In the first week of September, two proud men stared each other down for the better part of 53 seconds in New York City. Their demeanor was calm yet steady, their height, nearly equal. Neither seemed eager to break the silent trance of respect that had broken out between them. The first one to yield might be seen as the first to show weakness on the long road to an agreed settlement of differences on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas. A third party deemed it necessary that her involvement was necessary to coerce the proud men to break their standoff in order for the events of the day to be brought to a conclusion. As she gently touched one of the proud men on the arm, he began to realize he would indeed have to turn his gaze away from the other proud man. A slight smile came across his face as if to say, “I see you and you see me – both of us know what the deal is.” The other proud man returned the smile in acknowledgement and they both turned to face the onlookers who had witnessed their measures of respect.

One of the proud men involved in that early September face-off is Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. The Russian-born Kovalev is the current IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight champion of the world. The other proud man involved on that day is Andre “S.O.G.” (“Son Of God”) Ward. Ward is a former WBA and WBC super middleweight champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist. Both men have won 30 professional bouts and neither has tasted defeat. Their showdown at the T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas for the light heavyweight championship of the world is one of the best – if not the best – fights boxing has produced this year. And to paraphrase what Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said on that day when the proud men were forced to avert their gaze of respect: “There was a time when fighters on the road to the Hall of Fame sought greater and greater challenges. There was a time when fighters were courageous athletes and not cynical businessmen. The two men here today have chosen to put their ‘0s’ on the line to find out who is the very best.” Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward have much to lose on Nov. 19, yet the lives of both men seemed to have defined the boundaries of how each has come to view the nature of his occupation.

Sergey Kovalev, like many fighters, came up “the hard way,” as some like to say. In a Yahoo! Sports piece earlier this year by Chris Mannix, Kovalev’s manager Egis Klimas said, “(Kovalev) grow up in a poor environment, so when he opens up the fridge and there are two or three eggs in there, it’s a good day.” In the same Yahoo! piece, Kovalev himself said, “I grew up in Chelyabinsk. It gave me everything to be a world champion.” Kovalev’s words are those of a man whose approach to the sport of boxing has been molded by not only what he learned in the ring but by the circumstances that formed his character. Every fighter brings his life story into the ring with him, yet not every fighter fights as if he were fueled by convictions born from the sometimes cruel nature of life itself. As Kovalev is fond of saying, boxing is like a street fight – only with rules. It might not be true but I would guess that kind of mentality is drawn from his experiences growing up in a mountainous coal mining region of Russia in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Kovalev’s professional accomplishments give him a unique place among the ranks of active fighters. Yet his distinction is also marked by a rather sad occurrence. Kovalev is one of the few fighters who have seen an opponent die as a result of their encounter in the ring. Roman Simakov passed away three days after his bout with Kovalev in 2011. As one can imagine, this kind of event cuts straight to the very bottom of a man’s soul. It’s the kind of event that will ask questions of a man which cannot go unanswered. For these questions become attached to him, like a 75-pound rucksack he can never remove.

In the aforementioned Yahoo! Sports piece, Kovalev’s wife Natalia spoke about the effect Simakov’s passing had on Kovalev: “The worst thing was that (Sergey) retreated into himself. He is the kind of person who keeps everything inside. He very seldom expresses his emotions. He was brought up this way.” She would go on to say, “He has an obligation to his family and loved ones. He is the only breadwinner in this family. He doesn’t know how to sell. He’s not a businessman. He is a boxer.” Forced into quiet introspection, it seems Kovalev answered the questions Simakov’s death had asked of him. He would carry on, buoyed by his faith, his family and his upbringing. His career would continue for, as Natalia said, he is a boxer. As Klimas reminded those in attendance at that early September press conference in New York City, Kovalev was never protected in his career. He paid his dues, traveling from town to town on the East Coast, looking for opponents to fight. He never asked his manager his opponent’s identity, the date of the fight and at what weight. The proud man would simply do what was necessary, do the best he could and move forward, one day at a time.

For Kovalev the trials of life and his profession collided and became forever entangled. Yet, for Andre Ward, the trials of life have come to remain in their own realm, while the trials of his profession have remained in another. As he told Jerry Rose of The Total Living Network in 2012, ‘Boxing is what I do. It’s not who I am. I’m a child of God, a husband and a father.” Expanding on this notion, Ward would tell Rose, ‘When I go home, I can get on my knees and say, ‘Thank You (to God) for the victory. I’m thankful that You’re walking with me.’ That’s what gets you over. Because, one day, an athlete’s going to have to hang up the gloves and say, ‘Who am I?’ And if you don’t have another foundation than the sport you compete in, it’s going to be a reality check.” For Ward, the realm of faith will always reign supreme over the realm of boxing. If Ward’s life were a house, boxing would only occupy a room – or a floor, at most. Yet if one examined the foundation of such a house, they’d be sure to find the echoes of Ward’s upbringing.

Ward went into great detail about his early years in an August interview with The Undefeated website. The interview was conducted by Brin-Jonathan Butler. The following is a condensed and paraphrased version of what Ward told Butler about his childhood.

Ward’s father was white, while his mother was African-American. Being bi-racial left him with questions and feelings shaped by the opinions of both races, who weren’t always so accepting of his identity. Both of Ward’s parents had issues with drug abuse. His mother battled crack addiction and lived on the streets of San Francisco for 20 years. Ward’s father battled his own addiction to heroin. Ward remembers seeing his father retire to his room after work and transform into a “glassy-eyed, entirely different person.” Ward’s mother would promise and promise to come see her son but she rarely did. (He would wait for her by his bedroom window.) Ward’s mother once stabbed his father during a heated argument. He told Butler he never forgot that day. When Ward’s father entered drug treatment, Ward moved in with his trainer Virgil Hunter. When Butler asked Ward why he moved in with Hunter and not relatives, Ward replied, “Nobody raised their hands.”

Ward got his future wife pregnant at the age of 16. His father passed away suddenly when he was 18, a loss from which his brother never recovered. Ward became angry at God, for losing his dad was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He didn’t want to feel anything anymore. He wanted to be numb, yet his anger toward God would slowly be turned back toward faith. As Hunter told him in the wake of his father’s passing, “I don’t know who you rolling with but I know this – God’s got his hand on you, son.” Not unlike Kovalev, the trials of life placed a 75-pound rucksack on Ward’s back. It seems embracing his beliefs as a proud man of faith allowed him to put it down.

There are similarities and differences to how Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward have dealt with life’s obstacles. Yet both have shown a resilience and a fortitude that have informed how they approach the sport of boxing. Both have sought and answered challenges in their careers that others might have looked to avoid. This is not to say either man is perfect, of course. Kovalev has ruffled some with his comments on women boxers and a racial joke at the expense of WBC light heavyweight titlist Adonis Stevenson. And Ward has often come across as arrogant and entitled, specifically regarding his long, legal dispute with the late promoter Dan Goossen. However, I don’t believe either man’s perceived shortcomings are relevant to any sentiments surrounding their upcoming bout.

It is true that neither Kovalev nor Ward has built a substantial fan base over their careers. It is true that the fighting styles of both men might not combine to yield a night filled with action and suspense. Yet it is also true that Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward represents much of the best that boxing has to offer. As Executive Vice President at HBO Sports Peter Nelson said that early September day in New York City, “Fighters like Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward putting titles, pound-for-pound status, undefeated status, money, power, daring to be great, (and) legacy on the line is what makes great fights. The rest of the business then takes care of itself. That’s what great fighters do.” More than likely, Kovalev vs. Ward will not do great numbers on pay-per-view. The amount of business the fight does will not be an adequate measure of its importance. Yet for those who do tune in on Nov. 19, they will witness a rare occurrence: Two proud men crossing paths not just for money – or even titles – but for a chance at greatness. Boxing used to provide these opportunities more frequently in the past. Let us hope that, for one night on Nov. 19, we are at least reminded of the way things used to be.

You can follow The President on Twitter @PrezAVK.

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