it could get. I am very thankful for their involvement with the preparation and making my team and I feel very welcome in Ekaterinburg. It truly feels as if the entire country is behind my back in this fight! I can tell I’m fighting at home. This support means a lot for me.”

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Andre Ward will take on Alexander Brand on August 6th in Oakland in a prelude to his November 19 PPV bout with Sergey Kovalev.

HBO will televise the bout.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the Light Heavyweight title bout between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward will be at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 19th and on HBO Pay Per View.

“We went back and forth with [Las] Vegas and New York for quite a while, as both venues were very enthused about hosting the event,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva told ESPN.com. “In the end, the T-Mobile option made the most sense to us for a number of reasons, including ease of access and affordability for the media.”

In another item on the NSAC agenda for next week’s meeting: Golden Boy Promotions made a formal request for Sept. 17, the weekend of Mexican Independence Day, at the MGM Grand for Alvarez’s next fight.

Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez told ESPN.com that talks are ongoing for a fight so many are enthusiastic about: Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) taking on unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs). Many believe, though, that the fight won’t happen this fall and will be put off until next year. Regardless of the opponent, Gomez said Alvarez will fight Sept. 17.

HBO Sports returns to Russia for the first time since 2013 to present world light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev’s title defense against challenger Isaac Chilemba when the fight is presented in the United States on MONDAY, JULY 11 at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT (same day tape-delayed) from the DIVS Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia, exclusively on HBO.

In his first fight in Russia since 2011, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KOs) defends his light heavyweight title for the ninth time when he faces Malawi’s Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds. Kovalev, 33, has emerged as one of the sport’s most feared punchers defeating many of the best fighters in the light heavyweight division including Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal. He is ranked as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound performers. Chilemba, 28, has never been stopped in his 29 professional bouts and will look to use his ring savvy to emerge victorious in his first career world title opportunity.

Kovalev vs. Chilemba will be televised from the DIVS Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia, on Monday, July 11 at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT, capping off an exciting weekend of international boxing on HBO which begins on Saturday, July 9 live at 5:00 p.m. ET/PT when world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury squares off with former titlist Wladimir Klitschko in Manchester, England.

Isaac Chilemba, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Challenger

“I want to thank Main Events for making this fight possible. Thanks to Sergey Kovalev for giving me this challenge.”

On Kovalev’s Recent Opponents
“I believe Kovalev he is a hard-working fighter. There is no such thing as an easy fight. I believe Kovalev worked hard to get where he is. I don’t think he would say any of his opponents weren’t tough. He has never fought me or someone like him though. This will be a very different fight for Kovalev.”

About Kovalev’s Last Fight in Russia
“Whatever happened at that time is not what’s going to happen now. The pressure is on Kovalev. He will be fighting in his hometown where he hasn’t fought in a long time. My focus is on him. My mind is on him only.”

On Isaac’s Recent Controversial Loss to Eleider Alvarez
“I have gained a lot experience from a lot of hard-fought fights in hometowns of my opponents. I am working on Kovalev. I am going to give him hell and not leave it in the judges’ hands. Everyone expects it to be an easy fight for him. I have come short fighting for the WBC Title but maybe this is where I was meant to be. I want to thank everyone who helped make this happen. I will put it all out there to make sure I get the decision.

“I was disappointed after my fight with Alvarez. When I got the call that this fight was offered you can’t believe the joy that came over me. I knew I would get another chance to fight a tough opponent. I have been praying hard and I thank God that I finally got the opportunity.”

On Fighting in Kovalev’s Home Country
“I believe the pressure is on him. He is fighting at home. He needs to show his home people what he is made of. I am happy to go to fight anyone, anywhere, in their backyard, in their own house I don’t care. I will give a show. I am gunning for a win. I don’t care where we are fighting. I don’t care what Kovalev is made of. We know his weaknesses and we know his strengths. I am going to beat him in his own town.”

On Receiving the Offer to Fight Kovalev
“I was filled with joy. I am truly excited about it. I deserve it. I am very happy that I got this opportunity.”

On Training Camp for This Fight
“Buddy is coming to me. South Africa is the best place where we can train. We are going to go old style for this fight.”

On His Confidence Regarding this Fight
“I believe in myself. I believe in my abilities as a fighter. Coming in I am not worried about anything else. Every mistake I have made in my personal life and my boxing life has made me stronger. I am confident. I trust my team and Buddy. I will be ready. I am where I am meant to be. I believe this is where I am going to show the world who I am and what I am made of. Kovalev is not invincible, he is not God, he is a man just like me. I will be the man to crush the Krusher.

“I believe I am the antidote to Kovalev. I am walking into this fight with only a few people believing in me. I am going to show the world. We are going to do what Kovalev, and no one else in the world, has ever seen. It isn’t anything hard on me. The pressure is on him. I love proving people wrong. That pushes me.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events

“We are delighted that not only will Sergey get his chance to fight in Russia, but Isaac will get the title shot that he has wanted ever since we have known him. That is what this sport is about. This makes for an entertaining evening for everyone. Hopefully you will see us on July 11. We will find a way for people to see it. Hopefully we can get an HBO quality broadcast out there. That is what we are working on.”

On Making This Fight
“I think we called Isaac on Monday and his team responded on Tuesday. The contract was signed by Friday. Isaac very much wanted his title shot. He did everything we ever asked him to do. Our feeling that Isaac was deserving and the perfect fight for Sergey. Sergey needs to fight a boxer to prepare for Ward. Isaac is a tremendous boxer. If you look at the way he took apart [Vasily] Lepikhin, it was surgical the way he did it. I am fortunate that both fighters wanted the biggest challenge they could get at that moment. It was hard to find the right partners in Russia to make this fight happen. Once we found them everything else fell together so easily. Once we had all the pieces in place it came together easily.”

