By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Sergey Kovalev still isn’t convinced Andre Ward will fight him again.
The former light heavyweight champion told a group of reporters before a press conference Monday morning in Manhattan that he’s worried Ward will withdraw from the rematch they were there to promote. Ward (31-0, 15 KOs), who narrowly won their first fight by unanimous decision November 19, is scheduled to face Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) a second time June 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
“A week or two before the fight, he might say he has an injury and not fight me,” Kovalev said.
When asked why Ward would do that, Kovalev added, “Because he’s scared. They didn’t respond to our emails, to our calls, until the end of February. That tells me something.”
Ward wouldn’t get into a war of words with Kovalev when he was told of the Russian contender’s comments.
“Guys, listen, I could say a lot of things about him,” Ward said. “I could throw a lot of things against the wall and see if it sticks. I have a track record. This isn’t my first rodeo. Like I’m not getting caught up in that.
“You’ve gotta see me June 17th. Let’s simplify it – you’ve gotta see me June 17th. You got what you asked for. And like I told him, leave the excuses at home this time.”
The unbeaten IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion acknowledged Monday that he seriously contemplated retirement after defeating Kovalev in their first fight. The Hayward, California, native scoffed at the idea, though, that what occurred during their first bout somehow spooked him about getting into the ring with Kovalev again.
“You’ve gotta realize I’ve been boxing for 23 years,” Ward said. “I just fought this man for 12 rounds and, contrary to what may be out there, there’s nothing scary about him. He didn’t knock me down in the ninth and 10th round, and I’m holding on for dear life, and, ‘Oh, my God! I barely made it.’
“He knocked me down in the second round. And if you watch the rest of that fight, I didn’t go into survival mode. I didn’t go into self-preservation mode. I went into ‘It’s-gonna-be-me-or-you’ mode, and I don’t feel like ‘The Krusher’ responded the way that many thought he was gonna respond.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
