It didn’t take long for Sergey Kovalev to get into the ring last night after Andre Ward’s final tune up fight ahead of the pair’s long awaited light-heavyweight showdown.

Ward defeated Alexander Brand with ease in a 12 round shut out and HBO had Kovalev waiting in the wings ringside to come into the ring once the fight ended.

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Interestingly in the interview, aside from the usual pre-fight hype quotes and both saying they are ready for the fight, Kovalev said to Max Kellerman that he believes his fight will with Ward will play out like his last fight:

“The fight against Chilemba was similar to how it’s going to be against Andre Ward. He is a very great champion and he proved this today. I just want to say let’s do this on November 19th.”

If this is the case, it could be rather grim for Kovalev.

Kovalev’s last performance against Issac Chilemba was regarded by most fans as been an under-par one from the ‘Krusher’, who got tagged more than he would have liked in the bout, also struggling at times to cut the ring down and land on the slippery Chilemba.

He did enough on that night in Russia however to get the ‘W’, but Andre Ward represents a significant step up in skill level and class from Chilemba.

Then again though, it could have just been an off night for Kovalev. After all, everyone is entitled to an off night every now and again.

As things stand, opinion may have shifted slightly towards Ward as favourite in the November 19th showdown, but don’t write off a man as powerful and determined as Kovalev – who has also shown excellent boxing skills in the past.

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Here’s the full post-fight interview with the two men last night via HBO: