By Edward Chaykovsky

Although trainer John David Jackson is picking his fighter, IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26KOs), to knock Andre Ward out - the veteran coach would not be surprised if the Olympic gold medal winner went the full distance.

Ward (30-0, 15KOs), in his third fight at 175-pounds, will challenge Kovalev for the titles on November 26th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will carry the card.

The fight is viewed as a very close encounter with most experts completely divided over which of the two will come out on top. 

Jackson is not expecting Ward to stand right in front of Kovalev. He believes the seasoned fighter will use his defensive skills and boxing ability to avoid the possibility of a knockout at all times.

"He’s a very elusive fighter, when a guy goes through the amateur ranks undefeated, that’s an accomplishment within itself because sometimes in amateur boxing you get bad decisions. For him to go through amateur boxing undefeated, and to be undefeated as a professional, I don’t think he’s looking to get knocked out by Kovalev, so it could be a very strategic fight. If it goes the distance, I would not be surprised," Jackson told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

As far as the fight itself, Jackson feels the fans will not be disappointed as they were last May, when they shelled out a lot of money for the highly anticipated mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather won a twelve round unanimous decision that lacked the promised fireworks.

"With Kovalev and Ward, I think you’re going to see a better fight because the fight is not made five years too late. Now is the time for it to be made and they’re making it when it should be made. Even though Ward is coming off of having three fights in the last five years, he’s still dangerous and he’s still a good fighter. They both know what’s at stake for both fighters, so it’s definitely going to be a big fight and I think it’s going to be a fight that the fans enjoy," Jackson said.