Kovalev: No Plans To Leave 175, Even With Andre Ward Win

By Igor Lazorin, tass

IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev has no plans to change his weight class. 

Kovalev will return to the ring on July 11th in Yekaterinburg against Isaac Chilemba. The fight is viewed as a stay busy contest for Kovalev to prepare for a fall showdown with Olympic gold medal winner Andre Ward.

The showdown with Ward has a tentative date of November 19th, on HBO Pay-Per-View, in the United States. The bout is regarded as one of the best fights to be made in 2016. Both fighters have signed on for the contest.

Beyond a fight with Ward, most of the fighters at 175-pounds are handled by manager/adviser Al Haymon, who does no business with Kovalev's promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events.

Kovalev is going to remain at light heavyweight heading into 2017, with his eye of the WBC championship owned by Adonis Stevenson. 

"I have no plans to change my weight class in the event of a victory over Ward. I'm going to stay [at 175] and defend my titles," Kovalev said.

Kovalev will likely remain at 175 for as long as physically possible. A move to cruiserweight is the biggest jump in the sport - a full leap of 25-pounds to a division where the max weight is 200 and some fighters rehdyrate by as much as 15-pounds on fight night.

Ward has an undefeated record of 29 wins (15 by KO) and no losses. Kovalev has a record of 29 wins (26 by KO) with no defeats.