The Pound for Pound “Pic-Em” Mega Title Fight
BoxingGlove Notes
Distinio Lois, Jr.
However you look at this fight somebody’s “0” is going to go after Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev I.B.F., W.B.A., W.B.O., 30-0-1, 26 Knockouts will duel with Andre “Son of God” Ward, 30-0, 15 k.o.’s .
This battle of these 2 titans of the light heavyweight division will take place at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday, November 19, 2016. The winner no doubt will establish who is the pound for pound king of the Light Heavyweight division despite the fact that Adonis “Superman” Stevenson is also recognized as the W.B.C. Ring Magazine, and Lineal 175 Pound Champion.
Actually, to clear up the light heavyweight confusion the winner between Kovalev and Ward will have to fight Superman Stevenson.
This is the first time in a long time that 2 boxers-elites- with everything to lose agreed to fight each other for ring supremacy which justifies a pic-em classification despite the fact that Ward due to injuries requiring surgery and promotional problems was away from ring action for 2 years.
During those turbulent years Ward even contemplated retiring from the ring but, was advised not retire by his long time mentor and father figure Virgil Hunter who has been with him since he was 9 years old.
On the opposite side of the ring Kovalev has been busy fighting defending his titles also in his native Russia against Isaac Chilemba, July 11, 2016 in a final tune-up preparation for the mega fight with Ward.
Andre Ward also fought and defeated unknown Alexander Brand from Argentina, August 6th 2016 which generated criticism from the fighting community because they-Kovalev & Ward-seemed reluctant to knockout their respective opponents and preferred to the 12 round distance.
The suspicion was that both Ward and Kovalev wanted to fight the entire 12 rounds to sharpen their boxing armaments, and stamina almost like a gym sparring session to be ready for each other November 19, 2016.
During the multiple questions and answers press conferences, I felt that there was no definitive clue as to who would be victorious in this fight especially when the expert veteran trainers –Virgil Hunter with Ward and John David Jackson with Kovalev-spoke on behalf of their fighters, about strategy, condition, and mental strength of their fighters.
It is really a boxing version of a chess match because despite the brutal physicality of the sport of boxing, it is really a mind game of who wants to win, who wants it more and what he is willing to do to win.
Sergey Kovalev is a hard punching knockout artist-26 k.o.’s-who can also box while Andre Ward is a skillful ring general boxer with only -15 knockouts-who could take you into deep waters and clearly defeat you.
Favoring Ward is the fact that as younger fighter he won the Super Six World Boxing Classic defeating veteran hard punching opponents like Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Sakio Bika, Allan Green, and Carl Froch using his boxing skills without even scoring a knockout.
Can he accomplish that against Kovalev since although he won Olympic Gold in 2004 in Athens, Greece in the light heavyweight division, he has fought all of his professional fights at the 168 pound level, and moving up is a different weight area code and the natural 175 pounder-Kovalev-is stronger and more comfortable.
Middleweight Champ Gennady 3G Golovkin not only knocked out 147 pound Champ Kell Brook but fractured his right eye socket, and Canelo Alvarez defending his Middleweight Crowns knocked out 147 pounder Amir Khan rendering him unconscious even before he hit the ring canvas.
Andre Ward overcoming this disadvantage remains to be seen since he did indeed declared that he has been ready for this moment for “a very long time and I feel that this a 50-50 fight and that is how I approach each fight. I keep myself honest and do the things that I have to do to be victorious. I prepare myself very well mentally and physically with my trainer Virgil Hunter.”
Sergey Kovalev stated that “I don’t have any plans for any fight I just get in the ring and do my job. I know I have to be ready for Ward and for what he will bring to the fight”. Kovalev then stated that he knew how to fight Ward because “I gained experience fighting Bernard Hopkins, and this fight could go 12 rounds.” That sounds like a plan to me.
This championship fight has gone global because of the 2 main characters who have had similar sad growing up backgrounds. They were raised in a single parent home and very poor with no good prospects for a good future until they went to a gym and started boxing. Kovalev born in Russia was 11 years old and Ward raised in California was only 9 years of age when they both started to box.
Their life similarity continued when they became standout amateur boxing champions with Andre Ward winning Olympic Gold in the 2004 games in Athens, Greece, and Kovalev compiling an impressive amateur boxing record of 195 wins and only 18 losses. Ward has never lost a fight amateur nor pro.
From the year 2000 through 2008 Sergey Kovalev was a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medalist starting from the Light Welterweight-140 pounds-all the way through to the Light Heavyweight level, for a total of 9 Medals.
These year in and year out accomplishments of these elite boxing champions leads to the intriguing question as to who will win Saturday night. Will it be the strong temperament of this Russian knockout artist or the artistic boxing ring generalship of this Bi-Racial ring super star? You will know the answer to that boxing crossword puzzle after the first bell.
Over shadowed by the red carpet glamor promotion of this fight by Kathy Duva of Main Events and Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, W.B.A. Middleweight Continental Americas Champ, Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Steven, 28-5, 31 knockouts will defend his crown against James “The King” De La Rosa, 23-4, 13 k.o.’s in the semi-final, and 2 Time Olympian Gold Medalist in the 2012 London Games and also in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games, 21 year old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields who was inspired by former ladies boxing champ Laila Ali will make her pro debut fighting Frances “Heavy Diva” Crews in an opening 4 round fight.
Black Star News states that if the Kovalev vs. Ward fight ends in 12 rounds Andre Ward will be the winner, but if it ends in a knockout around the 10th round, Sergey Kovalev will be the victor.
Stay tuned my Black Star News readers.
