For 12 monotonous rounds, light heavyweight contender Andre Ward toyed with the painfully slow and overmatched Alexander Brand en route to a shutout decision on Saturday night in a fight every bit the overwhelming mismatch most expected -- but at least it set up one of the most significant and fascinating fights in boxing.Ward, fighting before a hometown crowd of 8,653 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, won every second of the fight in a 120-108 rout on all three scorecards.It was the final step to a long-awaited showdown with unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev, whom he will meet Nov. 19 on HBO PPV, probably at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in a fight that has been signed for months. However, Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (30-0, 15 KO) had to successfully navigate interim bouts to seal the deal.In a Russian homecoming defense on July 11, Kovalev, 33, did his part as he retained his 175-pound world title for the eighth time. He scored a seventh-round knockdown and rolled to a one-sided unanimous decision against top-10 contender Isaac Chilemba.And then Ward, 32, the former super middleweight world champion in his second fight since making the move to 175 pounds, took apart Brand, who was as big of an underdog as has ever been seen. According to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, Ward was a minus-10,000 favorite, meaning somebody would have to bet $10,000 on Ward to win just $100.The fighters purses also made it clear who was supposed to win. Ward made $850,000, and Brand made a measly $30,000, probably the lowest for an HBO-televised main event ever.Ward had his way with Brand, who got the fight only after at least three others turned it down. Ward poked him with hard jabs throughout the fight, confused him when he switched to southpaw in the fifth round and hurt him with right hands to the body.Brand (25-2, 19 KOs), in the meantime, did virtually nothing other than back up, grab, hold and look for a way to survive for 12 rounds.One of Wards stinging jabs opened a cut on Brands left eyelid in the seventh round. But before and after the cut Brand never showed any urgency. Ward, 32, at least appeared to be going for a knockout in the later rounds, but Brand, 39, a former amateur standout from Colombia, has a reputation for having an excellent chin.We knew this guy was going to be really, really hard to knock out. Hes a veteran, said Ward, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist who was boxing on the day that the 2016 Olympic tournament began in Rio de Janeiro. People got to realize that when a guy with experience doesnt want to get knocked out, its hard, and hes throwing punches from crazy angles and has got nothing to lose. So I tried to press it. Didnt get it. But its good to get the rounds.According to CompuBox punch statistics, Ward landed ?190 of 490 blows (39 percent), and Brand landed only 45 of 285 (16 percent). Brand never had a round in which he landed double-digit punches, and he landed only two in the second and fourth rounds and just one of 20 punches in the 11th round.When the fight was over, Ward and Kovalev, who had watched at ringside, shook hands in the ring and formally announced their fight in an HBO interview with Max Kellerman.Im excited. Im looking forward to it, Ward said. I want to be the light heavyweight champion of the world. I had to get past this step. He had to get past his step. Ill see you in November.Said Kovalev when asked about the fight: Of course, Im ready. Hes ready. Im ready, too. I want to say lets do this Nov. 19.Ward, who was reluctant to speak about the Kovalev fight despite being asked about it constantly going into his tuneup match with Brand, showed immense respect for his next opponent.You got to respect Sergey for the way hes gotten to where hes got, Ward said. He hasnt had soft touches. He wasnt protected. And he wasnt really pushed by the media. Hes a guy who should get more credit than he has. The winner of the fight could possibly be pound-for-pound [No. 1].With Kovalev and Ward already top-five stalwarts on virtually every pound-for-pound list, many believe the winner of their toss-up showdown will earn recognition as the best fighter in the world, one of the reasons so many have been looking forward to it. The same could not be said for Ward-Brand. Bradley Chubb Jersey . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. 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The Western Bulldogs are confident their decision to recall four players from injury for Thursday nights elimination final against West Coast wont come back to bite them.The Bulldogs have recalled Tom Liberatore (ankle), Easton Wood (ankle), Jordan Roughead (calf), and Jack Macrae (hamstring) for the AFL clash at Domain Stadium.And forward Jake Stringer was also included in the side after performing solidly since being dropped to the VFL last month.Liberatore and Macrae havent played since round 19, while Wood and Roughead last featured in round 22.Bringing back so many players from injury all at once carries risks.But Bulldogs assistant coach Steven King is confident the gamble will pay off.Were really confident with the rehab work the guys have done, King said.We wouldnt bring anyone over if we didnt think they were ready to play.The five that are pressing for selection are all quality players. I think theyd make any team better.West Coast were dealt a huge blow when speedster Lewis Jetta was ruled out wiith a calf injury.ddddddddddddHe has been replaced in the side by pinch-hitting ruckman Mitch Brown.West Coast enter the finals in hot form after beating GWS, Hawthorn, and Adelaide in consecutive weeks.The Eagles made it all the way to last years grand final under coach Adam Simpson.And although West Coast only managed a sixth-placed finish on the ladder this year, skipper Shannon Hurn said the expectations of the group remained high.Weve been with Simmo now for three years, Hurn said.Everyone understands how were trying to play, how each other plays, and how to help blokes. Thats what makes a good team.You want to make the most of the opportunities because you understand they dont happen every single year and throughout your whole career.The Bulldogs have lost their past seven matches in Perth.Four of those have come against West Coast at an average losing margin of 84 points.