Why Kovalev-Ward Is Pay Per View Worthy
By: Sean Crose

First things first – Andre Ward is talented. Very talented. Supremely talented. Here is one the best combat sports athletes in the world. Just how renowned is the man called “Son of God”? Well, renowned bad boy and MMA bad ass Nate Diaz has nothing but love for the man. That’s right, the guy who shut the loudmouthed Conor McGregor up – at least temporarily – is a huge Andre Ward fan. Sure, Diaz has helped train Ward by acting as a sparring partner for the guy, but the fondness goes beyond professional courtesy. Mastery of a craft, after all, is mastery of respect.

Onto Ward’s opponent this Saturday night in Vegas, one Sergey Kovalev. The Russian light heavyweight champion is, for lack of a better word, scary. Seriously, the dude’s frightening. He seems to get off, at least at times, on hurting people, and although he’s not proud of it, he’s already killed a man due to his ring acumen. He also has a far, far greater skill set than many think he does. He’s also, for what it’s worth, a pretty good guy to speak with. Still, speaking with a guy who can literally knock you out with a jab is a far cry from having to face the man in the ring.

Make no mistake about it, Kovalev-Ward is a major fight. What’s more, it’s a relevant fight. And that’s why it’s hard for me to complain that the bout is going to be aired via pay per view rather than on pay cable. Seriously gang, if this bout doesn’t deserve to be on pay per view, then what bout does? Neither of these men may be the pound for pound best fighter on earth – but then again, one of them may indeed be. That counts for something. Or at least it should. Truth be told, the fight might not even be exciting. And honestly, I don’t care.

If Ward can slick his way past Kovalev, it will still be worth it for me. Why? Because I will see an athlete of the highest order performing at the highest level. Of course, the same will ring true if Kovalev dusts Ward in exciting fashion. Seriously, this is a no-lose situation. This fight, to me at least, sums up what boxing should be all about. In other words, it promises to answer the simple question of who the better man is. And when a question is being answered at this kind of level, you most certainly can count me in.

This here is a big one.

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