Monday’s HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.
The fight is a 12-round light heavyweight title bout, featuring Sergey Kovalev defending his unified titles against Isaac Chilemba.
Official Weights from Russia:
Sergey Kovalev: 174.6 lbs.
Isaac Chilemba: 174.8 lbs.
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev – WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
“Hello to everybody here in my homeland of Russia. I hope you are all going to be here Monday night to support me. I thank God for all the opportunities he has given me and all the acquaintances he has made for me including Igor Altushkin who made this event possible. Thank you to everyone for their organization and for making this event for everyone who loves boxing. The hardest time of my training camp is past now and I am going to give you good show. My opponent, Chilemba, is very motivated and that is why he is so dangerous. But I am also motivated. There are a lot of fights in my future. Also I would like to give a special thanks for television channels which are going to televise the event, Match TV and HBO. Thanks to Kathy Duva, my promoter, and Titov Boxing Promotions. Also thank you to everyone who participates in these organizations and to all the fans of boxing. Your support is very important to me. I will be glad to see you all Monday night.”
Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba – WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Challenger
“Thank you. First of all, I want to thank God for life, strength and getting us all here today. I want to thank Main Events for standing by my team. I want to thank Sergey Kovalev and his team. I want to thank my team and HBO. I really appreciate it. For the last 10 years of my career, I got into a few title fights. I won IBO Super Middleweight Title. Since I moved to light heavyweight we have been chasing the WBC title. And we came up short three times. Now I have a shot at three world titles. I really believe God works in mysterious ways. This is my time. This is my destiny. I believe I was destined to be WBO, WBA and IBF World Champion. I want to thank the Russian people for the support and warm welcome. In my life I have been through a lot of obstacles. I stumble and fall and I know how to pick myself up. I have been through hell and made it back. Nothing can stop me. Thank you.”
Kathy Duva – CEO of Main Events
“It is a pleasure to be back here in Ekaterinburg. I want to thank our gracious sponsor Igor Altushkin and the Russian Copper Company. I would like to thank HBO and Match TV. Also I would like to thank German Titov and his staff. I have known Isaac Chilemba for as long as I have known Sergey. He has worked very hard to get his opportunity. I know he is coming to win this fight. However, I believe Sergey is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. I know he cringes when I say that, but he is special. We all know Sergey always comes to win too. As always we expect a tremendous fight on Monday night. I am not going to say the best man will win because they are both very good men. But the fans will win in the end because I know it will be a great event.”
John David Jackson – Trainer of Sergey Kovalev
“Thank you for being here. This should be a very entertaining fight for the fans. Hopefully it can be just that and you can enjoy the fight. Training camp was good for Sergey and he is ready to defend his titles. Thank you very much.”
Egis Klimas – Manager of Sergey Kovalev
“Hello. I would like to thank my fighter Sergey Kovalev. It is an honor for me to present one of the greatest fighters in the world. I would like to thank our main sponsor, Russian Copper Company. Also thank to HBO and Match TV for broadcasting this event to the world. Sergey Kovalev is going to show the world again on Monday night.”
Jodi Solomon – Manager of Isaac Chilemba
“I would like to thank Main Events for this opportunity and Sergey Kovalev and his team. I would also like to thank the people of Russia for the warm welcome we have received here. I really don’t like to give long speeches, but the magnitude of this fight compels me to say more than I am used to. Isaac and I started working together eight years ago and I was the only woman working in boxing in South Africa. As a result, most people in boxing decided I would never make it and neither would Isaac because he was working with me. In a matter of three years we proved them wrong when he won five titles during that time. I feel like now we have come full circle. For the first time in six years Isaac and I have trained in South Africa again. Again we are faced with doubters. Again we are going to prove them all wrong. Thank you very much.”
German Titov – German Titov Promotions
“I believe Chilemba is the best in top ten boxers in the world. This is a great opponent for Kovalev. Thank you Kathy Duva and Main Events.”
Alexsey Titov – German Titov Promotions
“I want to thank everyone. I am very thankful for the experience we got organizing this event. This is the top event in Russia. You will be amazed by the organization of the show. It is going to be highest level. The climax of this event is going to be Sergey’s performance. He is a very talented fighter. Let’s not look passed this show and be here.”
Sergey Kovalev Discusses Fighting in Russia
“On July 11th I will step into the ring having a “home court” advantage as they say in other sports. As for me, the fight against Isaac Chilemba will be no different than any other fight in my career. The goal does not change no matter where I fight and who sits in the audience. However, I will appreciate the home crowd cheering instead of the booing from the stands that I got so used to over the years beating my opponents in their backyards. Thousands of my supporters, friends and family have been waiting for this fight to happen in Ural and I’m very thankful to the man who made it happen, Igor Altushkin of Russian Copper Company. Although I can’t find time to read all of the comments and letters that fans send to me daily on social media, I feel that the entire country is behind me in this fight.
“I know my opponent is not sleeping either. I am sure that Chilemba recognizes how big this opportunity is for him, and he’ll definitely try to use every opportunity to spoil my November “party” with Andre Ward. He will step into the ring charged and ready to bring a big fight. I will have to show some teeth in order to win. My motivation to defend my titles in front of the home crowd cannot be any bigger. That I can assure you all about!
“The confidence I get before every fight is also driven by my global fan base. I have supporters sending me notes from Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mexico and many other countries from around the world. It humbles me and makes me even more determined to show them a great fight. They say Mondays are tough, but I hope that July 11th will be the Monday you will get to enjoy, to witness a great night of boxing. This letter would not be complete without thanking HBO Boxing for their continued support and finding a way to broadcast this fight to my North American fans in the old tradition of Monday Night Boxing.”
