season and reached the 20-goal plateau for a 17th time in his career | Forum
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Feb 3 '19
As unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev prepared for his defense against Isaac Chilemba, he said he did not allow himself to think about the next fight against Andre Ward, and he certainly did not want to talk about him when asked repeatedly by the media. White UA Stephen Curry 1 .Indeed, Kovalev went into the ring with Chilemba knowing Kovalev and Ward, the undefeated former super middleweight champion, have a signed contract for an HBO PPV fight on Nov. 19 at the T-Mobile Arena.But once Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) dispatched Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in a tougher-than-expected fashion Monday in front of a sold-out crowd of about 5,000 at the DIVS Sports Palace in Ekaterinburg, Russia, about 120 miles from Kovalevs hometown of Chelyabinsk, he allowed himself to think about the Ward fight.My promoter (Kathy Duva of Main Events) and manager (Egis Klimas) chose a fighter that is similar to Andre Wards style, so that I will be prepared for the fight with Ward, Kovalev said during his post-fight news conference. When they told me that my opponent would be Chilemba because his style is similar to Andre Wards style, I was thinking to myself whats so similar to his style? Their height is different, so at first I didnt see much.But after the fight I realize that, in fact, he does have similar style to Andre Wards -- waiting out and counterattacks. He is not going in much. He waits in defense and waits for the right moment.Although Kovalev, who retained his 175-pound title for the eighth time, had some problems with Chilembas style, he did knock him down with a mean right hand late in the seventh round and won his Russian homecoming fight via scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 116-111.But this was as shaky as Kovalev has looked in his career. Perhaps he was distracted by the overwhelming outpouring of support for his first fight in Russia as a world titleholder or the fact that the fight was taking place at the same arena where his opponent, Roman Simakov, died from head injuries suffered in their 2011 fight.Whatever it was, Kovalev is going to have to be a lot better to deal with the skills Ward possesses.Andre Wards got different timing. Hes faster with his legs, Kovalev said. Hes not only good in defense but also he can attack. He has some defensive tricks. His defense is more modernized. He can feel his competitor better. Hes got better reaction. He also has good experience. After all, he is an Olympic champion -- the last American (male) champion at the Olympics (in 2004).Moreover, he is undefeated. This adds a kind of psychological pressure. He is the best in all the categories. But talking of power he is not a crusher. We have two different styles. So that is the difference between (Ward and Chilemba). They are counterpunchers.Most expected Kovalev to knock out Chilemba, but other than the knockdown, which was right at the end of the round, he was never in any real trouble.If it wasnt the end of the round I would have pursued to actively attack him, Kovalev said. But because the bell rang, we rested and he managed to pull himself together and I didnt want to waste my energy. He is very experienced and had as many fights as myself and with boxers of the highest level. There was no aim to knock him out, but the main aim was to gain experience from this fight for the next fight in November in Las Vegas.While Kovalev is safely through to the November fight, Ward (29-0, 15 KOs) is not there yet. He first will fight at Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland, California, on Aug. 6 (HBO) when he meets little-known Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KOs), of Colombia. Kovalev plans to be ringside.Ward is used to fighting in Oakland, so he has dealt with the pressures of hometown events many times. Duva said she was a little concerned about Kovalev going into the Chilemba bout because he had not done so yet in a title fight; he has been based in the United States as a pro. But she was certainly relieved he dealt with it even though it was not his best performance.The toughest fight is always the one right before the big one and for a road warrior like Sergey the toughest fight is the one at home, Duva said. Sergey had both.On top of that Isaac Chilemba fought the fight of his career. Isaac deserves all the credit in the world for going 12 rounds with the Krusher. This is the type of tough fight Sergey needed to prepare for Andre Ward. Like the great champion he is, Sergey overcame all these obstacles and won. Gold UA Stephen Curry 2 .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. Blue UA Stephen Curry 4 . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. http://www.cheapuastephencurry.com/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. DENVER -- Patrick Roys time and tirades on the Colorado Avalanche bench are simply a memory.There was no choice for the team but to turn the page on the Hall of Fame goaltender turned coach who surprisingly stepped away two months ago over disagreements within the organization.In steps Jared Bednar, a career minor-league player whos getting his first NHL chance as a head coach.It hasnt taken Bednar long to earn the respect of the players with his even-keel demeanor and firm belief in a system that focuses on speed, organization, defense and more speed, which seems ideal for a crew that includes Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog.Were going to play faster, said MacKinnon, the 21-year-old forward who signed a seven-year, $44.1 million deal in the offseason. It will be a faster, quicker game, which is how you win nowadays.Roys departure definitely caught the team off guard. They tied a franchise mark with 52 wins in Roys first season before losing in the first round of the postseason. Really, though, who can forget Roy pushing through a glass partition to get to then-Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau in his debut.The team faltered the last two years, missing the playoffs, and Roy resigned as coach and vice president of hockey operations on Aug. 11. Roy had split control with executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic, a former teammate.Everybody was surprised, for sure, just with the timing of it, defenseman Tyson Barrie said.Bednar definitely knows his hockey, even if this is his first NHL coaching gig. He led the Lake Erie Monsters, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, to the 2016 Calder Cup title. He also guided the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL to the 2009 Kelly Cup.Theres a lot of excitement among us guys to have him at the helm, said Joe Colborne, a free agent acquisition who had 19 goals for Calgary last season.Bednar has plenty to work with -- speedy forwards, veteran leadership (Francois Beauchemin, Jarome Iginla), a blue line that includes Erik Johnson and Barrie, along with the talented goalie tandem of Semmyon Varlamov and Calvin Pickard. Red UA Stephen Curry 5. MacKinnon appears primed for a big season under Bednar as he entered camp 15 pounds lighter and a whole lot more confident after helping Team North America to a good showing at the World Cup of Hockey. Hes adjusting well to his new coach.He came from the bottom of pro hockey up to the NHL. Thats pretty cool, MacKinnon said.Things to know before Colorado begins the season Oct. 15 by hosting Dallas:BETTER STARTS: Colorado put an emphasis on the preseason. Thats right, the preseason. The Avs have struggled in exhibition games the last two years and its spilled over into the regular season. Theyre trying to guard against that happening again.Our starts have been pretty average-to-bad, said Barrie, who signed a four-year, $22 million deal in the offseason. Thats going to be a huge focus for us and I think the coaches know that.GOALTENDERS: Varlamov will be the starter, but Pickard should receive quite a bit of work, too. Varlamov is looking to bounce back from a season in which he went 27-25-3 with a 2.81 goals-against average.QUICK HEALER: Duchene banged up his shoulder in practice while helping Team Canada to a gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey. He had two goals and two assists for Canada.Its going to linger for a bit, but its feeling good, Duchene told reporters after his return to town.MILE HIGH RETURN: Colborne and some of his new teammates have quickly bonded by attending a Denver Broncos game and a few Colorado Rockies contests.I already feel like Ive been here for a long time on this team, said Colborne, who played college hockey down the road at the University of Denver.JUST A NUMBER: At 39, Iginla feels better than ever. He played in all 82 games last season and reached the 20-goal plateau for a 17th time in his career. This season, hes vowing to be even more physical.Ive always been a power forward with a little bit of finesse, Iginla said. 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