By Igor Lazorin, tass
Sergey Kovalev has made a few adjustments after suffering his first career defeat last November, in his first meeting with Andre Ward.
The fight, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, saw Ward get off the floor to win a very close twelve round unanimous decision - and with the victory he captured Kovalev's IBF, WBA, WBO light heavyweight titles.
There was a rematch clause, which Kovalev exercised, and the second helping has been scheduled for June 17th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will carry the fight.
While Kovalev controlled the first half of the contest, he seemed to lose control in the second half and Ward began to rally down the stretch. All three of the official judges scored the fight for Ward by a single point, 114-113.
Afterwards, Kovalev admitted to getting tired in the late rounds of the contest. For the ongoing training camp, he added a Russian physical strength and conditioning coach to the team, which is led by head trainer John David Jackson.
According to Kovalev, the addition of a veteran conditioning coach from his home country has done wonders in training camp.
"The team is the same as it was before, except for the conditioning coach," said Kovalev. "With Alexander Mikhailovich, I'm working with him for the first time and I can say that I like his professionalism. Everything is coming together for June 17 and then everyone will see the result of our hard work."
Currently, Kovalev is training with his team in Oxnard, California.
Kovalev is coming in with a record of 30 wins (26 by knockout), one loss and one draw. For his part, Ward has a record of 31 victories (15 by knockout) and no losses.
Ward-Kovalev 2: "The Rematch," a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight World Championships, is presented by Roc Nation Sports, Main Events, Andre Ward Promotions, Krusher Promotions and Corona Extra, sponsored by Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and Powered by Monster. The championship event takes place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for Ward-Kovalev 2: "The Rematch" are available on axs.com and at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office.