Sergey Kovalev earns unanimous decision victory in final tuneup for Andre Ward
Light heavyweight star Sergey Kovalev wasn't at his best on Monday, but still was able to earn a unanimous decision win over Isaac Chilemba
•
2 min read
WBA/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) held up his end of the deal with Andre Ward (29-0-0, 15 KOs) by disposing of Isaac Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in Russia on Monday in his final fight before the highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout in November.
For "Krusher," the win was needed and he was convincing despite the lack of fireworks we've grown accustomed to seeing from the Russian star. For a fighter known for his incredible knockout percentage -- 26 KOs in his 29 fights coming into Monday -- Kovalev had to settle for out-pointing the challenger on the judges scorecards on Monday, partially due to Chilemba's tremendous chin and partially due to a strong game plan from the challenger.
The way Chilemba was able to keep Kovalev's thunderous right hand in check is something that Ward will want to study and try to improve on. Avoiding the right hand and forcing Kovalev into being a defensive fighter is the goal, and Chilemba was fairly effective early on before running into problems in the seventh round when he was floored by a combination coming after a body shot. It was the only knockdown of the night and that 10-8 round for Kovalev was the one that really opened up a sizable gap on the judges cards and made the final few rounds relatively comfortable for him, despite the best efforts from Chilemba.
This fight won't end up on any Kovalev highlight reels as he wasn't quite his dominant self, but for him to pick up a win in his first return to Russia for a fight since 2011 -- before he held a major world title -- and do so in convincing fashion was an important hurdle for him to clear ahead of Ward.
We'll need to see the old Kovalev, the one that stopped seven of eight opponents since taking the WBO light heavyweight title in 2013, against Ward in November for him to take down the highly-skilled foe. As strange as it may sound, fighting back in the U.S. in Las Vegas rather than fighting in his home country may be just what Kovalev needs to regain the form we know he can have.
As for Ward, he can look at what Chilemba did to stay on his feet until the final bell -- Chilemba has still yet to be knocked out in his career -- and try to improve upon it by applying more offensive pressure throughout the fight. Chilemba's power posed little threat to Kovalev, so if Ward can implement a similar defensive game plan and then throw bigger combos to push Kovalev back he could earn some of the late rounds on the cards that Chilemba lost as he faded.
Before he shifts all his focus to Kovalev, Ward must take care of Alexander Brand in his final tuneup in early August, but as the heavy favorite the outcome feels like little more than a formality at this point. Kovalev-Ward will be one of the biggest fights of the year and Monday's performance by Kovalev in Russia should have both fighters confident heading in.
For Ward, he was provided with a possible blueprint to taking a fight with Kovalev into the deep rounds and to the judges scorecards, which is no easy feat. For Kovalev, he showed that he can win convincingly even when his power punching is somewhat neutralized.
