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LAS VEGAS -- The best boxing match of the year is expected to take place tonight in Las Vegas, but theres a good chance you didnt know about it.Theres also a decent chance you dont know much about the two fighters who make up just the 11th meeting between two of the top five fighters in Ring Magazines pound-for-pound rankings, which started in 1989.In fact, when Andre Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) and Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) step into the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with the unified light heavyweight championship on the line, it will mark just the third bout over the past 25 years between a pair of top-five pound-for-pound fighters who both enter the match with undefeated records.Its the kind of main event fight with two fighters in their prime that should seep into the consciousness of mainstream sports fans more focused on college football and the NFL this time of year, but that has not been the case.Saturday marks the first pay-per-view fight for both Ward and Kovalev. It will also be Wards first fight in Las Vegas and Kovalevs third match in the fight capital of the word. As good as both fighters are, the true mark of a fighter breaking into the mainstream is becoming a pay-per-view fighter and headlining marquee cards in Las Vegas. In that sense, Saturday will be Ward and Kovalevs introduction for many casual fans who fork over money for pay-per-view fights only once or twice a year and still feel burned by the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao debacle over a year ago.But it takes time to build up the loyalty and following Mayweather and Pacquiao garnered from fight fans who dreamed of seeing both of them finally square off. It takes years of results, not weeks of promotion, to get fans to reach into their wallets and pay for a fight when theres an ample amount of other live sports on free television.Theres a storyline out there about what a shame it is that this fight isnt as big as Mayweather-Pacquiao, said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events. As I tend to do when I try and solve problems, I did some research to try and gain some perspective. Floyd Mayweather fought on HBO nine times just like Sergey, and of course the four-year period where he headlined his first HBO pay-per-view versus Arturo Gatti in June of 2005, Gatti was the big draw of that fight. Manny Pacquiao fought on HBO for two years before headlining his first HBO [pay-per-view] in January of 2005 with Eric Morales.Those events sold in hundreds of thousands of buys; it wasnt until Floyd and Manny got the opportunity to defeat the already well-established superstar Oscar De La Hoya that they reached that million-buy benchmark. They fought on parallel paths for 10 years on pay-per-view to get to the place where they arrived last year and that of course is where every fighter wants to be and that is where Kovalev and Ward want to go. And so they have to start somewhere.Ward and Kovalev have to start somewhere as pay-per-view fighters, but the same is true with attracting a mainstream audience of pay-per-view buyers, and theres a good chance most casual fight fans will take a wait-and-see approach to both fighters before shelling out $69.99 to purchase the HD telecast of Saturdays card. If it turns out to be a candidate for fight of the year, as many pundits predict, the rematch will garner more buys, and if that ones another classic with the loser of the previous match coming out on top, the rubber match in the trilogy would see both fighters not only receive a record payday but carve out their legacies.Not too many guys make it on pay-per-view; thats the goal, said Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Its a situation where people have to pay and watch you. After this fight, you dont want to do any other fights unless its pay-per-view. This is a great mark for these guys and this is the first step for them and where they want to stay. Its always important to win but they have to leave a lasting impression and make them want to come back for more.Duvas expectations for Saturday are somewhat tempered, knowing this will be the pay-per-view debut of both Ward and Kovalev and that many casual fans will likely hear about the result and watch the replay on HBO the following week before deciding if they want to invest in them moving forward.Were not going to get anybody thats never gotten a pay-per-view before, thats not happening on Saturday, Duva said. But were trying to get noticed and get that mainstream attention and you have to start somewhere. If we hit 200-250,000 [pay-per-view buys] Ill be dancing.Michael Yormark, Roc Nations president and chief of branding and strategy, understood the challenges of promoting this fight to a new audience that may be hesitant to pay to watch two fighters its not that familiar with.Andre hasnt fought out of Oakland in a while and Sergey doesnt have a big fan base that follows him and neither of them has fought on pay-per-view so there are challenges, but you have to sell the magnitude of this fight and how its perhaps the best fight on paper weve seen in 19 years, Yormark said. Im confident this fight will do better than other first-time pay-per-view fighters. When Triple G [Gennady Golovkin] was on pay-per-view last year, it did 150,000. We think this could be the biggest fight this year on pay-per-view.Chances are Saturdays fight wont be seen by many casual fans, but that doesnt mean it wont be a major turning point in the careers of two of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in boxing. Big-time pay-per-view matches between big-time pay-per-view fighters have to start somewhere, and that somewhere is Saturday night in Las Vegas for Kovalev and Ward. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Suomi . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Nike Vapormax Kengät . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.vapormaxsuomi.com/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Vapormax Flyknit 2 Ale . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Nike Vapormax Suomi .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Undefeated Andre Ward used a steady left hook to repeatedly score and unanimously outpointed Alexander Brand to take the WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight championship Saturday night.Ward (30-0) was never seriously threatened by Brand (25-2), the 39-year-old Colombian who lost for the first time since 2012.Ward stunned Brand early and opened a small cut over his right eye while winning every roundAll three judges had the fight 120-112 for Ward.We knew this guy was going to be really, really hard to knock out, Ward said. I tried to press it, didnt get it but it was good to get the reps.Ward is in position for a long-anticipated matchup with unified light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev. That fight has already been penciled in for Nov. 19 in Las Vegas.That would be Wards third fight in a eight months, overtime for a boxer who fought only three times from 2012 to 2015.Im excited, Ward said. I had to get past this step, (Kovalev) had to get past his step. If Im not ready to fight the best now, Ill never be ready.Like he was when Ward beat Sullivan Barrera in March, Kovalev was in attendance at Oracle Arena and sat with his mother near ringside for the fight with Brand.After the fight Kovalev joined Ward in the ring and the two men shook hands in what might be their last friendly exchange before the expected showdown in Las Vegas.He showed that hes ready, Kovalev later told reporters. Alexander was an uncomfortable style for him but Andre had a good fight.Ward and Brand were origiinally scheduled to fight in November 2015 before Brand pulled out with a leg injury while Ward went on to beat Sullivan Barrera by unanimous decision in March.ddddddddddddThe nine-month delay to get to Brand hardly seemed to matter for the three-time world champion.Ward was patient early, plodding forward and working out of clenches while Brand missed wildly with a pair of left hooks in the first round.That was ongoing theme much of the fight -- the 39-year-old Colombian comfortable trying to tie Ward up with clenches while Ward continually fought his way out.Brands best punch was a light left in the third that glanced off Wards forehead.Ward broke through late in the fourth when he landed a left hook to Brands jaw then followed it up with a combination.The 2004 Olympic gold medalist scored with a left hook again in the fifth then changed up to a southpaw style and continued to score at will.Brand, who appeared to get cut over his right eye by a Ward left in the fifth, landed two straight rights in the eighth but Ward brushed them off and shook his head.It was a frustrating night all around for Brand, whose only other loss came against current WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack in 2012.Brand slipped on a slick area of the mat and fell on his back at one point, then later got his right hand caught in the strap connecting the ring ropes while trying to throw a punch. 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