Kovalev vs Pascal: Live streaming results and round by round coverage

Tonight at 9:45 pm EST on HBO, Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal headline a tripleheader bill from Montreal with three well-matched fights in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.

Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KO) goes on the road to face the popular Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KO) in the main event, which is for Kovalev's three sanctioning body titles at 175 pounds. Pascal, the former champion of the division, has won three straight since a 2011 loss to Bernard Hopkins, the fighter Kovalev crushed back in November in what was the most one-sided defeat of Hopkins' illustrious career.

The night's opening televised bout will also be a light heavyweight attraction, as prospect Vasily Lepikhin (17-0, 9 KO) takes on battle-tested veteran Isaac Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KO). In the second fight of the evening, former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (28-6, 13 KO) will face emerging contender Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov (19-0-1, 12 KO) in a heavyweight bout. All three fights are scheduled for 12 rounds.

Connor Ruebusch will handle the call for us tonight, so join him for a big night of fights to cap what has been a busy and exciting week in the sport.

RESULTS

Sergey Kovalev defeats Jean Pascal by TKO at 1:03 of Round 8

Vyacheslav Glazkov defeats Steve Cunningham by Unanimous Decision  (116-112 x 2, 115-113)

Isaac Chilemba defeats Vasily Lepikhin by Unanimous Decision (99-91 x 2, 100-90)

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal

Round 1

Good action to start! Kovalev coming forward aggressively, placing a hard right hand to the body behind his imposing jab, increasingly the best weapon in his arsenal. Pascal rolls with a right from Kovalev, but fails to counter effectively. Hard jab to the chin from the Russian. Three stiff jabs to the body immediately after, and Pascal misses with a wild overhand right. Both fighters get rough in the clinch, and they touch gloves amicably after the break. Then they try to kill each other, Pascal missing with another very wide right hand. Easy round for Sergey. 10-9 Kovalev.

Round 2

Nice right hand from Kovalev. Pascal will only win this if he can slip the right hand to the left, to find the opening for the left hook. So far he hasn't done so, but he does lead with a left hook that finds the mark. Kovalev jabs some more, and then staggers Pascal a bit with a long right hand. Kovalev marches forward with a right hand and eats a clipping counter right as he comes in. Kovalev misses on a right and falls right into Pascal, but no answer. Both fighters getting wild now--Kovalev throws heavy leather, and Pascal does counter with the left to the body, catching Kovalev a little low. Pascal looking a little more comfortable despite the punches he's eaten, but that was another Kovalev round. 10-9 Kovalev.

Round 3

Pascal got home with a nice right hand that earned some cheers from the crowd, but the single shots aren't enough to counteract Kovalev's combinations. Kovalev misses with the right, and Pascal counters nicely. Vicious counter from Pascal after catching Kovalev's right on his shoulder, but Kovalev charges back and knocks Pascal silly with an even more vicious right, followed by a heavy left shift punch. Pascal looks instantly more conservative, keeping his back to the ropes. Kovalev hits him with another shift, and Pascal is starting to look very wobbly now. Kovalev put Pascal partially through the ropes, and the referee correctly called it a knockdown. 10-8 Kovalev.

Round 4

Kovalev comes forward very aggressively, and Pascal has now answer but to cover up. It looks like his legs might be gone, though he's blocking and staying on his feet. Trying to weather the storm, but Kovalev is not slowing. Pascal gets a breather for a moment, but he's backing himself into the ropes again and again. Hard counter from Pascal, but Kovalev walks right through it! Pascal waits, waits, and then rolls under a right to counter with two left hooks. The second one sends Kovalev staggering into the ropes, but he looks alright when the referee separates them. Thirty seconds left, and it's looking like Pascal may have fought his way back into this fight. Another counter, and Pascal ends the round on the offensive, swinging wildly and pushing Kovalev into the ropes. What a fight! 10-9 Kovalev.

Round 5

A much more cautious start from Kovalev. He boxes Pascal a bit, feinting and throwing the jab. Pascal seems to be waiting for the chance to counter. He misses with his first attempt, eating Kovalev's right in the process. Pascal has guts; now he's dropping his hands and asking Kovalev to come in. Now he's pushing the big man back, and he staggers him with a right hand around the guard! Jab to the body from Pascal. Counter left to the liver, but he eats another right. Vicious uppercut counter--could've been low. Kovalev looked hurt, wherever it landed. Another hard left to the body. Wow! 10-9 Jean Pascal.

