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Kovalev vs Chilemba: HBO to air July 11 fight in United States

HBO will air Kovalev-Chilemba, though it's not known yet if there will be a live showing.

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

HBO has decided that it will air the July 11 fight between Sergey Kovalev and Isaac Chilemba, though the network is not yet sure if it will have a live airing in the afternoon or tape delay the fight into the evening.

It's a tricky situation, as the fight is airing on a Monday from Russia, and HBO will be in Manchester, England, just two days before for the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko rematch. But Kovalev is also one of HBO's cornerstone stars right now, and promoting his expected November pay-per-view clash with Andre Ward is going to be highly important, so showcasing him one more time in the ring is probably a good idea.

Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KO) will be defending his IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight titles against Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KO), a solid veteran contender, though not expected to be a significant challenge. It will be Kovalev's first fight in his home country since 2011, and just the third of his pro career.

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