Sergey Kovalev to fight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy on Nov. 25 in New York

Photo by Tom Hogan

Sep

Sergey Kovalev will fight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy on November 25 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on HBO, the network announced Saturday.

Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 knockouts) is coming off back-to-back controversial losses to Andre Ward, the first a controversial decision last November and the second an eighth-round stoppage in June.

“I learned a lot from my fights with Andre Ward,” Kovalev said. “When you don’t win and when you suffer adversity, it makes you stronger. It also shows you who your real friends are.

“I feel like I cleaned out my life and now I’m ready to start fresh. I’m very excited to get back in the ring, and fight at Madison Square Garden for the first time, and I’m focused on the future. I’m not looking back.”

Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) has won two consecutive fights since he was stopped in seven rounds by Sullivan Barrera last December. The Los Angeles-based Ukrainian went down three times in that fight.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight a long time,” said Shabranskyy. “I will take this chance to show everyone my abilities and qualities in the ring.

“My coach, Manny Robles and I have been working on movement and defense, which together with my natural power will be more than enough to defeat a great fighter such as Kovalev. I’m proud to represent USA and Ukraine at this fight.”