On Promoting Both Fighters
“My job is to make good fights, get good opportunities for my fighters. Isaac deserves a title fight. There are lot of fighters who avoid risk to keep their records intact. There was a never a question of who they would they fight. We don’t sign people here at Main Events who don’t want to fight.

“When I suggest fighters that don’t test Sergey, he gets annoyed. He is preparing to face Ward in the fall. He wants to be challenged.”

On Isaac’s Controversial Decision Against Alvarez
“How could a bad decision hold you back? Isaac is an extraordinary fighter.”

On the Other Opponents Considered Before Chilemba
“As I do every time, I talked to Adonis Stevenson’s people and after some debate they turned it down again. Alvarez’s people approached me about doing the fight in Canada in June but, of course, in the end Alvarez’s people did not follow through so we decided to make the fight in Russia.”

James “Buddy” McGirt, Chilemba’s Trainer

On Isaac’s Keys to Victory
“The key to victory is to box. You need to mix stuff up a little. I don’t see Kovalev as just a puncher. He can fight. We have to focus on his fighting ability as well. Isaac can fight as well. We need to have more than one game plan and stick to the one that works to emerge victorious.

“Kovalev is home so the pressure is on him, not us on. He has to impress his fans back home and we need to upset the applecart.”

On This Opportunity for Isaac
“After Isaac’s last fight what I thought he got the decision or the draw. If you look at the light heavyweight division who else out is out there for Sergey? Adonis [Stevenson] isn’t going to fight Kovalev. You have to give the Chilemba the title fight. Sometimes a loss can do more for you than the win, that’s boxing. Good things come to those who wait. I believe Kathy and Kovalev believe Isaac deserves this fight and I thank them. Kathy knows what she is looking at when she sees Isaac.”

On Isaac’s Chances Against Kovalev
“I see a guy that has all the tools. If not, he would not be as successful as he has been. He has all the tools to upset the applecart. And for 12 rounds on July 11 we are going to give him hell. The key is to keep boxing and stay busy, don’t worry about the power. That’s when you have a problem. We are going to be prepared for anything and everything. Kovalev is a hell of a fighter. He isn’t a one-dimensional guy so we can’t be one-dimensional either. We have to be prepared for everything and we will be.”

On Sergey’s Recent Opponents
“I am a firm believer you know a good fighter when you see him. There wasn’t anyone for Larry Holmes to fight but he was still a hell of a fighter. So is Isaac Chilemba. Isaac can pretty much be Isaac and that will have him be successful. You can’t focus on Sergey’s power. He just needs to be Isaac.”

Jodi Solomon, Chilemba’s Manager

“Thanks to Main Events for the opportunity. Thanks to Sergey Kovalev and his team for this opportunity as well.”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Oakland former undisputed super middleweight champion and current number-one ranked contender for the HBO light heavyweight championship Andre Ward completely decisioned undefeated Cuban Sullivan Barrera. Despite controlling every minute of the match Ward displayed enough vulnerability to whet hopeful aficionados’ imaginations something dangerous and competitive might happen in the late fall if Ward has the stones to risk life and limb in a match with Sergey “Second Most Feared Fighter on HBO” Kovalev.

It was a typical Andre Ward fight comprising technical precision and relying on its opponent’s craft to provide emotion. Barrera had some craft but mostly strongman assertiveness. As Ward boxes most every opponent the same, a manifestation of his obsessive control, there weren’t many surprises after the first three minutes passed. While the mammalian mind specializes in pattern recognition, the human mind specializes in pattern completion, recognizing patterns with less data than other species – abstraction, that is – and so there was nary a human who watched round 1 of Saturday’s match and didn’t intuit about exactly where it was going in the next 33 minutes, and that was where it went.

That marks Ward at once an extraordinary craftsman and substandard entertainer. But his entertainment value is evidently others’ concern – though neither of his copromoters, Roc Nation Sports and Home Box Office Sports, seems fractionally good at its craft as Ward is at his. For the best part of his professional career Ward has understood his status as American boxing’s last and probably final Olympic gold medalist and the weight of that metal, ignoring any who endeavored to move him anydirection he did not choose himself. Ward is a bright dude, too, and that precluded others’ convincing him their direction for him was his own direction.

If and when Ward chooses to redeem HBO’s matchmaking by matching himself with the network’s light heavyweight champion it will be on terms that do not appear favorable to anyone but Ward, and this will happen because Ward doesn’t need the fight because his selfworth is too well established to bend very much. Kovalev will bend in negotiations, one assumes, because he probably wants the Ward fight more than Ward does. Kovalev doesn’t need the fight, but he does want it; Ward seems neither to need nor want to fight Kovalev.

Having emptied a once-exceptional 168-pound division and failed to lure Gennady “He’ll fight anyone between 154 and 168 pounds!” Golovkin to fight him at super middleweight, Ward now tentatively, carefully, controllingly moves himself to 175, requiring three tuneups to ascend seven pounds, a tuneup-per-pound mark unlikely to be surpassed until Cinnamon Alvarez’s eventual ascent to 160. And that’s not a criticism of Ward either. He knows it’s HBO’s credibility, not his, that requires a 2016 match with Kovalev, and he knows, too, the only equalizer Kovalev has in that fight is size. So Ward patiently acclimates himself to the new weightclass, caring very little for what arbitrary timelines a broadcaster sets, gradually and decisively removing the sole advantage the network’s light heavyweight champion has.

