HBO Boxing presents a special Monday night of action as Sergey Krusher Kovalev defends his WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles against Isaac Chilemba.
The event took place earlier today in Ekaterinburg, Russia and will be aired via tape delay tonight on HBO Championship Boxing.
Kovalev beat Chilemba via unanimous decision going the full 12-round distance.
Fighting just his third professional fight in his native country, where he compiled an amateur record of 193-22, Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KOs), originally from Cheylabinsk, Russia, now living in Southern California, took on Malawi native Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round title contest.
Boasting one of the highest knockout percentages in boxing, the undefeated Kovalev has been a dominant force in the 175-pound division and is making his ninth appearance on HBO.
Named the 2014 Fighter of the Year, hes among the sports fiercest punchers and is considered by many a contender for the title of top pound-for-pound fighter.
Chilemba has shown he isnt intimidated by competing overseas, having fought in the U.S., England and Canada and now Kovalevs homeland. He is coming off a majority decision loss that some saw as a closer fight than the scorecards indicated.
Kovalev now looks to fight Andre Ward (29-0) who is the mandatory challenger for his titles. Ward will face Alexander Brand (25-1) next month at Oracle Arena in his native Oakland, California before taking on the Kovalev challenge.
Watch Sergey Kovalev take on Issac Chilemba in Russia tonight on HBO at 10:15pm ET/PT