Round 6

Kovalev starts off strong again, knocking Pascal back with a short left uppercut. Pascal egging him on, and he misses on an ill-intentioned counter right. The counter right lands the next time he throws it, and now an entire combination! Left-right, Kovalev is starting to wobble under these punches. He smartly puts Pascal back on the end of his jab. Stops the next right hand with his shoulder. Kovalev is still going to the body, which could save him down the stretch if Pascal continues to land, as he does there with another counter right. Pascal is leaning back and inviting Kovalev's right--a risky proposition, but it's paying off. The more Kovalev loses balance, the more effective Pascal's counters. Hard right from Kovalev there. Back and forth action in this round. Tough to call, but I'm going with 10-9 Pascal.

Round 7

Both men are wearing some damage now. And miracle of miracles! Harold Lederman has the same score as me! Kovelev misses with a right hand, and ends up laying on Pascal's back, shoving him to the ground. After the ref resets them, Kovalev comes back with a right to the body, and Pascal just misses with a left hook. Pascal with a right of his own, this one to the jaw. Pascal's awkward defense seems to be frustrating Kovalev a bit, but his discipline is nice as he continues to jab and attack the body. Pascal counters one of those jabs with a right, but Kovalev rolls with it. Another body shot from Pascal--he keeps throwing the liver shot as a jab counter and it's working for him. Pascal misses on a counter right, and Kovalev clips him with a combination of straight punches. Two nasty body shots from Pascal, but a left cross from Kovalev knocked Pascal back onto his heels just before the bell. 10-9 Kovalev.

Round 8

Kovalev slipped on a jab at the start of the round--it looked like he might have hurt his leg. We'll see as the fight wears on. No trouble yet, as Kovalev hurts Pascal with some straight punches. Pascal is hurt once again, staggering against the ropes. Now Kovalev goes down as he works to finish Pascal off. Hard to tell if it was a knockdown or not, but no matter--Kovalev gets up, wades in, and smashes Pascal with a hard right that convinces the ref to stop the fight. Might be some controversy about that. Pascal would've likely come back, but the ref made the call for his own good, and I support his decision.

Steve Cunningham vs Vyacheslav Glazkov

Round 1

No surprise as Cunningham starts off boxing, and Glazkov tries to back him into the ropes. Nice up-down jabs from Cunningham earns him a few precious feet of breathing room, but Glazkov closes the distance once again. Now Cunningham pivots his way into center ring, and peppers Glazkov's gloves with jabs. Glazkov gets in close and lands a couple of hard straight punches--Cunningham pushes him off and responds with a right hand to the spleen. 10-9 Cunningham.

Round 2

Slightly higher pace in round 2. Glazkov is applying the pressure, and being forced to lean on his defensive skills a little more as Glazkov throws at him, but for the most part he's able to stay on the outside and control the range with jabs. Hard jab from Glazkov before the bell, but that was Steve's round. 10-9 Cunningham.

Round 3

Cunningham is throwing a very awkward sort of jab, swatting down at Glazkov rather than throwing it out straight. Maybe trying to peel the Ukrainian's guard away? Cunningham is starting to find his rhythm now, throwing lead rights and combinations to the body. Cunningham is counter punching well, rolling under Glazkov's hooks and pummeling the body as he falls in. Hard punches from Glazkov against the ropes! But Cunningham fires right back, forcing the bigger man back. Slapping left hook from Glazkov before the bell--not enough to take the round. 10-9 Cunningham.

Round 4

A little more tactical boxing, but Glazkov lands the first good punch of the round, sending a crashing right through Cunningham's guard which Cunningham answers with an uppercut to the body. Triple jab from Cunningham, and every punch lands. Glazkov just isn't throwing enough, though he's staying pretty close to his opponent. Nice jabs from Glazkov, and a right hand behind it as Cunningham circles out. Counter right from Glazkov as Cunningham leads with the cross. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 5

Cunningham starts off moving lots, throwing jabs, but Glazkov counters two consecutive jabs with hard right hands. Cunningham may be getting drawn into Glazkov's fight--he's always prone to brawling, even when it's not at all to his advantage to do so. Cunningham looks a little slow now, as his activity level drops and he simply walks around near the ropes. He might be starting to fade. Decent counter right from each man. Nice right to the body from Cunningham that forced Glazkov to cover his ribs. Very close round. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 6

Cunningham starts well after being told by Naazim Richardson to focus on speed, not power. He's bouncing around and feinting now, stepping in with combinations. Short right to the chin as Glazkov steps back out of a clinch. Another right hand to the body from Cunningham, but Glazkov counters this one with a nice left hook. Glazkov finally starting to work his way in behind a jab, landing another left hook, this one not as hard. Glazkov counters Cunningham's right with his own, and connects with a follow-up left hook. Now a right to the body from the Ukrainian. They trade short right hands inside. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 7