If one draws up a chart of things Kovalev has more than Ward, it probably stops here: 1. Size, 2. Right cross. Notice meanness and ferocity didn’t make the list. Kovalev might have psychopathy going for him, but he is no more ornery in a fight than Ward is and not nearly so adept at fouling. Ward has approximately twice Kovalev’s craft and can effectively fight while moving in three times as many directions as Kovalev, who does incredibly well while moving forward and moving forward. Ward will tangle him and frustrate him in a way Bernard Hopkins was too old to do and no one else’s had the chops to try.

Early Saturday Ward reviewed Barrera’s physicality and class and decided it was better to slip punches and keep distance than go shopping inside. He’ll decide otherwise against Kovalev, planting his shoulders in the Russian’s chest and his head all over the Russian’s face, yes he will. Kovalev will make the bully’s choice and endeavor to outmuscle Ward, and Ward will have him. Ward is good an infighter as we’ve seen in a generation, and the secret of that goodness is his footwork; Ward churns his hips and feet where others stand still and wrestle above the waist. There are lots of ways Ward can prepare for Kovalev and not one way Kovalev can prepare for Ward, and one senses nobody who knows that in Kovalev’s circle will tell the Russian, making the proper assumption th’t refitting Kovalev at this point is a fool’s errand; go forward with full confidence, Sergey, or don’t go.

Talk of Ward’s rust or slippage, too, is irrelevant. Ward has been sharp enough to control every opponent he’s faced since his 13th birthday, and that will be true of Kovalev or Ward will not make the fight. Ward takes through all his life the confidence and distrust Floyd Mayweather brought in the prizefighting ring; where Mayweather played the buffoon in promotions then got real serious when the bell rang, Ward stays real serious.

Immediately before and after the dullest spectacles of his career Bernard Hopkins warned us how much we’d miss him when he was gone. He’s been gone for nearly a year and a half, and he isn’t missed – in large part because we still have Ward. There is neither another Andre Ward in the pipeline nor even much of a pipeline: In the end we may miss Ward more even than Hopkins assured us we’d miss Hopkins.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin returns exclusively live to BoxNation on Saturday 23rd April when he defends his unified world titles against top undefeated contender Dominic Wade at the Fabulous Forum, Los Angeles.

The pound-for-pound great is back on the The Channel of Champions, headlining an awesome April of fistic entertainment that features Golovkin’s big rival Billy Joe Saunders – with both heading towards a seismic collision this year – defending his WBO World Middleweight title against “Mad” Max Burbank on Saturday 30th April, live from the Copper Box Arena, London.

More big live fight action in April sees the thunderous, punching, all-action, British star Liam Williams defending his British and Commonwealth Super-Welterweight titles against Nav Mansouri on Saturday 2nd April from Harrow, England.

Undefeated Golovkin has destroyed 31 out of 34 opponents – an incredible 91% KO ratio – and the fearsome Kazakh puts his WBA Super, Interim WBC and IBF World Middleweight titles on the line for the 16th time – the second highest in the 160lb division’s history – against Wade and will aim to remain on course for a showdown with Saunders this year to unify all four belts.

Wade, from Largo, Maryland, is the mandatory challenger for GGG’s IBF World title and is undefeated in 18 fights with 12 knockouts. In his last fight he defeated from IBF World Champion Sam Soliman and goes into the showdown against Golovkin looking to cause a tremendous upset.

BoxNation viewers have been treated this year to the world’s best fighters all featuring on the channel with Sergey Kovalev, Terrence Crawford, Andre Ward on March 26th against Sulivan Barrera and now Golovkin.

But on the same card as Golovkin, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world Roman Gonzalez, the WBC World Flyweight Champion, will defend his title against McWilliams Arroyo.

The Nicaraguan hot-shot has an incredible unbeaten record of 44 wins with 38 KO’s and has left a trail of destruction in the last two and half years with ten-fight KO run.

BoxNation’s Managing Director Jim McMunn is thrilled to have the top three pound-for-pound best: Gonzalez, Golovkin and Kovalev plus the 6th and 9th placed Ward and Crawford all on BoxNation in the first four months of this year.

He said, “That will be some feat to have five of the ten best fighters in the world by April all live on BoxNation and really cements our position as THE channel to watch boxing’s biggest names. Having Golovkin on BoxNation is fantastic, but with Gonzalez also on the card, the number one and two on the planet, it is fantastic for our subscribers to get to see these greats in action, live.”

– Ends –

About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Montreal’s Bell Centre, Russian light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev beat Haitian-Canadian Jean Pascal till Pascal’s corner told its charge to remain seated at the end of round 7. While the match was at no point competitive, while it was the rematch of a 2015 match that was not competitive, it was not that much less competitive in the seventh round than the sixth or the fifth or the fourth. The reason for the stoppage, apparently, was what disproportionate pleasure Kovalev began to derive from wounding the man across from him. During a sporting event.

Sergey Kovalev is a very good prizefighter in a decent division in a tired and tiring and tiresome era – and unfortunately for him and his copromoters, Main Events and HBO, no magical number of iterations will someday make him a great prizefighter (in the sense of Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez). A certain number of prizefighters get elected to the hall of fame each year, though, and boxing’s fabric is diaphanous and thinning, and so, sometime in the next 15 years, Kovalev’s immortality will gain purchase of a sort, with youngsters backing and filling our memories of his good fights with numbers and metaphors to prove his greatness.

It’s all in the game, sure, but howsoever will “Legendary Nights: Kovalev Krushes Pascal Twice” weather a scheduling error that sets it beside “Legendary Nights: The Tale of Hagler vs. Hearns”?

