of Charleston: The Cougars have to find their scoring touch if they hope to make a run in the Colonial Athletic Association this winter. C

LAS VEGAS -- Unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev and former super middleweight world champion Andre Ward have been among the best in boxing for the past several years, but when they fight each other in a bout that could crown a new pound-for-pound king on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it will be the first appearance for both of them on pay-per-view, where the true riches are for fighters -- if they can sell themselves and their event.Both boxers have contracts with HBO, which has been building up to this fight for the past 18 months with each fighting two interim bouts this year. Kovalev had title defenses against Jean Pascal in January and Isaac Chilemba in July. Ward routed Sullivan Barrera in March and Alexander Brand in August as he got used to fighting at 175 pounds after moving up in weight.None of those interim bouts were must-see TV. Kovalev and Ward were enormous favorites and wound up winning easily and with no drama and little excitement.But now Kovalev and Ward will have a chance to see if fans are willing to shell out an extra $60 or so to see them ply their trade against each other in an A-plus matchup with Kovalevs three world title belts on the line. Its viewed by many as a 50-50 fight with the winner potentially garnering support to take over boxings No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking.Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), who will be making his ninth title defense, said he is excited to perform on pay-per-view for the first time and that while he trained the way he always does, there was a lot more promotional work for this bout than a non-PPV fight -- not that he is complaining.Sure, HBO Pay-Per-View is very important to me; this is big deal, Kovalev said. This is my first pay-per-view fight. I think all fighters goal is to be a pay-per-view fighter, but it takes hard work and not everybody can do this. For this fight I did more interviews than before because we want to get more fans, but this is part of my job.The additional media demands made it a bit more difficult because Kovalev, 33, is from Russia and although he has lived for several years in the United States -- first in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and now in Los Angeles -- English does not come easily to him, although it has improved dramatically over time.I am still learning English. I try to learn more all the time. I am more used to this now, so it becomes little more easy speaking English for interviews, Kovalev said. I know its important because I want fans to come to T-Mobile Arena and to buy pay-per-view to watch my fight against Andre Ward. Media is only difference this time because this is such big fight. I do every training camp in same way.First, I go to physical training in Big Bear (California), I run, ride bike, lift weights, I exercise and stretch to get in shape. After physical training I go to boxing training camp. I spar and I work with my coach, John David Jackson, in boxing ring. My sparring partners change, but most of the time my training is same.Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) is not only fighting on pay-per-view for the first time, he will also be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time in his 12-year professional career, something he has wanted for years.Still, Ward, 32, of Oakland, California, said his approach is the same, regardless of whether the fight was a regular HBO bout or a much more hyped fight on pay-per-view against a top opponent.Mentally, its honestly the same to me, Ward said. Obviously theres a lot at stake and its a different challenge, moving up in weight, pay-per-view, all of those things make it a little bit different. Whether its Alexander Brand or Sergey Kovalev, I approach every situation the same way. I wouldnt be able to get to this level and stay at this level if I checked in and checked out.Its the same dedication and its the same work. For me its about trying to be the best in a sport where theres little room for error. I understand that every time I step into the ring and leads to me making sure I prepare accordingly.Main Events and Roc Nation Sports, the co-promoters of the card, have high expectations for the pay-per-view sales, at least publicly. There are many who believe, however, that even though it is a superb matchup between two of boxings best, it wont translate into big sales -- maybe 300,000 if the stars aligned -- because neither fighter has a huge fan base.There is always a battle for the attention and money from fans, but as good of a match as Kovalev-Ward is, the fight is positioned in a tough spot. It is the third major combat sports pay-per-view in the past month, coming one week after Connor McGregors starring role at UFC 205 in the promotions first-ever card in New York and two weeks after Manny Pacquiao ended a brief retirement to beat Jessie Vargas and reclaim a welterweight world title on a stronger overall card in Las Vegas.However, Michael Yormark, Roc Nations president and chief of branding and strategy, is bullish.We havent put a number out there, but were obviously excited about this matchup and we think its going to do very well, he said. Collectively, us and Main Events think this is going to be the best pay-per-view event of the year. Were very optimistic about the pay-per-view numbers. Weve got two great fighters in a 50-50 fight. Its the best fight of the year and arguably on paper the biggest fight of the last decade. We would be very disappointed if it wasnt the biggest pay-per-view of 2016. Kevan Barlow Jersey . 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With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. CHARLESTON, S.C. -- It was turkey time at the Charleston Classic for Wake Forest ??? and not just because its November.Demon Deacons coach Danny Manning said assistant coach Randolph Childress challenged their players to get three defensive stops in a row. We called it a turkey, Manning said.Wake Forest picked up several turkeys Sunday night in a 78-61 victory over College of Charleston to finish third in the eight-team tournament.Manning said he wanted his players focused on defense and Childress found a catchy way to do that. We had three turkeys in the first half, Manning said. Not sure how many we had in the second half, but the guys kind of rallied around that. I think were going to try and use that all year long.Especially if it leads to more defensive efforts like Wake Forest (4-1) had in beating the Cougars (3-2).The Deacons held Charleston to 33.3 percent shooting overall and 27.8 percent on threes. They had five blocks and out-rebounded their opponents 36-30 in finishing 2-1 at TD Arena.Bryant Crawford scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and John Collins added 15 points for Wake Forest.The Demon Deacons took control against the home-standing Cougars with a 15-6 run over the final six minutes of the opening half. They kept the pressure up after the break as Crawford had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to build a 62-42 lead midway through the period.College of Charleston (3-2) sliced that margin in half with 10 straight points, but could get no closer to lose for a second straight game.The shots were just falling, Crawford said. Coach gets on me a lot about missing layups, but today I made them.Crawford ended 7 of 12 from the field and had two of Wakes eight 3-pointers.Joe Chealey led Charleston with 19 points.Wake Forest closed an up-and-down event on a high note. It opened by hitting the 100-point mark for the first time eight years with a 103-81 victory over UTEP, then fell 96-77 to No. 3 Villanova despite shooting 50 percent from the field.ddddddddddddhis time, the Deacons mostly clicked throughout against the pesky Cougars. They finished over 50 percent (28 of 54) from the field, the fourth time in five games with such a high percentage.BIG PICTUREWake Forest: The Demon Deacons have a large group of athletic young players like sophomores Bryant Crawford, Keyshawn Woods and John Collins and freshman Brandon Childress who all saw extensive action at the Charleston Classic -- minutes that will serve them well once Atlantic Coast Conference play starts in five weeks or so. The 6-foot-10 Collins has led the Demon Deacons in four of five games this season, including all three at TD Arena this week.College of Charleston: The Cougars have to find their scoring touch if they hope to make a run in the Colonial Athletic Association this winter. Charleston shot less than 29 percent in a loss to UCF on Friday night and was struggling to make shots once more against Wake Forest.LOTS OF DEACONSWake Forest coach Danny Manning used 11 players, in part because of early foul trouble for starters Dinos Mitoglou and John Collins. Still, the team got solid showings from players not typically in the rotation. I really like our balance, Manning said. For us to get a win with John only playing 14 minutes and Dinos only 17, I think that speaks volumes to the balance we have on our team.COLD CHARLESTONCollege of Charleston struggled with its shooting throughout the tournament, something the Cougars know must improve in a hurry. Its early, Charleston guard Joe Chealey said. Its only the first five games of the season. Weve got to trust the process.UP NEXTWake Forest returns home to play Coastal Carolina on Wednesday night.College of Charleston travels to No. 3 Villanova on Wednesday night.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '