They are two fighters, undefeated, unrivalled and that is why the promotion behind Andre Ward against Sergey Kovalev for the undisputed light-heavyweight championship of the world has been labelled ‘Pound for Pound’.
The American, from Oakland, has long struggled, because of his largely defensive style, to draw a huge following, but this is the super-fight against the Russian knockout artist which is likely to be a defining moment on his journey as a pugilist when the pair trade leather here in Las Vegas on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena. First pay per view event on HBO, the first time the pair have headlined in Sin City.
Their powerful frames adorn the front of the towering green visage of the MGM Grand. The winner could be talked about afterwards as the No 1 pound for pound in the world. Ward, 30-0 in a stellar career after winning a gold medal at the Athens Olympics at light-heavyweight, and a quiet, deeply religious man, believes it is his destiny.
He has never received the recognition he deserves for his ring accomplishments. Yet the mystique around Kovalev’s power, dangerous hands, and stalking style have created an intrigued following in the United States. Ward, never one to trumpet his own success, has the opportunity to show that her can nullify one of the most feared punchers on the planet, who has risen from poverty to a position of securing his family’s future.
Ward, yesterday, who was brilliantly eloquent in an intimate setting with a dozen reporters, but exuded an arrogance later at a packed news conference, explained his stance going into this contest. In some ways, the two guises of Ward suggest why he is yet to become a crossover star. He eschews the bright lights. Unless there is a fight to be had…
“Obviously there’s a lot at stake in this contest and it’s a different challenge moving up in weight, pay-per-view, all of those things make it a little bit different. Whether it’s Alexander Brand or Sergey Kovalev I approach every situation the same way. I wouldn’t be able to get to this level and stay at this level if I checked in and checked out. It’s the same dedication and it’s the same work. For me it’s about trying to be the best in a sport where there’s little room for error. I understand that every time I step into the ring and leads to me making sure I prepare accordingly.”
Packed news conference here for #KovalevWard here @MGMGrand @andreward vs @KrusherKovalev will be ‘epic’ fight on @HBO & @SkySportsBoxing pic.twitter.com/YXW59BTPnh ? Gareth A Davies (@GarethADaviesDT) November 17, 2016
Thus far in his career, 32-year-old Ward has shown an unerring knack of unlocking opponents, or shielding himself from dangerous foes, but he faces a new challenge in Kovalev, who has knocked out 26 of his 30 victims in the ring. “We respect him and we understand what we’re up against, but I’ve been in the ring with big punchers, good boxers, you name it.”
Ward offered a lucid examination of where he, and boxing is at right now, labelling his opponent “a bully”. “At this stage in my career this is the biggest fight. That being said, I’ve been in this position before. I give Kovalev his credit for where he is. He’s held the title for a while now. But I approach these fights the same, with the same urgency. Some people might say ‘oh he’s fighting this guy, it’s not worth watching’, but I don’t approach it that way. I’ve got my foot on the gas every fight. The approach to this fight is no different. The game plan might be different based on the opponent but the approach is the same.”
Ward, like this observer, sees a profound chess match with leather on leather. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of everything. For every action there will be a reaction. They can talk tough and do all that kind of stuff. Obviously we want to fight within the rules and keep it clean, but they’re not going to do anything in the ring to jeopardise my safety or try to intimidate or do anything out of the ordinary and not expect a reaction.”
Ward offered this on Kovalev: “He’s a bully. It’s the temperament, the things that he says. It’s the attitude. All of it. I’ve been around them before and have listened to the things he and his team say. They make comments like if he does this I’m going to kick him. Those are bullies comments. You can smile about it but I take that seriously. My intention is to have a clean, fair fight but I can’t allow him to do anything in that ring that puts me in a position that jeopardises me.”
Asked why he has taken so long to get to this point of headlining in a pay per view event in Sin City, and to reaching elite PPV status, Ward replied: “Manny Pacquiao has a whole country behind him. His journey and his rise, from a career standpoint, he was fortunate to have a lot of great opponents and rivalries for years. People forget about Barrera and Morales and those guys. That’s how he built his legacy. Plus he had a country behind him. We know how Floyd Mayweather got to where he got.