I've got it all tied up, but Glazkov's trainer just told him he's losing the fight. Not a bad idea--he still needs more activity. Cunningham throws another right, and Glazkov hammers him with a counter right, followed by that left hook again. Jab to the body from Glazkov--Cunningham dances forward with his own jabs, but Glazkov avoids every one. Glazkov finding the counter right consistently now, this time connecting over Cunningham's jab. A 1-2 from Glazkov now, and Cunningham responds with some nice, sharp jabs through the gloves. Glazkov landed another great right hand, but Cunningham answered him with a vicious left uppercut to the solar plexus. This fight is finally starting to heat up, and Glazkov is getting better with each passing round. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 8

Glazkov's corner once again told him that he's behind on the cards--he just pulled ahead on mine. Still, the message seems to be working, and he starts off with the left hand, mixing jabs and short left hooks as Cunningham covers up and stays in the pocket. Angular left hook right through the gloves from Glazkov now. Cunningham ties him up. A jab from Cunningham knocks Glazkov's mouthguard loose, and he eats the right as he tries to fix it. Both men throwing jabs now, neither landing clean. Now Glazkov gets hom with a short right. Once again Cunningham answers him with body shots, but none land clean. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 9

Cunningham trading punches at the start of the round, but Glazkov is doing a nice job of catching the power shots with his gloves. Hard three punch combination from Glazkov. Cunningham is hurt now. Glazkov landed a hard right hand that put him on wobbly legs. As is his wont, he responds by throwing back. Cunningham is really starting to look tired now. His normally crisp punches are pushing rather than popping. Glazkov loses his mouthpiece on a Cunningham jab and the ref pauses the fight to fix it. Cunningham immediately throws two good shots to the body, but Glazkov counters with a short left hook upstairs. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 10

Richardson seems to sense Cunningham's distress as well, and he tells his fighter to rough Glazkov up and push him back. Cunningham starts off well as far as activity is concerned, but Glazkov blocks his punches and lands a left hook through the guard. Nice body shots from Cunningham, Glazkov catches him with the hook before he can get his guard back up. Cunningham attacking the body again, but Glazkov's elbows get in the way. Hard right hand to the body from Glazkov, two decent punches upstairs from Cunningham, but countered by another Glazkov right to the jaw. Cunningham blocks the Glazkov right now and counters with a nice hook. Not enough. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 11

Once again Glazkov's corner tells him that he's losing. The HBO commentary team seem to agree. Maybe I'm watching a different fight, but I think the Ukrainian is taking over. Cunningham starts this round well with a few hard jabs, but once again he eats a Glazkov hook as he tries to wade into close range. Glazkov still isn't throwing much, but he's countering Cunningham well, punctuating the smaller man's combinations with hard single shots. Hard left hook from Glazkov! Cunningham tries to close the distance, but Glazkov steps back and cracks him with the right hand. More ineffective body work from Cunningham--looks like Glazkov just spat his mouthpiece out. He might be tiring too, but he's keeping a good poker face. Nice hook from Cunningham and the fighters tie up. 10-9 Glazkov.

Round 12

Final round. I'm expecting a very weird decision by this point. Fast pace from both men, and Cunningham lands the first hard punch, a stabbing left as Glazkov charges in. They're trading big punches now, Cunningham landing but not taking Glazkov's counters well. He's on wobbly legs, but refusing to back down. Pause in the action as both fighters tie up. They look tired, and now Glazkov is falling into his punches, missing more than he lands. Cunningham lands a right, Glazkov lands a left. And again, Glazkov answering the cross with the hook. Hard shots to the body from Steve, and Glazkov lands the left upstairs once again. Glazkov is definitely tired now, as he simply walks into the clinch and ties up to get a breath. Dull end to the round, but there was some nice action in there. 10-9 Glazkov.