Better, probably, than Freddie Roach’s reputation will suffer Pacquiao’s first retirement a few months from now. Coach Freddie was back in promoter mode last week, casting colorful quotes at bored writers in the buildup to a rematch of a first match that was not competitive, assuring those gathered the improvement he wrought with Pascal was not subtle. But it was exactly that, as Pascal demonstrated by enduring Kovalev’s fury for 63 seconds less than he did 10 months ago. Coach Freddie’s solace is found here: The version of Pascal who sneaked past a lad named Yunieski Gonzalez in July was fated for a fiveround stoppage Saturday in Montreal, and the small, but enormous, stylistic details, that were overhauls, performed by Coach Freddie kept Pascal conscious if barely competitive for an extra six minutes of abuse.

Pascal has a great physique and a handsome face, both improvements made by Roach, and a penchant for winging wide punches and stumbling over his own aggressiveness – also wrinkles, pleats really, Coach Freddie ironed in. Unconvinced? Coach Freddie is going to overhaul that last sentence, a strategic revision about which he says, “Every writer is different in a job like this, but making Barry’s sentence better is kind of easy because there are so many mistakes.”

Let’s have a look:

Pascal has a tremendous physique and a striking face, both improvements made by Roach, and a tendency to wing punches wide and stumble over his own aggression – also wrinkles Coach Freddie folded in.

There you have it. Editor of the year.

With or without Roach, Pascal now returns to the toughman circuit to which Englishman Carl Froch remanded him seven years ago and whence Chad Dawson and Bernard Hopkins drafted him in 2010. Pascal is the sort of dark brute our nightmares convince us to favor in confrontations with wafers like Froch or Kovalev, but Pascal’s menace, much like Adonis Stevenson’s, is a cultivated superficiality, an amplifier of North American stereotypes more than a genuine bit of danger.

Froch was not menacing; Froch was a craftsman, a man who obsessed over manly comportment, found its purest manifestation in prizefighting, and obsessed over prizefighting. Froch wanted to be a great prizefighter and didn’t particularly care what pathway might get him there. Kovalev is a different thing entirely.

Were he not bludgeoning men with his fists, Kovalev would’ve done things vile enough to someone like Liam Neeson and his family for the subtext of “Taken” to have been Inspired by true events. Trainer emeritus Don Turner once used a telling word to describe Kovalev: mean. From Matthew the college professor or Sarah the barista, a word like that describing a professional fighter does not register, but from a man whose livelihood derives in large part from midwifing a will-to-cruelty in other men, the word is potent. The word manifests itself in the deadness of Kovalev’s countenance when he attacks – a predatory lack of empathy. Kovalev is more an athletic psychopath, more Sonny Liston, than an athlete who suspends his conscience to steal another man’s consciousness.

After Pascal’s corner waved the white towel Saturday, Kovalev fumbled a bit with the straightening of his Krusher kap, and it sent the mind to no coordinate sharper than Juan Manuel Marquez a minute after he snatched the animating force from Manny Pacquiao – mounting the turnbuckle a length from Pacquiao’s stillmotionless body, and ensuring his bill was just so for the cameras. Marquez’s willingness to kill another man in the ring, though, was tempered slightly by a very deep Mexican prizefighting tradition, a decree from the elders like: Thou shalt not. Russian boxing, an amateur-only affair till the 1990s, a sportsman’s endeavor performed with pillowy gloves and headgear till Kovalev was at least 10 years-old, has no such tether for its current practitioners.

Which means Andre Ward’s undefeated record, nay his life, is in jeopardy! Not so fast.

Kovalev is a very good 175-pound prizefighter. Andre Ward is a great 168-pound prizefighter. If Ward is not quite mean as Kovalev, he’s resentful as hell, distrustful, and unafraid to lead with his head or hit a man low if the moment warrants it. For all his menace and horror of intention, Kovalev barely dented a 50-year-old Bernard Hopkins in 36 minutes of trying. Anyone who thinks Kovalev is going to krush a 31-year-old version of Hopkins needs to start muting his HBO telecasts.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

The camps of Unified world light-heavyweight Champion Sergey Kovalev and challenger Jean Pascal have clashed ahead of their rematch this Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, televised exclusively live in the UK on BoxNation.

There is genuine hatred between both fighters in the build up to the return – Kovalev won the first fight with an eighth round stoppage in March last year – and it could be even spicier second time around with Kovalev’s WBO, IBF and WBA Super World titles on the line again.

At the pre-fight press this week it turned nasty when Pascal started handing out bananas to black members of the audience, including Kovalev’s trainer John David Jackson, a former two-weight world champion, who had to be restrained from going after Paschal by security guards.

This was in response to alleged racist comments made by Kovalev to Pascal when he said, “I’m going to whoop your black ass.” Pascal said, “That’s a racist comment. He called me a piece of (expletive) because I’m black. He didn’t say that to any white fighter.”

“Do you want to keep it for your black coach?” Said Pascal to Kovalev as he held up a banana. “Black people, do you want some?”

Russian ace Kovalev dismissed Pascal’s comments when it was his turn to speak on the podium. He said, “Everybody knows what is true,” Kovalev said. “But you will see on Saturday. It will be a personal fight for me.”

Jackson defended his charge, saying he wouldn’t be working Kovalev’s corner if he was a racist. “It’s not about race. Sergey may say things where at the time when he says them, they may come out wrong, but if he was racist, I wouldn’t be in his corner.”

Canadian Pascal, a former WBC World Champion at light-heavyweight, continued his rant accusing Jackson of only coming into the Kovalev camp a few weeks before the fight because Kovalev doesn’t trust him.

“He (Kovalev) came to you for three weeks before the fight. He don’t trust you because you’re black. He doesn’t respect you.” Said Pascal.

Jackson fired back, “Is that all? Why is Marc [Ramsey, Pascal’s former trainer] not here. Because he knows you’re getting knocked out in this fight. That’s why he’s not here. No other reason. He told you you’re gonna get knocked out this fight. Yeah, put the mic away now, because that’s true. You know that’s true. That’s why you’re stuck right here.”

With security called in to calm the camps down, Jackson said to Pascal, “Shut the **** up, you had your time” and challenged him to a fight outside. “Come outside and you’ll get knocked out.”

Live coverage will start on BoxNation at 2am on Saturday night. To subscribe to BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 525, Freeview 255, TalkTalk 415, iPhone, iPad or Android and Amazon devices) for only £12 a month visit boxnation.com or to watch online subscribe at watch.boxnation.com

– Ends –

About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.
For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Boxing’s ugly history repeated itself, warts and all, with Jean Pascal calling Sergey Kovalev a racist in the final news conference before their rematch Saturday night at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

I’m not sure what to make of it. The cynical side of the scarred business suggests that Pascal’s accusation is just another way of marketing a tough sell in his hometown.

Late Thursday, seats in every corner of the building, other than the pricey ones at ringside were available on the Bell Centre’s website.

Pascal, who has been calling Kovalev a racist since the light-heavyweight fight (HBO 9:45 p.m. ET/PT) was announced, raised the volume by several octaves with a performance that included bananas and a near brawl with Kovalev’s African-American trainer, John David Jackson. If Pascal was looking for twitter hits and website headlines, he got them.

Kovalev, an unbeaten Russian and a pound-for-pound contender, left himself open to the charge last April when he posed for a photo with a child in a T-shirt adorned with a boxer topped by a gorilla’s head. At the bottom of the photo, Kovalev wrote a caption that took aim at Adonis Stevenson, who like Pascal is a Quebec light-heavyweight of Haitian descent.

It says: “Adonis looks great!!!’’

It’s stupid.

Kovalev, long frustrated by the inability to land a fight with Stevenson, apologized. In this polarized era, however, apologies aren’t believed. They don’t last long either. But that photo isn’t going anywhere. It’s only a few keystrokes away for any rival who wants to use it as evidence to support an allegation.

In words and tone, Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) suggests that Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KOs) is calling him a racist out of fear or in an attempt at gamesmanship. If it’s the latter, Pascal is making a terrible mistake.

Kovalev is not easily distracted. The photo was dumb. The caption was dumber. But nobody has detected anything dumb in the way Kovalev fights. He is as poised as he is ruthless.

Bernard Hopkins, one of the game’s wise men, knew that instinctively throughout the all the hype before their 2014 fight. He didn’t do any of his trademark trash-talk, a Hopkins art form. He had read Kovalev well enough to know it wouldn’t work. Nothing did. Kovalev won a crushing decision and Hopkins, who was widely criticized for calling Joe Calzaghe “a white boy,” praised him in its aftermath.

It’s also noteworthy that Hopkins defended Kovalev after the photo appeared. Hopkins was quoted as saying he didn’t believe the Russian was racist. However, he also said that Kovalev would regret it.

Regret, race and, yes, racism have been part of the boxing narrative for as long as there has been an opening bell. It produced The Great White Hope more than a century ago in a segregated society’s desperate attempt to find a white heavyweight who could beat Jack Johnson.

To this day, Mexican fans chant “Guero.” Loosely translated, that means White Boy. Those fans will chant it, in singsong fashion, at almost any fighter of any color without a chance and/or the willingness to brawl. A racist slur? Depends on the listener. From this white face in a ringside seat, it’s merely a genuine expression from a crowd with a tribal-title loyalty for a fighter it knows like a neighbor.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali mocked Joe Frazier with a toy, a rubber gorilla that he tied onto a string and playfully battered around during a news conference before he beat Frazier in the Philippines.

“It’s going to be a Thrilla In Manila when I kill that Gorilla,’’ Ali said then.

Ali probably cringes now, which is what Pascal and Kovalev will probably do years from now.

Dmitry “The Mechanic” Mikhaylenko
“I would like to welcome everybody here. I want to thank HBO and Main Events for this opportunity. I like it here in Canada. It is my second time fighting here. It was just a year ago when I was here in the back row for this press conference and now I am in the front row. I thank Karim Mayfield for taking this fight on the short notice. Now my dream has come true and I am fighting on HBO. I don’t like to talk much before the bout. I am 100% ready and I want to give the best show to our fans. The victory goes to the strongest guy.”

Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield
“I am happy to be able to have this opportunity. It was short notice but as a professional you have to be prepared for these types of opportunities. I am always ready. I have a lot of power and speed. I am ready to win this [USBA Welterweight] Title on January 30. After this fight, the winner, which will be me, will have better opportunities available to them after this fight. January 30 I look forward to capitalizing on his punch count.”

Kathy Duva
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Today 33 years ago, my husband was discussing Roberto Duran with the doctor as I was giving birth to my beautiful daughter, Nicole. I am immensely proud of her. Happy Birthday, Nicole. It is a pleasure to work with Interbox again. Our staffs work very well together. Tomorrow night we get on opposite sides but everything leading up to that point has been a pleasure. Tune in at 9:45 PM on HBO. Making his first appearance on HBO will be Dmitry Mikhaylenko against Karim Mayfield in 10 rounds for the USBA Welterweight Title. He told us yesterday his hobbies are women and beer, so I know he will be loved by the fans here in Canada. I want to thank our Russian Sponsors Rosneft and Myakhov Vodka. They provide good solid support for us. This is our first time with Rosneft; we want to welcome them. We have a wonderful event for you on Saturday. I love coming to Quebec. They are people who take boxing seriously as a major sport. Thank you for having me again. Thank you to Pierre and Jean Bedard and the team from Interbox. Be there at 6:30. The fans here in Canada are in for a treat with our two great fighters Cassius Chaney and Virgilijus Stapulionis.”

