By Miguel Rivera
Light heavyweight contender Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26KOs) regrets that he allowed Andre Ward (31-0, 15KOs) to reach the final bell last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ward recovered from a knockdown in the second round to win a controversial twelve round decision to capture Kovalev's WBA, WBO, IBF light heavyweight championships.
The three official judges had it for Ward by one point, 114-113, but there were many fans and many ringside observers who disagreed with the outcome. Many had Kovalev winning with scores of 115-112 and 114-113.
There is an immediate rematch clause, which Kovalev will exercise in immediate fashion. He says there is no way that Ward can step around the contractual clause which binds him to the rematch agreement. The only way Ward can take an interim-fight is if both sides agree, but even that won't eliminate Kovalev's option for the rematch.
"Of course [a rematch will happen]. We sign a contract a long time ago. In the contract it has a paragraph that he must give me rematch if he will get [a win] fairly or not fairly. But when the rematch will happen I'm not sure. Maybe in the first part of 2017," Kovalev told Fox Deportes.
"I already said that if he's a real champion, if he really thinks he won this fight - then prove this [with a rematch]."
Kovalev says that he learned his lesson in the first fight, by not aggressively pursuing a knockout victory. In the rematch, he is not focused on winning the match by decision. He plans to throw caution to the wind by going for a knockout from the very first round.
"Of course [I'm going for a knockout in the rematch]. I now understand that if I do not knock him out - the victory can be robbed," Kovalev said.
