Sergey Kovalev

My 2017 Wish List

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Image: My 2017 Wish List

By Gav Duthie: There is an air of expectation for an exciting 2017 as some big fights have already been announced. Two unification bouts have been organised by Eddie Hearn with Anthony Joshua taking on Wladimir Klitschko (WBA, IBF heavyweight) and James DeGale faces Badou Jack (WBC, IBF super middleweight).

A third unification bout will also take place between Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman to be shown on Al Haymon’s PBC. Add this to likely rematches between Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz and Andre Ward v Sergey Kovalev we are off to a great start. To attempt to make 2017 a perfect year here is my boxing wish list for the next 12 months.

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Andre Ward undecided on Kovalev rematch

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Image: Andre Ward undecided on Kovalev rematch

By Allan Fox: Now that Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) has beaten Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) to win his IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight titles, he isn’t sure whether he’ll return to the ring for the rematch. Ward isn’t sure whether there’s any point in facing Kovalev again. He says if he did fight him again, it would be to prove to Kovalev and his team members that he could beat him again.

A lot of fans think Ward is running from Kovalev, and wants no part of having to fight him again and possibly losing. The fans think that Ward is afraid of the adjustments that Kovalev will make for the rematch, because he’ll surely be ready for the inside holding and wrestling that Ward will likely use in the rematch.

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Beterbiev and Kovalev gunning for Andre Ward

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Image: Beterbiev and Kovalev gunning for Andre Ward

By Allan Fox: Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) is now in the hot seat with his close/controversial 12 round unanimous decision win over former IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) on November 19 last year Not only is Kovalev gunning for Ward’s titles in a badly wanted rematch, but also unbeaten #2 IBF Artur Beterbiev (11-0, 11 KOs), who will be facing the winner of the Ward-Kovalev 2 fight unless the winner chooses to vacate the IBF belt.

Ward had this message on his Twitter over the weekend:

”They might act like it didn’t happen, but I’m here to tell you it did! What a year! Not just in the ring, but my life,”

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Froch: Golovkin should go to 175 for Andre Ward

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Image: Froch: Golovkin should go to 175 for Andre Ward

By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch isn’t letting go of the idea of him wanting middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) to move up in weight to fight IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Andre “SOG” Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) in 2017. In the past, Froch spoke of wanting Golovkin to move up to 168 to fight Ward, which meant Golovkin would move up one weight class to fight him at super middleweight.

Froch now wants Golovkin to move up TWO weight classes to face him at 175. As such, the much smaller Golovkin would be coming up in weight 15 pounds to face a guy with a much larger frame than him in Ward.

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Kovalev could add Russian coach for Ward rematch

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Image: Kovalev could add Russian coach for Ward rematch

By Allan Fox: Former IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) is talking about potentially adding a Russian coach to his training team to get him ready for his rematch against Andre Ward (31-0, 15 Kos) in 2017. Kovalev is reportedly interested in adding former Russian Olympic coach Nikolai Khromov to his team. Khromov trained the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Russian Olympic boxing teams.

The rematch still isn’t set, but it’s expected to take place in the first half of the New Year. Kovalev isn’t saying he’s going to boot his trainer John David Jackson, but he is talking about wanting to add another coach.

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Beterbiev targeting Ward-Kovalev winner

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Image: Beterbiev targeting Ward-Kovalev winner

By Allan Fox: Artur Beterbiev (11-0, 11 KOs) is poised to take over the light heavyweight division in 2017 when he faces the winner of the Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev fight. Beterbiev destroyed contender Isidro Ranoni Prieto (26-2-3, 22 KOs) in 1 round last Friday night at the Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau, Quebec.

The victory showed how great of a puncher Beterbiev is on the inside, and he’s not someone that can be mauled like we saw with Kovalev in his fight against Ward. The inside smothering, mauling and wrestling tactics of Ward would likely be completely effective with Beterbiev.

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Kovalev’s manager: Ward must prove himself in rematch

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Image: Kovalev’s manager: Ward must prove himself in rematch

By Allan Fox: Egis Klimas, the manager for former light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, says that Andre Ward must face Kovalev in the rematch for him to prove that he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in boxing like he thinks he is.

Klimas points out that a lot of the fans believe that Ward lost his fight against Kovalev on November 19, and he needs to show that he’s the clear No.1 by fighting him again. Ward beat Kovalev by a narrow margin on all three of the judges’ scorecards in winning by the scores 114-113, 114-113 and 114-113.

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Andre Ward wants Kovalev to admit that he lost

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Image: Andre Ward wants Kovalev to admit that he lost

By Allan Fox: One month after his highly contested 12 round unanimous decision win over IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward says he thinks that Kovalev should admit that he was beaten by him in their fight on November 19 last month.

Ward says it makes Kovalev look bad that a month later he’s still making excuses and not willing to give him credit for his victory over him. Kovalev still believes that HE should have won the decision in that fight, and that the judges got it wrong in giving the 32-year-old Ward the victory by a 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 114-113 x 3.

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Ward says Kovalev must mentally bounce back for rematch

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Image: Ward says Kovalev must mentally bounce back for rematch

By Allan Fox: Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) claims that Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) was mentally broken by him in losing by a close 12 round decision last month on November 19. Ward says that for Kovalev to be able to comeback from the loss, he’s going to need to come back mentally from the defeat.

Ward, 32, isn’t sure that Kovalev can come back. He sees him making excuses about his loss rather than acknowledging where he failed he failed to adjust. Kovalev doesn’t look like he’s falling apart in his interviews after the fight. He just seemed to be under the impression that he’s going to need to take the judges out of the equation in the rematch by knocking Ward out.

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Joe Smith Jr. wants Ward-Kovalev winner after Hopkins fight

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Image: Joe Smith Jr. wants Ward-Kovalev winner after Hopkins fight

By Jeff Aranow: Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) says his goal for tonight’s fight is to pressure the 51-year-old Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) from the outset and look to make him look like an old man when he gets inside the ring with him in their fight at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Smith Jr. wants to fight the winner of the Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward rematch. The best way to make that happen is to beat Hopkins and beat him in style by knocking him out. Smith Jr. wants to send Hopkins into retirement off of a knockout loss.

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