Video: WARD VS KOVALEV 2 NY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTS AND FACE-OFF

New York, NY – (April 10) In New York City, Andre “SOG” Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) and Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) both met to formally address the media with details surrounding Ward vs. Kovalev 2: “The Rematch”. The championship event will take place Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Ward and Kovalev are rated Nos. 1 and 2 in THE RING’s 175-pound ratings, which meets the magazine’s criteria for a championship fight. The title has been vacant since former champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson was stripped in November 2015 for lack of top-level opposition.

The fight also has pound-for-pound implications, as Ward and Kovalev are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on THE RING’s pound-for-pound list.

“It doesn’t get much bigger than this. The winner of this fight certainly will be worthy of being a RING champion,” said Michael Rosenthal, editor-in-chief of THE RING Magazine.

Ward defeated Kovalev by a controversial unanimous decision – 114-113 on all three cards – on Nov. 19, 2016 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, prompting many to call for an immediate rematch.