HBO Championship Boxing Picks

WBA Super World Light Heavyweight Championship/IBF World Light Heavyweight Championship/WBO World Light Heavyweight Championship: Sergey Kovalev (c) (29-0-1) vs. Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2)

Luke Irwin: A stay-busy fight for Kovalev here. Happy it’s on a weekday, though. Spices things up! However, this is a rout. Chilemba is coming off of a loss and hasn’t really been relevent in the division in a few years. Kovalev via R6 TKO.

Nolan Howell: As it seems to be the trend with boxing today, Sergey Kovalev keeps busy here against a game Isaac Chilemba before his showdown in the fall with Andre Ward. This is merely an appetizer to what should hopefully be a string of tasty fights for “Crusher,” starting with the aforementioned Ward contest. Chilemba is not a stiff, but not exactly a threat here. While Chilemba will be a tough out, Kovalev is on another level and should be able to get the finish here in the middle of the fight to get an impressive performance for his highlight reel heading into the Ward fight. Sergey Kovalev by seventh-round TKO.
WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Lightweight Championship: Leonardo Doronio (15-12-3) vs. Pavel Malikov (7-0)

Luke: Showcase fight to get the Russian kid a secondary belt and good exposure. Malikov via R2 KO.
WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Junior Middleweight Championship: Magomed Kurbanov (c) (7-0) vs. Davi Eliasquevici (13-2-1)

Luke: Kurbanov via R7 TKO.