Kovalev vs. Ward Weigh-in
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) are all set for their Saturday night “Pound For Pound” showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Right here, find the official Kovalev vs. Ward weigh-in results, with photos, videos, quotes, more material from fight week and all the rest.
Kovalev vs. Ward Weights
| Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev | Andre “S.O.G.” Ward |
| Chelyabinsk, Russia | San Francisco, CA |
| 30-0, 26 KOs | 30-0, 15 KOs |
| Weight: 175 lbs. Trunks: BLU/WHT | Weight: 175 lbs. Trunks: BLK/PRPL |
Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk
Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba
Ukraine
Malawi
11-0, 9 KOs
24-4-2, 10 KOs
Weight: 174.75 lbs. Trunks: BLK/SLV Weight: 174.75 lbs. Trunks: BLK
Curtis “Cerebral Assassin” Stevens
James “The King” De La Rosa
Brooklyn, NY
Harlingen, TX
28-5, 21 KOs
23-4, 13 KOs
Weight: 157.5 lbs. Trunks: WHT/RED/GLD Weight: 159.75 lbs. Trunks: RED/SL
| Maurice Hooker | Darleys Perez |
| Dallas, TX | Colombia |
| 21-0-2, 16 KOs | 33-2-1, 21 KOs |
| Weight: 139.0 lbs. Trunks: SLV | Weight: 137.5 Trunks: SLV |
Kovalev vs Ward Scouting Report
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? | |
Sergey Kovalev, WBO, WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion:
“Hi everybody, I am very glad to be here. It is very nice. Maybe like two, three years ago, I can never imagine that I can get this level and fight Andre Ward, undefeated boxer and Olympic Gold Medalist. I have very big respect for him, for his success in the pro and amateur career. It is really great success but now we are facing each other and I should prove that I am better. Thanks a lot to HBO and personally to Peter Nelson, my promoter Kathy Duva and Main Events promotions, Egis Klimas and to my sponsor Hublot. I really hope that our fight will be very clear and honest. I am very excited for this fight and a little nervous because I never was on this level. HBO Pay-Per-View is the highest level in pro boxing and I am very happy to be here. Welcome to the TV screens on Nov. 19 and T-Mobile Arena where you will see very great fight. Thank you very much.”
Andre Ward, Two-Time World Champion:
“I want to thank everyone who is here today – the media, all my sponsors, MGM Grand, the great team that put this fight together and HBO. I was off to the side trying to mind my own business when Kathy Duva woke me up. She started talking, I don’t know why she keeps doing that, but it’s interesting that the ones that are not getting in that ring are the ones that are doing the most talking. They’re not feeling those punches, so she can keep doing what she’s doing. I love it, that’s what a big promotion is all about, what a big fight is all about; we’re not supposed to like each other. His side has been doing a lot of talking, and that’s fine, we love it. It’s not our first rodeo, we’ve been down this road before. We don’t always respond right away. Sometimes our silence is misinterpreted as us not getting it. We watch, we take notes, but in the meantime we keep working and we produce come fight night. That’s what we specialize in. So all the talking is great, I love it, but know one thing – I’m not taking no mess come Saturday night. Ima be there. Thank you very much”.
Trainer Quotes
John David Jackson, Trainer of Sergey Kovalev:
“Alright, thank you very much it’s nice to have the press out here and I’m glad you made it out the Sergey Kovalev – Andre Ward fight is a fight that I am glad was made for a lot of reasons, but one reason is for the fans because this fight was deserved. In boxing today, there’s too many fights that aren’t being made these are the best fighters in the world so it definitely had to be made.
“Decline I say because when you look at his past (Ward’s) last five years and the way he dominated 168. He fought different fights and he fought a different way.
“In Andre I see many thing but you know what on that night they might not show. He may become totally different but we are prepared for what he brings to us.
“Andre has a lot of strengths. You know when you look at him or when you really study him he’s a well schooled fighter he listens to everything Virgil preaches and he definitely absorbs it. The one beautiful thing I’ve noticed from that is he trusts Virgil. When you trust your trainer that speaks volumes for you, you listen to everything he tells you to do, so any game plan that Virgil advises he’s gonna follow.
“I really studied Andre these past few weeks I have a great appreciation for what he does because looked and I said you know what his style was similar to mine. I was busy in my fights, I was very captivated in my moves, I set traps for my opponents. As soon as I sat down and recognized what he does, I like what he (Ward) does he’s very smart.
“Once I really sat down and studied Andre and Virgil I had to sit back and give them all the credit they deserve I kinda sold them short a couple years back.
“He don’t need to worry about the knockout if the knock come it come but if it doesn’t we are prepared to go 12 hard rounds to get the victory by decision.
“We knew going in that this was the fight that would make Sergey a household name his names good but being in a fight with a name like Andre ward makes it even better.
Virgil Hunter, Trainer of Andre Ward:
“Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward ‘Pound For Pound’ is going to be a historical initiation. As far as preparing for this fight, we’ve been preparing for it from the first time that he started boxing.
“Each fighter is different but you have the masses, the critics who need to be impressed by a certain way that a victory comes up. We came out of the garage from a one-and-a-half-year layoff and fought Sullivan Barrera. He was the number one contender at the time, so it was a dangerous fight until the fight was over, then Barrera was garbage. Nobody is ever going to be satisfied. That’s just the nature of the game so you have to be satisfied with yourself.
