Kovalev: Chilemba Was Very Important in Preparing For Ward

By Ryan Burton

WBO/WBA/IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-0, 26KOs) was ringside for Andre Ward's 12 round rout of Alexander Brand this past Saturday night in Oakland, Calif. The two unbeaten light heavyweights will now collide on November 19th on HBO pay-per-view.

Kovalev felt that Ward (30-0, 15KOs) had a great performance against Brand but feels that he will bring even more to the table when the meet in the ring.

"He is a champion. I can't say very much more than that. What I saw today was a good performance versus Alexander Brand and I know that Andre will be much better in our fight on November 19th," said Kovalev.

The power-punching Kovalev last fought on July 11th when he defeated Isaac Chilemba via unanimous decision in Russia.  While Chilemba isn't a carbon-copy of Ward, Kovalev feels that the top 10 rated fighter was the perfect tune up to get ready for Ward's defensive prowess.

Kovalev dropped Chilemba in the 7th round and won the majority of the rounds on the scorecards but didn't blow through him like has recent opponents.

"Chilemba is not an easy opponent. He is a good fighter, a sneaky opponent. He is a very uncomfortable style for me but I won the fight and I am very proud of what I did in front of my fans and in my hometown. It was an important fight and helped me get ready for Ward," Kovalev told BoxingScene.com.

The venue for Kovalev-Ward will likely be announced this week along with ticket information. In a recent interview with BoxingScene.com's Keith Idec, Main Events' CEO Kathy Duva said it will take place at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

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