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SERGEY KOVALEV WEIGH-IN VIDEO AND PREVIEW

By Victor O. Garcia, Real Combat Media Head Boxing Video Reporter

*Photo Credit: Victor O. Garcia, Real Combat Media

 Las Vegas, Nevada (November 18th, 2016) —Two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) the current WBA, WBO, and IBF Light Heavyweight champion, and Andre “SOG” Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) will come face to face on Saturday, November 19th, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada live on HBO PPV.

Sergey Kovalev is set to face the biggest challenge of his professional boxing career, when he defends his WBA, WBO, and IBF World Light Heavyweight titles, against the former Super Middleweight Champion and highly skilled Andre Ward, in what can potentially be the fight of the year and the determination of the Pound-For-Pound King. Before finalizing the fight against Andre Ward, both camps agreed to fight a tune-up bout prior to facing each other. Sergey faced top contender Isaac Chilemba, in a 12-round title defense, which Kovalev won via unanimous-decision in his hometown of Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Andre Ward faced a more vulnerable challenger, Alexander Brand, in his hometown of Oakland, California. The fight with Brand was a lopsided fight and Ward also won via unanimous-decision. Ward —who is an Olympic Gold Medalist— will finally headline an event in Las Vegas, along with Sergey Kovalev. This match up between these two undefeated champions is no walk in the park for either fighter.

‘He’s a good boxer and obviously he can punch,’ Ward said. ‘He’s stubborn and I’m stubborn. Who’s going to break? That’s what it comes down to. It’s about going out there and doing it and I’ve done it my entire career.’

Ward is one of the most technical and highly-skilled boxers of this generation but, he has only fought three times in the last three years. Kovalev on the other hand has fought eleven times in the last three years and has knocked out eight of those eleven opponents. With 27 KOs in his record, Kovalev is considered one of the most powerful punchers of today.

‘I will try to make it an interesting fight,’ Kovalev said. ‘If Andre Ward wins the fight all boxing fans will lose some interesting fights in the future because his fights are boring. If I win they will see interesting fights again.”

Sergey Kovalev is an aggressive fighter and can definitely bring a fight to Andre Ward, but the question is, will Kovalev be able to break through the great defense of Ward or will Andre Ward use his boxing ability to break Kovalev down? This highly anticipated bout is what boxing needs at this particular moment, to keep the boxing fans alive and encouraged to continue supporting the sport.

Co-main event:

 Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (21-0-2, 16 KOs) will defend his NABA junior welterweight title against Darleys Perez (33-2-1, 21 KOs) in a ten-round bout. The Texas-native Maurice Hooker, last fought in Oakland, California on August 6th of last summer when he defeated Tyrone Barnett, via knockout in the first round. His opponent, Darleys Perez, also came out with a KO victory back in May.

“I want to thank my team at Maple Avenue Boxing Gym, Roc Nation Sports and HBO for giving me the opportunity to show the world a ‘Mighty Mo’ performance on the undercard of the ‘Fight of the Year’,” said Hooker. “For my part, I promise to put on a show for the fans in Las Vegas and the Pay-Per-View audience at home. No one punches like me. It’s going to be lights out.”

Darleys Perez —a former Olympic fighter—  is coming up in weight to face Hooker.

“This is my chance get back into the limelight. I have fought all over the world and facing Maurice Hooker in Las Vegas on November 19 is perhaps my last chance to show that I have a lot left inside the ring and I plan to take full advantage of it because losing is not an option,” said Perez. “I will move up to the 140-pound division and I will be ready to challenge this young lion who has never fought a guy like me before. There will be fireworks in Las Vegas and I plan to go home a winner.”

Undercard fights:

 Light Heavyweight contender Isaac Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs) will face Olekyandr Gvozdyk (11-0, 9 KOS) for Gvozdyk’s NABF Light Heavyweight title.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields, will make her professional debut against Franchon Crews, in a four-round Middleweight bout.

Middleweight contender Curtis Stevens (28-5, 21 KOS)  returns to the ring against James De La Rosa (23-4, 13 KOs) in a ten-round middleweight bout.

Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward “Pound For Pound”

Scouting Report: Puncher vs. Boxer
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?

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Victor O. Garcia - Head Boxing Video Reporter
Victor O. Garcia is the Head Boxing Video Reporter. Victor is in charge of running the videographer staff and video production on our you tube channel at Real Combat Media Boxing. Victor is also the Head of the RCM Boxing Ranking's panel and covers major boxing events in the California and Nevada regions. In the past, Victor boxed as an amateur and found his passion to become a contributor for the sweet science. You can follow or message Victor on Twitter @IAmVicGarcia and on Instagram @official_victor_garcia.