“I’m very attuned to body language, I’m very attuned to tone of voice, and from what I hear, from what I see, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of disarray in that camp. What I mean by that is I don’t even know if Coach Jackson is getting the respect he is due in that camp but time will tell. For instance, why do we have to make an excuse for Kovalev in Russia for selling tickets and things. Don’t you have a team who could have taken care of that? You’re supposed to have a team to take care of that to take the pressure off the fighter.
“I believe somebody probably told Kovalev to say that Ward is a dirty fighter because you go eight, nine weeks and all of a sudden he is a dirty fighter? Kovalev will learn, one day, to not be everyone’s robot and do what they tell and ask him to do. He does it because he’s loyal. It doesn’t even sound like him. That’s not him saying that. That’s not in his character. That is his promoter saying that. It’s nothing but if he kicks Ward, he’ll get kicked back. Simple as that.
“We know Kovalev is a dangerous fighter, we give him all he’s due. I give Coach Jackson all he’s due. The coaching fraternity is a very tough fraternity. We are the first ones to get the blame. The fighter never takes full responsibility for his shortcomings. The fighter always has other people in his ear, telling him there is a better way, so I understand what he goes through as a coach.
“I just want the best Andre Ward and the best Sergey Kovalev. If Kovalev wins the fight, my respect goes out to him. If we win the fight, my respect goes out to him because they can’t be great unless they fight each other. Sometimes two people come out of that situation looking great. I wish the best to both of them regardless of what happens.
“‘Do I believe that Ward will exhibit mental toughness? Yes, without a doubt. Do I believe that Kovalev will exhibit it? I’m sure he will as well, and that’s the making of a great fight.”
Undercard Quotes
Curtis Stevens
“Training camp was excellent. I did the first half in Boca [Raton], Florida and the second half we did up in Oxnard. It was great. I brought in Cicilio Flores for strength and conditioning. Everything was great.
“I need to go in there and let my hands go like I did in the Teixeira fight. I don’t look at this fight as another step towards the big fight. A fight is a fight. He is coming to win and so am I.
“This is the road back to GGG. I am the only one that wants a rematch because I gave him his toughest challenge so far. I know I can beat him. I just gotta let my hands go.
“I am glad that de la Rosa took the fight because before him no one else would take a fight with me. This is the biggest fight of the year so this is the stage. The world is gonna be watching.”
James De La Rosa
“We worked on it in training camp. You know this is a big fight for me, we asked for this fight coming off the two losses but I talked to my manager I wanted a big fight.
“I told my manager, what would be a better opportunity to be on the undercard of this (Kovalev-Ward) and whoever they have I will fight.
“I have nothing bad to say coming in as a fighter you know I don’t bash nobody I don’t talk down on nobody unless they come at me like that. I have nothing but respect for every fighter that gets in the ring. It takes a lot to get in there.
“I think what hurts boxing is that everyone waits so long to fight each other why wait a year, why wait two years, why wait? You know for me when I was always coming up I started boxing at 8 years old that’s all I wanted to do is fight and as I turned pro that was the same thing. I want fights, I’ll go to peoples’ back yards, it didn’t matter to me. I believe like my 8th or 9th pro fight I fought someone in their back yard and knocked them out. You know that’s all I wanted to do, I always wanted to go in and be the underdog, nothing to lose, everything to gain.”
Oleksandr Gvozdyk
“I’m very excited and I had good preparation and I understand that the opponent is very hard and we will see what happens on Saturday night. He is the best opponent in fights so far.
“It’s normal every fighter is supposed to be nervous before a fight and if you’re or maybe you’re crazy or maybe your blind you know of course but not so much it’s just regular for me.
“I like Oxnard. I like our gym you know now we have big boxing gym Egis like brought all the fighters, now it’s like a lot of people in the gym its funny. It’s not boring.
“I know him (Lomanchecko) for a while maybe since 2009 I knew him before but I know him personally like 2009 we was from the same Olympic national team. We were at the world championships together. He is my very good and close friend.
“You know I just going to do my same job just try to keep him and not get hit with punches.”
Isaac Chilemba
“If you are asking about power, you are asking the wrong person. Power doesn’t bother me. When I go into the fight I don’t think about how much power my opponent has. I might get hit but I don’t take a minute to think about how strong my opponent is.
“I will do whatever it takes to win. Roy Jones Jr. and me make a great team. Roy is a champion and I want to become champion. I watched Roy fight when I was younger. When I started boxing I tried to fight like Roy. I have really enjoyed working with him and I am really looking forward to the fight.
“This is every fighter’s dream to fight in Las Vegas because this is where big fights are happening. I am really glad I am here. I am happy.
“Camp was great. I had a really good time training with Roy. We worked on a lot of new things. I am stronger now.”
Maurice Hooker
“Darleys Perez is a good fighter. He’s a world champion and it takes a lot of hard work to get there. To me, he is a boxer, but I’m tall and long, and I will keep him to the outside and outbox him. He has someone who punches really hard like me. Perez is 32. He’s going to do what he has done to get himself here so far. Why change that now? If he does, I’m going to make him pay for it.
“I’m so ready! My last two fights came as first round knockouts and this will be my third fight this year so why not go for another first round knockout? My first fight, this year, they said was a step up… I knocked him out. The last fight, they said was a step up… I knocked him out. Now, this fight is another step up, a real test… I’m going to knock him out.
“I’m ready to show the world who I am. I’m Maurice Hooker… Mighty Mo Power! I’m excited to be on this card, it’s a big card… it’s a big fight, and I can’t wait to watch the main event between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward as well on Saturday night!”
