World champion Sergey Kovalev explained why he believes Andre Ward and Isaac Chilemba are similar in style.

What was meant to be a glorious homecoming as Kovalev fought on Russian soil for the first time since 2011 turned into an awkward night as he defended his WBA 'super', IBF and WBO light-heavyweight titles. The judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 118-109

Chilemba was regarded as little more than a warm-up for the fight with Ward in Las Vegas on November 19, but admitted pre-fight he was angry at being "disrespected" and that showed in an intelligent display which made the big-hitting champion look laboured.

The challenger from Malawi - outpointed by Liverpool's Tony Bellew in 2013 - was effective with his jab and his clever movement saw 33-year-old Kovalev repeatedly miss.

Kovalev, who went into the fight with 26 knockout wins from 30 fights, started well enough, working behind his ram-rod jab and Chilemba was happy to stay on the back foot and out of range.

However, the pivotal point came in the seventh when Kovalev finally found his range as a straight left rocked Chilemba before a follow-up right put him down. The challenger just beat the count and looked unsteady but was allowed to carry on by referee Charles Fitch with the bell saving him as the champion launched another attack.

Chilemba has never been stopped despite having three losses on his record and showed his toughness by not only recovering, but once again showing the tenacity to take the fight to the champion who visibly tired in the later rounds.

"My promoter and manager chose a fighter that is similar to Andre Ward's style, so that I will be prepared for the fight with Ward. When they told me that my opponent will be Chilemba because his style is similar to Andre Ward's style, I was thinking to myself what's so similar to his style? Their height is different, so at first I didn't see much, but after the fight I realize that, in fact, he does have similar style to Andre Ward's: waiting out and counter-attacks, he is not going in much, he waits in defense and waits for the right moment," Kovalev said.

"Andre Ward's got different timing, he's faster with his legs. He's not only good in defense but also he can attack. He has some defensive tricks. If saying in an advanced way, his defense is more modernized. He can feel his competitor better, he's got better reaction. He also has good experience. After all, he is an Olympic champion. "

"The last American [male] champion at the Olympics. Moreover, he is undefeated. This adds a kind of psychological pressure. He is the best in all the categories. But talking of power he is not a crusher. We have 2 different styles. So that is the difference between them. They are counterpunchers."