Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev are two of the best boxers in the world, and after 12 rounds of fighting in November, they’re back for 12 more after a narrow first meeting. Billed as “The Rematch,” the fight will decide the unified WBA, WBO, IBF and vacant The Ring light heavyweight titles.
Ward vs Kovalev: Start time, TV schedule for pay-per-view fight
One of the biggest fights of the year is set for HBO pay-per-view on Saturday, and it’s between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Saturday’s HBO pay-per-view will begin at 9 p.m. ET and can be ordered through your cable, satellite, or other television provider. It can also be purchased online via HBO Boxing. The pay-per-view will cover the main event and three premier undercard bouts.
A live stream of two freeview fights will be available at the HBO Boxing YouTube channel beginning at 7 p.m. Those fights pit a couple of young, undefeated prospects against some proven veterans, and we’ll talk about them more below.
Ward won the first fight against Kovalev, a narrow decision that was 114-113, 114-113, 114-113 on the judges’ scorecards. It was a unanimous decision that many had a problem with. Kovalev didn’t dominate by any stretch, but he did convince many experts that he won the fight.
Kovalev’s team thinks it was a hometown decision, while Ward’s team is confident he did enough to win. It was a great fight, with Kovalev handing Ward the second knockdown of his career early in the second round. But Ward did battle back and frustrated Kovalev in later rounds.
Many expected Ward to control the fight from the onset. He’s a technical striker and can often frustrate his opponents into making mistakes early. But Kovalev, the more potent knockout artist, found Ward’s chin early and the fight went in a different direction then.
The freeview will feature undefeated prospect Tramaine Williams (10-0, 3 KOs) taking on Christopher Martin (30-8-3, 10 KOs). The other fight will pit another undefeated, Vaughn Alexander (9-0, 6 KOs), against Fabiano Pena (16-7-1, 13 KOs).
The pay-per-view undercard features a super bantamweight fight between Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs) and Moises Flores (25-0-1 (17 KOs). Rigondeaux is one of the most exciting technical boxers in the sport, and while he’s favored over Flores, he should be tested, which many have been clamoring to see.
Below is all you need to know to watch Saturday’s card, and below that is the full fight card for the evening.
All Times Eastern
How to watch Ward vs. Kovalev II
Date: June 17, 2017
Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 9 p.m.
TV: HBO pay-per-view
Online Streaming: HBO Boxing YouTube (Freeview undercard)
Kovalev vs. Ward II HBO Boxing fight card
PPV Main Card (9 p.m.)
Light Heavyweight: Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev
Super Bantamweight: Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Moises Flores
Middleweight: Luis Arias vs. Arif Magomedov
Light Heavyweight: Dmitry Bivol vs. Cedric Agnew
Freeview Undercard (7 p.m.)
Featherweight: Tramaine Williams vs. Christopher Martin
Middleweight: Fabiano Pena vs. Vaughn Alexander
Untelevised Undercard
Super Middleweight: Junior Younan vs. Zoltan Sera
Welterweight: Enriko Gogokhia vs. Jonathan Steele
Middleweight: Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Alex Sandro Duarte
Super Lightweight: John Bauza vs. Tyrome Jones
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