LAS VEGAS -- Unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev and former super middleweight world champion Andre Ward have been among the best in boxing for the past several years, but when they fight each other in a bout that could crown a new pound-for-pound king on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it will be the first appearance for both of them on pay-per-view, where the true riches are for fighters -- if they can sell themselves and their event.
Both boxers have contracts with HBO, which has been building up to this fight for the past 18 months with each fighting two interim bouts this year. Kovalev had title defenses against Jean Pascal in January and Isaac Chilemba in July. Ward routed Sullivan Barrera in March and Alexander Brand in August as he got used to fighting at 175 pounds after moving up in weight.
None of those interim bouts were must-see TV. Kovalev and Ward were enormous favorites and wound up winning easily and with no drama and little excitement.
But now Kovalev and Ward will have a chance to see if fans are willing to shell out an extra $60 or so to see them ply their trade against each other in an A-plus matchup with Kovalev's three world title belts on the line. It's viewed by many as a 50-50 fight with the winner potentially garnering support to take over boxing's No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking.
Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), who will be making his ninth title defense, said he is excited to perform on pay-per-view for the first time and that while he trained the way he always does, there was a lot more promotional work for this bout than a non-PPV fight -- not that he is complaining.
"Sure, HBO Pay-Per-View is very important to me; this is big deal," Kovalev said. "This is my first pay-per-view fight. I think all fighters' goal is to be a pay-per-view fighter, but it takes hard work and not everybody can do this. For this fight I did more interviews than before because we want to get more fans, but this is part of my job."
The additional media demands made it a bit more difficult because Kovalev, 33, is from Russia and although he has lived for several years in the United States -- first in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and now in Los Angeles -- English does not come easily to him, although it has improved dramatically over time.
"I am still learning English. I try to learn more all the time. I am more used to this now, so it becomes little more easy speaking English for interviews," Kovalev said. "I know it's important because I want fans to come to T-Mobile Arena and to buy pay-per-view to watch my fight against Andre Ward. Media is only difference this time because this is such big fight. I do every training camp in same way.
"First, I go to physical training in Big Bear (California), I run, ride bike, lift weights, I exercise and stretch to get in shape. After physical training I go to boxing training camp. I spar and I work with my coach, John David Jackson, in boxing ring. My sparring partners change, but most of the time my training is same."
Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) is not only fighting on pay-per-view for the first time, he will also be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time in his 12-year professional career, something he has wanted for years.
Still, Ward, 32, of Oakland, California, said his approach is the same, regardless of whether the fight was a regular HBO bout or a much more hyped fight on pay-per-view against a top opponent.
"Mentally, it's honestly the same to me," Ward said. "Obviously there's a lot at stake and it's a different challenge, moving up in weight, pay-per-view, all of those things make it a little bit different. Whether it's Alexander Brand or Sergey Kovalev, I approach every situation the same way. I wouldn't be able to get to this level and stay at this level if I checked in and checked out.
"It's the same dedication and it's the same work. For me it's about trying to be the best in a sport where there's little room for error. I understand that every time I step into the ring and leads to me making sure I prepare accordingly."
Main Events and Roc Nation Sports, the co-promoters of the card, have high expectations for the pay-per-view sales, at least publicly. There are many who believe, however, that even though it is a superb matchup between two of boxing's best, it won't translate into big sales -- maybe 300,000 if the stars aligned -- because neither fighter has a huge fan base.
There is always a battle for the attention and money from fans, but as good of a match as Kovalev-Ward is, the fight is positioned in a tough spot. It is the third major combat sports pay-per-view in the past month, coming one week after Connor McGregor's starring role at UFC 205 in the promotion's first-ever card in New York and two weeks after Manny Pacquiao ended a brief retirement to beat Jessie Vargas and reclaim a welterweight world title on a stronger overall card in Las Vegas.
However, Michael Yormark, Roc Nation's president and chief of branding and strategy, is bullish.
"We haven't put a number out there, but we're obviously excited about this matchup and we think it's going to do very well," he said. "Collectively, us and Main Events think this is going to be the best pay-per-view event of the year. We're very optimistic about the pay-per-view numbers. We've got two great fighters in a 50-50 fight. It's the best fight of the year and arguably on paper the biggest fight of the last decade. We would be very disappointed if it wasn't the biggest pay-per-view of 2016."