By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Michael Yormark, Roc Nation's President & Chief of Branding and Strategy, is predicting a dominating performance by his fighter Andre Ward - who on Saturday night will challenge Sergey Kovalev for the IBF, WBO, WBA light heavyweight titles at the T-Mobile Arena.
Ward (30-0, 15KOs) vs. Kovalev (30-0, 26KOs) will headline an HBO Pay-Per-View.
Last year, Ward signed a very lucrative deal with Roc Nation Sport. The fight with Kovalev is his fourth bout under their banner after parting ways with his longtime promoter, the late Dan Goossen.
On paper, the fight is as close as you can get to a 50-50 encounter. In the last two weeks, a large potion of the media is shifting in the direction of a Ward win by decision - but, many of them have been influenced by Kovalev's struggles in his victory over Isaac Chilemba back in July.
Yormark sees the fight only going one way, with Ward using his boxing ability to pick Kovalev apart for the entire contest.
"Honesty is the best policy. So I'm going to start this off with a giant dose of honesty," Yormark said.
"The only thing standing between an undefeated record and boxing immortality is each other. That adds a layer of distaste and a very sharp edge to a fight that is already set to be an absolute classic. My perspective on this fight is pretty simple. Saturday night is going to be a tough night for Sergey, when he is systematically picked apart by the world's best pound for pound boxer, Andre Ward."
"I've known Andre for quite a few years, and I've never seen him more focused, more determined, more motivated and more prepared for the biggest fight in his career. These moments are the ones that generational athletes live for and they dream about. This is an opportunity to make history, to write the latest chapter in Andre's legend, and frankly, close the book on Sergey's. Make no mistake about it, Team Ward has come to Vegas to win, and to walk out of Sin City with three-I repeat, three-new championship belts. Boxing needs a fight like this, two undefeated fighters in their prime. Edges sharpened by natural competitiveness, as well as an utter dislike. Fighting on the world's biggest stage at T-Mobile Arena, and on HBO Pay-Per-View. It doesn't get any better or bigger. Epic is the only word to describe it, and as a life-long boxing fan, I am thrilled to be a first-hand witness."
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