Vasily Lepikhin vs Isaac Chilemba

Round 1

It's not long before the power punches start to fly. Lepikhin coming forward, and he throws high and low, with Chilemba blocking most of the punches. Chilemba throwing tight straight punches to get some space, and he slips artfully off the ropes. He wants to keep this fight in open space, while Lepikhin, despite his frame, wants to get in and bang away. Chilemba doing the more consistent work, sneaking in some nice body shots along with his jabs. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 2

Lepikhin coming forward again, but already Chilemba seems to have forced him to forget the jab somewhat. He's missing the majority of his single shots. Chilemba not landing with authority, but landing often. Lepikhin does jab now, and sets up a decent right hand, but Chilemba circles back to center ring and responds with a hard right of his own. Lepikhin looking for the left hook, and Chilemba counters with an uppercut. Another pair of uppercuts from Chilemba as he comes forward, and he snaps the Russian's head back. A hard right hand from Chilemba puts an exclamation point on the round for the South African. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 3

Tactical start to round 3, with Lepikhin landing the first meaningful punch in the form of a thudding jab. Chilemba moving around, turning Lepikhin and giving him a variety of looks. Lepikhin tries another right hand, but Chilemba seems to be timing it pretty easily now. Lepikhin misses the same punch again, and lays on Chilemba against the ropes, hoping to wear him out. Back in open space, Chilemba slips a jab and lands a counter hook to the body. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 4

Buddy McGirt urged Chilemba to work more between rounds, and the South African comes out with several hard jabs to the body. Now he lands pair of nice left hooks, body-head, as the two fighters collide. Now Chilemba forcing Lepikhin to move his head and blasting him with hard right uppercuts as he ducks down. A nice counter right and he ties up. Lepikhin is really starting to struggle now--he's almost completely inert. There's a nice combination from him, but Chilemba blocks it all. Lepikhin throws big at the end of the round, and Chilemba dodges the combination with ease, tying up at the bell. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 5

Chilemba leans heavily on his jab at the start of the round, circling Lepikhin and picking away with his left hand, mixing in occasional hooks to keep him guessing. Lepikhin is starting to cover up every time Chilemba comes at him. Now Chilemba moves away a little sloppily and the Russian charges at him, but can't land anything clean. They separate and Chilemba goes right back to jabbing and moving, putting a hard right hand behind the left at the thirty-second mark. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 6

Lepikhin's father asked him if he wanted him to stop the fight between rounds. Lepikhin comes out with a little more urgency, landing a few decent body shots, but Chilemba responds with yet more sharp jabs. McGirt asks for the 1-2 and Chilemba obeys, landing both punches. Lepikhin seems to have reconsidered his rally, and he's now following Chilemba around once again, waiting for Chilemba to throw, and getting hit when he does. He's looking really frustrated now. Chilemba stuns Chilemba with a solid overhand right, but the Russian fires back. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 7

Lepikhin's father urged him on again. He may stop the fight if the young fighter doesn't turn in a better performance this round. Not a good start as Chilemba stabs him repeatedly with the jab, steps to the side, and connects with a straight right. Chilemba seems to sense that Lepikhin is breaking, and he comes forward now. He's not overaggressive: he keeps Lepikhin on the end of his jab, pinning him to the ropes and connecting at a steady clip. He may be hoping to lure Chilemba into a counter, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Chilemba closes the round with a pair of clubbing overhand rights. Let's see if the Russian's corner stops this now. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 8

Nope. Lepikhin's father threatened once again to stop the fight, but he sends his son into the fray once again. One more round like that and the ref might think about putting an end to this. Lepikhin comes forward aggressively, but Chilemba meets him with 1s and 2s, pivoting away from the ropes. Now he comes forward again--he's really having his way with the prospect at this point. Lepikhin steps forward with a jab and runs right into the jab of Chilemba. His left eye is swelling badly now, and he's huffing and puffing. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 9

Chilemba is having no trouble backing Lepikhin up now, and he bangs him with a jab, hook, cross against the ropes, every punch landing clean. Chilemba just spamming straight punches in the corner now, maybe trying to convince the ref to stop the fight. A better ref would've taken the excuse to save Lepikhin from further punishment. Now Chilemba backs Lepikhin up again with a couple of jabs to the body, and follows with a clean overhand right. Lepikhin lands one clean shot, a left hook, but Chilemba shrugs it off and responds with a right hand to the body. 10-9 Chilemba.

Round 10

Lepikhin comes out for the bell once again. He stalks forward, bobbing erratically from side to side, but he's struggling to put any punches behind the slips, and Chilemba's having an easy time of timing his movement anyhow. Chilemba loses his mouthpiece--I missed whether it was a punch that knocked it out. Now Lepikhin tries to get something going, holding Chilemba against the ropes and banging away with his left hand, but he finds only shoulder and glove. Chilemba turns up the heat now, throwing hard right hands to the body and head. A nice uppercut pops Lepikhin's head back as he throws a jab. Brilliant performance from Chilemba--should be a shutout decision win. 10-9 Chilemba.