On July 11, unified light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev dropped contender Isaac Chilemba in the seventh round en route to a unanimous decision win in his homecoming defense in Russia. Kovalev retained his title for the eighth time and took care of the business necessary to punch his way into a huge fall fight.Now it is Andre Wards turn to do the same.Ward, the former super middleweight world champion, must defeat gargantuan underdog Alexander Brand in their 12-round light heavyweight fight on Saturday night (HBO, 10:35 ET/PT) at Oracle Arena in Wards hometown of Oakland, California, to preserve the long-awaited showdown with Kovalev.The fight was signed months ago but is contingent on each fighter getting through interim bouts, mainly because Ward was shaking off a lengthy layoff and also wanted a couple of fights to get used to fighting at 175 pounds after a career spent boxing at 168. But if Ward wins, the big one is on. It will headline an HBO PPV card on Nov. 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.But first things first, as far as Ward is concerned.Sergey Kovalev is not on my mind at all, Ward said. Ive got a job to do. I havent even talked about Kovalev. We can talk about Kovalev on [Sunday]. Thats what I told my team.Ward claims he did not even take a peek at Kovalevs fight against Chilemba last month.I didnt watch his last fight, Ward said. Hes not my next opponent, but I know what happened and what people are saying about it. It is obviously the end game and what were trying to get but I didnt watch it. I have to compartmentalize what I have to do right now.Thats just kind of how I operate and how I stay focused. I dont want to juggle two opponents right now. I have to focus on one guy and thats Alexander Brand. I will not take him lightly. If Im not successful [on Saturday], there is no fight down the road with me and Kovalev.The 32-year-old Ward (29-0, 15 KO) doesnt want to just beat Brand, either. He wants to make a statement ahead of the showdown with Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), the fearsome Russian puncher, = a fight that could propel the winner to the top of the pound-for-pound list.Its very important for me to look good (against Brand), to my standard and to my teams standard, said Ward, who won Olympic gold in 2004 and is the last American man to do so in boxing. I have a certain amount of pressure on myself to go out there, perform and, hopefully, look good doing it. So my team has looked at [Kovalev-Chilemba]. They are doing their due diligence but, no, I personally have not looked at it.Ward was supposed to face Brand last November on the Canelo Alvarez-Miguel Cotto undercard, but Ward withdrew because of a knee injury. When he made his 175-pound debut on March 26, he easily outpointed former Cuban amateur star Sullivan Barrera.With Ward wanting another tuneup fight before facing Kovalev, Brand (25-1, 19 KOs), the fourth choice, got the call again when other matches did not work out, including proposed fights with unbeaten Long Island brawler Seanie Monaghan, former light heavyweight titlist Nathan Cleverly of Wales and unbeaten Swedish fighter Erik Skoglund.But when Brand was tapped, he was happy to accept the fight as he did for the November bout that was scratched.It has?been a long road for Alexander Brand, said Alex Camponovo, Brands manager. He has worked very hard to get where he is today. This is a great opponent, one of the greatest of all time in Andre Ward. We know that this champion probably has never lost a round inside the ring, and that is what Brand is here to do, to prove himself and to show that if you try and work hard, you can go very far.Most view Brand, however, as having virtually no chance against the gifted Ward. Brand is 39 years old, fought more than 400 amateur fights and did not turn pro until he was 32 -- and got knocked down in his last fight in December.His record is also bereft of any meaningful opponents except Badou Jack, who defeated him by eight-round split decision in 2012 and went on to win a super middleweight world title in 2015. But Brand said he is confident -- although what else is he supposed to say?Its a privilege to fight one of the best, if not the best, Brand said. I dont know if I will come out attacking or if I will counter more. It depends on how Ward will be fighting. But I will be ready. I will capitalize on his mistakes and make him pay.Im here to put on the best show possible on television and in the arena. This is going to be my toughest test to date and what could be better than try to beat Andre in his backyard?That is one of the reasons Ward said he refuses to take the man lightly.I want to be the lightweight champion of the world, a two-division champion, Ward said. Everyone knows that, but its impossible for me to overlook this man. Im not built like that. I wasnt raised like that. I wasnt groomed like that. I dont operate like that. This man is coming. This is his Super Bowl. Because this is his Super Bowl, it has to be my Super Bowl. He has got everything to gain and nothing to lose. He swings for the fences with every punch. Hes a dangerous guy to fight.Ward added: I have not given myself any time to think about Kovalev. I have plenty of time to get ready for Kovalev. That is where you have slip-ups. That is where you have upsets. That is where you have bad performances, when you start to look ahead and you say, I am not looking ahead, but then mentally, you are. So I just try to block it out. Im really good at doing that. Come [Sunday], I will begin to think about Sergey Kovalev and what needs to be done to beat him and to get those belts.But not if Brand, as unlikely as it may be, has his way.Ward still has 12 rounds to fight before he can think about Kovalev, Brand said. Im here to ruin his party. Air Force 1 Low Femme Pas Cher . