Kovalev vs Chilemba fight preview and live streaming results online

This Monday, July 11, Bloody Elbow presents fight coverage of Sergey Kovalev vs. Isaac Chilemba. HBO Boxing Kovalev vs. Chilemba is a rare Monday edition of HBO Boxing. The fight takes place in Russia, and will air on tape delay this Monday, July 11 at 10:15 p.m. ET on HBO. Bloody Elbow will have fight coverage, including results and discussion, right here - we’ll keep this thread spoiler free for those watching the HBO broadcast.

There’s no question what this fight is all about - it’s a stop-gap fight while we wait for Kovalev vs. Andre Ward. That fight looks to be taking place in November, and if it does, it will be perhaps the best on paper fight of the year. But to get there, Kovalev first needs to win this hometown fight against Chilemba (and Ward needs to clear his temporary hurdle as well - an August 6 encounter with Alexander Brand).

As exciting as Kovalev vs. Ward is - and make no mistake, it is very exciting - it doesn’t really add much drama to this rather lopsided fight. Chilemba is here to let Kovalev show off, plain and simple. Sure, he’s a former champion who has a couple decent opponents on his record, and sure, he’s saying he’s not simply a stepping stone, but he is. We know this. The biggest drama of this match-up comes from the fact that Chilemba has never been stopped, while Bernard Hopkins is the only man to see the final bell against Kovalev since the Russian was fighting 6 and 8 round fights back in 2010.

In the end, this is a showcase fight, but it’s a showcase fight for an exciting fighter and one with a big, big fight on his horizon. It may not be super competitive, but it’s worth your time on a Monday night.

Join us here at Bloody Elbow for Kovalev vs. Chilemba results, discussion, and live fight coverage this Monday, July 11.

KOVALEV vs. CHILEMBA FIGHT CARD:

Sergey Kovalev (29-0-1; 26 KO) vs. Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2; 10 KO) - Light Heavyweight (175 lbs.)