Pierre Duc
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Pierre Duc, Vice President of Interbox
“Once again it has been a tremendous pleasure to work with Main Events. We have learned to work together as a team and it is just getting better. We are competitors once our guys get in the ring, but during the planning we have been a team. Thank you so much and do not miss the gala on Saturday.”

Egis Klimas
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Egis Klimas, Manager of Mikhaylenko
“Thank you. I don’t have to tell how happy we are to be here. Feels like we are at home. We like it here. Want to thank HBO for giving us this opportunity. They are wonderful people. I want to thank Team Mayfield. At one point, several years ago, me and Karim were in LA were talking about possibly working together. Ultimately it didn’t work out, but I know he is a good warrior. I have nothing negative to say about him. He is a really good fighter. He has speed in his hands. Dmitry has speed and a lot of punches. It is going to be a tremendous fight. I can’t predict a victory. It is going to be a really good competition. Also fighting on Saturday is Virgilis Stapulionis, who is my countryman, he is going to be on the undercard. I represent him too.”

Greg Cohen
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Greg Cohen, Promoter of Mayfield
“It is really terrific to be here. I want to thank Kathy and Main Events. We have worked together many times. They are always a pleasure to work with. When Ray Robinson dropped out, I called Jolene [Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker] because I thought Karim would make a great replacement. I hadn’t even mentioned it to Karim. When Jolene said she thought we could make this fight happen, I called Karim and he didn’t even hesitate. He is in fighting shape 365 days a year. That is what you want as a promoter. That is what you want from your fighters and you seldom get it. Come Saturday night Karim Mayfield will be 100% and I firmly believe he will come out of the ring wearing the USBA belt.”

Press Conference Dais
Photo Credits: Vincent Ethier/Interbox

Joel Diaz
“I want to thank everybody for coming out here. I want to thank my team, Chris Byrd former heavyweight champion. I want to thank everybody at Main Events and Jean Pascal for putting me on the card. I want to thank Abraham Gomez for taking the fight. You have to have a pair of balls to get in the ring. 2016 is going to be a hell of a year for us.”

About January 30
The grudge match for the unified light heavyweight world championship between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal, a Vidéotron presentation in collaboration with Mise-O-Jeu, will be televised live in the United States on HBO beginning 9:45pm ET/PT. The HBO telecast will open with a ten-round match-up between Dmitry Mikhaylenko and Karim Mayfield for the vacant USBA Welterweight Title. In Canada the event will be available on pay-per-view TV, please consult with your local cable provider. The card is promoted by Main Events and InterBox in association with German Titov Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions. Tickets are on sale on at www.evenko.ca, at Centre Bell box office and at Club de boxe Champions in Montreal.

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world, Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently, Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is a boxing organization that is recognized and respected throughout the Quebec province and the world. Its goal is to promote professional boxing, locally and internationally, with talented boxers who are supervised by top-notch trainers and have access to a cutting-edge support staff. InterBox regularly promotes and presents first-rate events in cooperation with such major corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, La Cage – Brasserie sportive and Coors Light.

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HBO Boxing’s flagship program kicks off 2016 with a highly anticipated light heavyweight title rematch when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. JEAN PASCAL II AND DMITRY MIKHAYLENKO VS. KARIM MAYFIELD is seen SATURDAY, JAN. 30 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Bell Centre in Montreal, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcasting team will call the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 31 (9:30 a.m.) and Feb. 1 (11:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Feb. 2 (11:30 p.m.)

Undefeated Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) of Kopeysk, Russia, now living and training in Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale, defends his light heavyweight crown for the second time against Jean Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KOs) of Quebec, Canada, in a scheduled 12-round bout. The 32-year-old Kovalev, who owns one of the highest knockout percentages in boxing and is among the fiercest punchers, has been a force in the 175-pound division, beating ring legend Bernard Hopkins in a unification bout, as well as knocking out Nathan Cleverly and Cedric Agnew prior to his fiercely contested victory over Pascal in March 2015. His name appears on virtually every list that ranks the sport’s pound-for-pound aces.

After losing to Kovalev via technical knockout, Pascal, 33, rebounded with a decision win against Yunieski Gonzalez in Las Vegas last July and now seeks victory before a hometown Montreal crowd. The fight marks Kovalev’s eighth appearance on HBO and Pascal’s sixth.

The opening bout features undefeated welterweight prospect Dmitry Mikhaylenko (20-0, 9 KOs) of Gelendzhik, Russia, and San Francisco’s Karim Mayfield (19-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 147-pound contest set for 10 rounds. Mikhaylenko’s opponent was originally slated to be Ray Robinson, but an injury suffered in an automobile accident caused Robinson to withdraw. Mayfield hopes to upset Mikhaylenko’s plans to fast-track up the ladder in the deeply talented welterweight division.

HBO’s flagship “World Championship Boxing” series marks its 44th year in 2016, while HBO Boxing presented its 1,000th fight last year.

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, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

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

Sergey Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
“I want to thank you. I am really excited to be here in Canada and repeat this fight again. I am really happy. I am happy to fight Saturday and show you quality boxing. I have nothing to say just watch HBO channel on Saturday night and at the Centre Bell in Montreal. It should be a very interesting fight in the ring because is going to be two good boxers. It is going to be very not a war; it is going to be a mental fight who is personal fight for me. I have nothing to say. He is not a fighter. I hope that he will bring something in the ring. We will be great fight for boxing fans. Appreciate to all my fans worldwide and more to my Canadian fans. Montreal remind me of my hometown in Russia with the snow and the weather. Thank you so much. I will try to make shorter. See you Saturday.”

Jean Pascal, Former Light Heavyweight World Champion
“Saturday night I am not just a boxer, I am a promoter. I have my boxer Joel Diaz on the card. He is my boxer. He is a rising star. Right now we have a chance to have this young lion in our backyard. He is 20-0 and is going to be 21-0 on Saturday. Don’t miss his fight. The reason why I am a promoter is Kovalev said he is going to end my career. Do good on Saturday night, Diaz, because Saturday night is supposed to be the end of my career. I woke up good this morning and in a great mood. I don’t want to insult anybody. I don’t want to trash talk to anyone. I feel like training camp was great. I did 12 weeks: four in weeks in Canada and eight weeks in California with Freddie Roach. It was great. I had a great time in Los Angeles. The training was intense. I pushed myself beyond the limits. I woke up late this morning. I did not have breakfast. I feel hungry right now. He called me and [Adonis] Stevenson a piece of shit, because we are black. The things that Kovalev don’t know yet he is going to find out Saturday night.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events
“Always a pleasure to be back in beautiful Montreal. This is another tremendous event. Main Events is promoting again in cooperation with the wonderful people at Interbox. If I could do every show with them, my life would be easy. Sadly, when the bell rings on Saturday, we will not be on the same side. I want to thank HBO and Peter Nelson, without whom I would not be here today. He is the reason Sergey Kovalev got the chance he got. He has converted on that opportunity. I look forward to continue to work with them in the future. Also on the HBO telecast is a great fight between Dmitry “The Mechanic” Mikhaylenko against Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield. It is a 10-round fight for the vacant USBA Welterweight Title. Watching Mikhaylenko fight is just amazing. It should be a terrific fight. When you get in the ring with Mikhaylenko, it is always a challenge. I would also like to thank our Russian sponsors, Rosneft and Myakhov Vodka. Thank you all for welcoming us the way you do. It is always a pleasure to come to Montreal.”

“I just have one question for Pascal, where did you get those sparkly sneakers because I need a pair.”

Jean Bedard, President of Interbox
“I would like to welcome everybody to Montreal. Who knows what we can expect on Saturday? I would like to thank Peter Nelson and HBO. Peter, I know you have big plans for Sergey in the future, but I think you will have to go back to the drawing board on Monday. I would like to thank Main Events and Kathy Duva. We have the same culture as them and that is to bring the best fights to the fans. Thank you Sergey Kovalev and his team for coming back to Montreal.”

Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports
“Thank you Kathy. Jean [Bedard], to your point, I am keeping my Monday morning schedule open. I am excited to see what happens on Saturday. I want to thank the fighters for taking this high-risk, high-reward fight. This is our first World Championship Boxing event of 2016. Thank you to Jean Bedard and Kathy Duva. Kathy, between exporting Arturo Gatti to the United States and importing Sergey Kovalev to Canada, I don’t know if this makes you an honorary citizen or an enemy of the state here in Canada. To Kathy’s point about Sergey Kovalev, we are not the ones toiling for years, sacrificing to train and develop these fighters, to earn their opportunity to be on HBO. Sergey did it the hard way. Jean Pascal has never turned down a challenge. We are excited and looking forward to a terrific event.”

Egis Klimas, Manager of Sergey Kovalev
“Welcome to circus for free. We want to thank Canadian fans. This is a beautiful country and beautiful city. All of this talking is nothing. Pascal has a reason to be scared. He didn’t know the last time how hard Sergey can punch. He is more scared than the first time. We can’t blame Jean Pascal because he is scared. I don’t know why boxing always brings a war. It is still a spot it isn’t a war zone. We came to compete. Saturday is going to be a good fight.”

John David Jackson, Trainer of Sergey Kovalev
“Thank you very much. It is good to be here in Montreal once again. The fans are very warm and welcoming people. There is a lot I can say about Jean Pascal. He expressed his true colors. Sergey may say things that may come out the wrong way. If he was racist, I wouldn’t be in his corner. Marc [Ramsay] isn’t here because he told you [Pascal] will get knocked out this fight again.”

Freddie Roach, Trainer of Jean Pascal
“Thank you. We have had a really great training camp. Working very, very hard. His weight is good. Everything is spot on. I would like to wish Sergey Kovalev and John David Jackson the best of luck. We are ready and we are going to war.”

Dr. Robert Schinke, Pascal’s Sports Psychologist
“This is not about us, it is about the boxers. They are precious resources. Jean is a world class performer who always takes the best of opponents. Sergey Kovalev is the best of opponents and we respect him to the utmost. There has been a lot of verbal sparring in the last few weeks; it is going to be a war. We prepared well for it. Pascal is prepared. He has a full eight weeks of preparation with Freddie Roach. In the past, he has picked up the very skills he has needed to. He is happy to be back for this second fight. We believe he is fully capable and we will see Saturday night that our assessment is spot on.”

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: This Saturday, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) will march back into Jean Pascal’s (30-3-1, 17 KOs) home turf to defend his WBO, WBA, and IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles in the much-anticipated rematch televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. With the well-publicized history of bad blood between these two high-intensity fighters, fireworks are expected at the Bell Centre on Saturday. Below is the scouting report for this exciting rematch:

Category
Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev
Jean Pascal
Age
31
33
Record
28-0-1 (25 KOs)
30-3-1 (17 KOs)
Strength
Kovalev has shown time and time again that he can knock anyone out with any punch he throws. He has also shown that he can take a punch just as well as he can throw one. He withstood some major shots in the first bout with Pascal, which ultimately ended any doubt about his chin.
Pascal is a gamer in every sense of the word. He is a crowd-pleasing fighter with good hand speed when he puts his punches together. He has good power in both hands and a good chin. He has competed against the division’s top fighters since 2008, before Sergey even made his pro debut.
Weakness
Kovalev tends to leave openings in his guard which allows him to get hit. He has a fearless style that could get him into trouble with the power that Pascal brings when he decides to put his punches together.
Jean has a tendency to turn a boxing match into a slugfest which could be a dangerous move against the heavy-handed Krusher, but this is something Freddie Roach, Pascal’s new trainer, has said he aims to improve.
Experience
Kovalev has not been on the world stage as long as Pascal, but he has beaten two world champions (Bernard Hopkins and Nathan Cleverly) and two former world champions (Gabriel Campillo and Jean Pascal).
Pascal may still have a slight experience advantage. He has been in eight major title fights, and holds victories over Chad Dawson and Lucian Bute.
Power
Krusher has unbelievable power in both hands. He throws every punch with bad intentions and puts together impressive combinations. He is also a very effective body puncher; he has ended a number of fights with shots to the midsection.
Although Pascal possesses solid power in both hands, he cannot match Sergey’s power. The Krusher has solidified his spot as the heaviest hitter in the light heavyweight division.
Speed
Kovalev has good hand speed that picks up once he smells blood and goes for the finish. He delivers a nasty onslaught of punches that has proven to overwhelm his opposition.
Pascal’s speed becomes more noticeable during his flurries of punches. He really turns it on when he has his opponent hurt and delivers a relentless attack that has proven effective in the past.
Endurance
Sergey has only fought 12 rounds once in his career. He defeated former multi-division champion Bernard Hopkins in 2014 in a 12-round unanimous decision.
Pascal has been 12 rounds on nine separate occasions. His previous fight went the distance and he earned a decision win over previously unbeaten Yunieski Gonzalez.
Accuracy
Sergey shows great accuracy with the long-range aggressive style that he utilizes. He possesses very accurate and powerful body shots as well.
Pascal does not utilize his jab as well at times and tends to get somewhat wild when unloading flurries of punches. However, he has an overhand right that be a game-changer if landed flush.
Defense
Sergey’s primary strength is his offense which has been established as his best defense. He likes to stalk his opposition, however, which can lead to him taking unnecessary shots from his opponents.
Pascal does not move around the ring as well. He likes to stand in front of his opposition and let his hands go. Sometimes this can become his best defense, but led to his demise in his first bout with Krusher.
Chin
Kovalev has been knocked down twice in his career, but he has risen to the occasion both times to finish the fight. He also recovered well against Pascal after taking some thunderous shots from the former champion.
Jean has a really good chin and is willing to stand and trade with the division’s best and most powerful punchers. He has been in with many great fighters throughout his career, and has only been stopped once in his career. However, that knockout came from Kovalev just last year.
Style
Kovalev is an offensive power-puncher who likes to buzz saw through his opponents. He likes to walk his opponents down utilizing a long-range aggressive style until he smells blood and can go for the finish.
Pascal is an aggressive fighter that will not hesitate to stand and trade with anyone. His fearless fighting style has kept him atop the light heavyweight division for many years.
Intangibles
Kovalev wants to leave no doubt in the minds of those who question who is the best light heavyweight in the world. He has opted to defend his titles in a rematch of the toughest bout of his career against former titleholder Jean Pascal. Not only will he be rematching the highly ranked light heavyweight, but he has agreed to do it in Pascal’s backyard once again.
Pascal refuses to take days off in the ring. His most recent bout was against former undefeated and ranked prospect Yunieski Gonzalez. After earning a decision in that bout, and handing the young up-and-comer the first loss of his career, he has decided to get right back at it against the division’s best and hardest hitter in Sergey Kovalev.
Crowd Support
Kovalev will, once again, march into enemy territory as he fights in Jean Pascal’s backyard. Also, because there is still bad blood between these two stemming from their last fight, expect the fans to be even more hostile towards the champion.
Pascal will have the clear crowd-support advantage as he fights in front of his home crowd. Expect the Canadian fans will be heavily on his side.
The Match-up:
Will Sergey let the hostile Canadian crowd get to him and his game plan?
Will Pascal improve his defense now that he is working with Freddie Roach?
Will Sergey be focused on the Pascal fight and not look ahead to other fights?
Will Pascal be able to handle The Krusher’s power this time around?

According to Main Events’ matchmaker and NABF Matchmaker of the Year, Jolene Mizzone, “The most important thing about this fight is the fact that both these fighters were willing to step back in the ring with each other again. Pascal was stopped in the last fight against Sergey and those thoughts and the power he felt have to weigh heavily on him, but he also has Freddie Roach in his corner now. Sergey got hit a lot by Pascal and it says a lot that he is willing to go right back to Pascal’s hometown to prove he is the best in the light heavyweight division. And with all the bad blood between these two, the tensions will be running high.”

About January 30
The grudge match for the unified light heavyweight world championship between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal, a Vidéotron presentation in collaboration with Mise-O-Jeu, will be televised live in the United States on HBO beginning 9:45pm ET/PT. The HBO telecast will open with a ten-round match-up between Dmitry Mikhaylenko and Karim Mayfield for the vacant USBA Welterweight Title. In Canada the event will be available on pay-per-view TV, please consult with your local cable provider. The card is promoted by Main Events and InterBox in association with German Titov Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions. Tickets are on sale on at www.evenko.ca, at Centre Bell box office and at Club de boxe Champions in Montreal.

About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world, Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently, Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.

About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is a boxing organization that is recognized and respected throughout the Quebec province and the world. Its goal is to promote professional boxing, locally and internationally, with talented boxers who are supervised by top-notch trainers and have access to a cutting-edge support staff. InterBox regularly promotes and presents first-rate events in cooperation with such major corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, La Cage – Brasserie sportive and Coors Light.

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