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Air Force 1 07 Pas Cher . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. http://www.siteairforce1pascher.fr/air-force-1-mid-soldes.html . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Nike Air Force 1 High Pas Cher . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Air Force 1 Basse Homme . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Standing on a sideline at Estadio Nacional, where a running track and 20-30 yards separate the field from the stands, Kasey Keller remembered getting hit on the head by a half-eaten hot dog during a World Cup qualifier at nearby Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, where fans were on top of players and the U.S. went 0-7 in World Cup qualifying.Crazy and war were some of the words the retired goalkeeper used.American players were hit with bags of urine, coins and batteries. The result was no different three years ago at the spacious new venue, where Costa Rica scored twice in the first nine minutes of a 3-1 win.Coming off Fridays 2-1 home loss to Mexico in the opening match of the final qualifying round for the 2018 tournament, the Americans are convinced they will end their skid on Tuesday night.History is just that, its history, captain Michael Bradley said Monday. Theres nothing anybody can do to change that, and quite honestly, we dont spend a whole lot of time worrying about it.The U.S. is 0-8-1 in World Cup qualifying at Costa Rica, losing its last eight matches.For the first time in 15 years, all three home teams were defeated on the same day in the hexagonal, as the final qualifying round in the North and Central and Caribbean region is known. In addition to the Americans loss in Columbus, Ohio, Costa Rica won 2-0 at Trinidad and Tobago and Panama won 1-0 at Honduras.You want to make sure that youre not falling behind, so that gives it a little more spice here tomorrow night, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said during a news conference at the 35,175-capacity stadium, which was paid for by the Chinese government and opened in 2011. We see it in many occasions that once we go a goal down, the dynamic changes and we add another gear to our game. Its maybe in the characteristics just of our program, of our players. Sometimes they need a wakeup call to get it really going.The U.S. struggled for much of the first 30 minutes against Mexico, leaving too much space in a three-center back formation designed around 18-year-old midfield wunderkind Christian Pulisic.It actually allowed us to get for Christian a position there where he can really have more freedom to hurt them. And here and there, he had a couple of runs. He couldnt finish those runs. Maybe the last touch was taken away from him, Klinsmann said. The 3-4-1-2 in a certain way is a system that actually plays to strength of our players that we have, because a Fabian Johnson plays more on a wing or even sometimes in the middle high up.dddddddddddd. A Timmy Chandler plays as a winger.The U.S. had more success against El Tri after switching to a conventional 4-4-2, and Klinsmann hinted his tactic Friday doesnt mean the next game has to be played that way.Still, a marking mix-up allowed Rafa Marquez to score on an 89th-minute header. Klinsmann blamed defender John Brooks.Hes angry at himself. He said in front of the team, My bad, the coach explained.Obviously we took the time to look at a few things and talk about a few things, Bradley said.The top three nations in the six-team round qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia, and the No. 4 country meets Asias fifth-place nation in a playoff. After this match, qualifiers dont resume until the U.S. hosts Honduras on March 24.Even the pre-match news conference displayed how road games are different. Klinsmann removed the products of Costa Rican Football Federation sponsors that had been placed on the podium, so as not to have them in photographs with him.Its a very different stadium than Saprissa, but the atmosphere, it doesnt change, said Bradley, who missed the 2013 match after injuring an ankle during warmups. Itd be easy to look at it and say, ah, theres a track and its not as loud or theyre not as into it, but thats not the case.A 2014 World Cup quarterfinalist, Costa Rica is ranked 18th, one slot behind Mexico and six ahead of the U.S. At the Copa America in June, the U.S. beat the Ticos 4-0.I remember the last game we played here. It was definitely loud, said Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who missed the Copa America with a left Achilles tendon injury. When they support us like that, its incredible. We expect that from them, and they expect a lot from us.Game notes American GK Tim Howard will have surgery Thursday to repair a torn adductor muscle in his right leg. Brad Guzan, who replaced Howard in the 40th minute Friday, will start against Costa Rica. ... Ds Matt Besler, Brooks and Chandler and MF Jermaine Jones would be suspended for the Honduras game if they get a yellow card. ... The referee is Mexican Cesar Ramos, who worked the Americans qualifier at Trinidad last year. ... Klinsmann anticipates having a January training camp that will include one or two exhibitions. Including qualifiers and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the U.S. is likely to play 20-22 games in 2017. ' ' '