Las Vegas Sun

Currently: 70° | Complete forecast |

Sergey Kovalev’s power, Andre Ward’s technique on display in superfight

Undefeated boxers square off for pound-for-pound supremacy on Saturday

Sergey Kovalev Retains Titles With KO

Steve Marcus

WBA/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev of Russia poses with belts after his third-round knockout victory over Nadjib Mohammedi of France at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday, July 25, 2015.

The fight between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena stirs up memories of boxing’s past, when the best regularly fought the best.

Kovalev and Ward have differentiated themselves as the class of the sport and now meet in the biggest bout in both of their careers. The World Boxing Organization, International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and The Ring light heavyweight straps will all be on the line.

Perhaps more important, both fighters have the opportunity to claim their position atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a dominant performance.

Both fighters enter the ring with 30 career wins, never having tasted defeat. That’s where the similarities stop.

The only thing more interesting than two of the best fighters in the world finally facing one another in the primes of their careers is their sharp juxtaposition of styles.

Ward will test his shrewd, crafty style against Kovalev’s straightforward crushing power.

“He's right now in my way to my goals and to my dreams,” said the Russian-born Kovalev. “I want to destroy him."

Ward uses a stunning combination of head movement and precisely calculated counter punches to frustrate his opponents. He is a true master of the “sweet science.”

“Ward is smart at what he does, but a lot of what he does is not fighting, it's surviving and making his opponent frustrated with the tactics that he uses,” said Kovalev’s trainer John David Jackson.

Ward has won seven of his last nine fights by decision and hasn’t finished an opponent inside of nine rounds in seven years. He has only 15 career knockouts.

Kovalev has finished 17 of his last 19 opponents, and has knocked out 22 of a career 26 knockouts have come in less than four rounds.

“Ward is crafty and patient, but you can't be that patient and crafty when you got a guy who has bombs in both hands,” Jackson said. “Sergey is going to break him down the way he has to.”

Ward and Kovalev have followed different paths from the moment they began.

As soon as Ward stepped into an Oakland, Calif., boxing gym when he was 9 years old, it was clear he was a phenom. From 1998 to 2004 he didn’t lose a single amateur bout.

Ward finished his amateur career with a gaudy record of 114-5, and capped it off by winning a gold medal for the United States in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Kovalev’s road to stardom was slightly longer, and not just because it started in Kopeysk, Russia (then the Soviet Union).

His amateur career wasn’t nearly as successful as Ward’s, and Kovalev surprisingly turned professional when he wasn’t satisfied with judging among other things in the Russian amateur boxing circuit.

“When I was in the amateurs I never thought that someday I would turn pro at all. For me professional boxing was very crazy, I thought pro boxing was just beating the whole brain out of your head,” Kovalev said. “Finally, I made my decision after the 2008 Russian Championships when I won the final fight and the victory was given to my opponent.”

Kovalev fought the first three years of his professional career without a promoter, including a 2011 bout with Roman Simakov that resulted in Simakov’s death.

“He's been through more adversity in his life than most fighters have ever even contemplated,” said Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva. “It's not just his mental toughness, it's his mental attitude, I think it's very positive and I think that's the thing that carries him. That and the chip on his shoulder that has been there forever of just wanting to prove that he's the best.”

Kovalev will have that chance Saturday night, but it won’t be easy. The undefeated Ward is currently a minus-135 (risking $1.35 to win $1) betting favorite in the fight.

“Everybody in the world wants to see somebody who kicks my ass, but it's not happening,” Kovalev said. “Believe me, there's a lot of haters. It's new motivation for me, I really like to disappoint these people.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy