Andre Ward has started his training camp for his rabidly anticipated November 19 fight against unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev on HBO Pay-Per-View. Here are some early soundbites from Ward’s camp, which The Living Daylights received via press release from HBO.
No fight currently scheduled during the remaining months of 2016 is as intriguing, competitive and meaningful as Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 19. Although the build-up to Kovalev-Ward has been excruciating, it is a genuinely — and far too rare — marquee match-up.
Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward is also fascinating because of both fighters’ mercurial natures. It’s rare to get such an elite, Pay-Per-View bout where both combatants inspire virtually nothing in boxing fans. Indeed, Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) are top pound-for-pound fighters, but they fail to resonate or captivate beyond the sport’s inner circle.
Maybe that has something to do with Kovalev’s tired terminator persona and the highly suspect content that spews out of his mouth every time he opens it, or Ward’s petulance when it came to curating (yes, “curating” seems appropriate here) his agonizing comeback. Maybe finally fighting each other will change this. Or maybe not.
Regardless, the fight itself is more than worthy of detailed coverage and the inordinate Pay-Per-View cost — the latter being a genuine rarity. And now, with both Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward in the midst of their respective training camps, the fight that seemed so agonizingly out of reach finally feels real.
“I’ve been in pre-camp mode for weeks now following my last fight, and have been mentally preparing for the work ahead of me,” Ward said. “It’s an exciting feeling to be in full camp mode, where I can dedicate 100% of my mind, body and soul to the battle I am about to face. This is a fight that we have been working up to since last spring. The game plan hasn’t changed. I am here and I am ready.”
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Nothing new here from Andre Ward, who has mastered an impressive array of platitudes. The interesting thing about Ward, though, is that his singular focus is genuine. Brin-Jonathan Butler explored this in a tremendous feature on Ward, which also delves into the paradox of how a truly great fighter can inspire so little — whether positive or negative — in fans.
Andre Ward’s focus is also embodied by Virgil Hunter, his intelligent and stoic trainer.
“No one beats Andre Ward when it comes to training camp,” Hunter said. “We’re going into camp with the mentality of another day, another fight, another win. His strive for perfection, work ethic and consistency is what makes him a champion.”
There appears to be a uniquely analytical and almost spiritual quality to Andre Ward and Virgil Hunter’s partnership, which has produced an undefeated run rapidly approaching two decades. Should Ward soundly defeat Kovalev, it will confirm what many boxing fans suspect: Yes, Ward is that good — we’d just sort of forgotten. Who do you think wins Ward-Kovalev? Let us know in the comments section below.
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