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Forget the extravagant claims of greatness and fight-of-the-year talk. Last Saturdays Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev bout was boxings version of a beggars banquet -- nothing epic, just a decent meal after a steady diet of stale sandwiches and flat beer at pay-per-view prices.Wards unanimous decision victory (114-113 on all three official cards) didnt really settle much, and had it been a fight between lesser lights, its unlikely we would still be talking about it.But boxings core audience was emotionally invested in the match. It was the showdown it craved and lobbied for, a fight between a pair of undefeated light heavyweights who seemed made for each other. A relentless power puncher against a master craftsman, but with a double twist: The puncher could box, and the craftsman had a mean streak.Expectations were high, a little too high as it turned out. But thats the burden all major matches must bear during boxings seemingly never-ending winter of discontent.Ward-Kovalev had no shortage of tension and suspense, but with the possible exception of Kovalev knocking down Ward in the second round, there were few memorable highlights. Clinches were more numerous than meaningful exchanges, and neither man ever mounted an all-out attack, even though they must have known it was close.We should have learned by now that the best-fighting-the-best formula does not necessarily guarantee a great fight. Thats up to the fighters. But the odds in favor of something exceptional happening are obviously enhanced when the combatants are among the elite.During the prefight hype, Ward-Kovalev was likened to the first bout between Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, in 2000, a superb example of a brilliant fight between exceptional fighters at the peak of their careers. Shane and Oscar held nothing back and tore into each other virtually nonstop from first bell to last. It was magnificent stuff fought at the highest level.We werent that lucky Saturday. Neither Ward nor Kovalev seemed as eager as Mosley and De La Hoya to risk all in the quest for glory, which is, of course, a prerequisite for true greatness.But these are trying times. Boxing has been sinking in a sea of mediocrity since the crushing disappointment of the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fiasco and the ensuing backlash.Ward-Kovalev didnt quite live up to expectations but provided enough of a boost to keep boxings bent nose above water. That has to count for something.Its easy to understand why a sizable number of viewers believed Kovalev deserved to have his hand raised and were ticked off when he didnt.I, too, had the Krusher ahead, 115-113. But theres a difference between a robbery and a controversial decision, and Ward-Kovalev fell into the latter category. It was that kind of fight. Neither ever gained total control.At first it looked as if Kovalev were about to dispatch Ward with the sudden violence of a man who laughs at his victim as he falls. He staggered Ward in the first round with a jab and knocked him down in the second with a right to the head. Nothing to it, right?Ward seem seconds away from oblivion, but in the face of the greatest crisis of his career, he found the resiliency to keep going. He hung in there through the first half of the fight, taking his lumps, getting in his own share of the blows, but generally falling further behind.As things progressed, however, Wards subtle but highly effective work to the body began to sap Kovalevs strength. You could see the change in the Russians face, and Andre had the better of it most of the way down the stretch. Not by much, but apparently enough to win by a single point on each card.The promoters ambitiously named Ward-Kovalev Pound for Pound, alluding to the notion that the winner would ascend to the top of the mythical rankings. It didnt seem that big a leap of faith at the time. Going in, Kovalev and Ward were No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in ESPN.coms P4P hierarchy. Now, not so much.Pound-for-pound is such an arbitrary and subjective concept, an argument can be made for the inclusion of any number of boxers, depending on ones criteria. For me, P4P is an arena of the mind, where all the boxers are the same size and compete against one another.Playing by those rules, nothing that took place at T-Mobile Arena last Saturday convinced me that either Ward or Kovalev should advance above Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez and Gennady Golovkin, currently No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Others, Im sure, have different ideas.Putting too much emphasis on P4P rankings can backfire. Right now boxing is like an unfaithful spouse trying to patch things up with its partner. Its going to take a long time and a lot more than one or two good fights. Ward-Kovalev was a good start, but only a start. A rematch could be another.An occasional good fight is nowhere near enough. Continuity is vital to even a minor boxing renaissance. The hardcore audience isnt going anywhere. Theyre hooked on boxing and are in it for the duration. The sport has to round up the strays and seduce the casuals to thrive. And thats not going to be easy.The answer is the same as in any business: consistent quality at a reasonable price -- not exactly boxings governing business model. But every now and then we get lucky. The next few months might, just might, be one of those times.The upcoming schedule is PPV free and features Vasyl Lomachenko-Nicholas Walters on Nov. 26 and Terence Crawford-John Molina on Dec. 10. Molina is unlikely to last long with Crawford, but Lomachenko-Walters is intriguing.Badou Jack-James DeGale (Jan. 14), Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz II and Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia (Mar. 4) await us in the new year. All have promise, and with a bit of luck, could keep things going.Its boxing were talking about, so undue confidence is foolish. Fights fall apart for countless reasons. It comes with the territory. But the upcoming schedule is promising, and if things fall into place, we could look back on Ward-Kovalev as the start of a roll.It was, at the very least, a time when arguably the two best fighters in their division chose to fight each other. Thats never a bad thing.Air Max Plus Clearance . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Wholesale Nike Shoes Clearance . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-paul-george-shoes.html . -- 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. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Cheap Nike Shoes Near Me . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos safety Darian Stewart?and linebacker?Brandon Marshall?will have to open their checkbooks in the wake of the teams 21-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers in last Thursdays NFL season opener.Stewart has been fined $18,231 by the NFL, sources told ESPN, for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers quarterback?Cam Newton?that came with just under 40?seconds remaining in the game. Stewart was flagged for roughing the passer on the play, but Newton was also flagged for intentional grounding on the same play, offsetting the penalties.Marshall, whose hit in the third quarter was not flagged, was fined $24,309 for impermissible use of a helmet, a source told ESPN.Thats a huge fine, I know what it looks like, it looked bad, but thats a lot of money, so yes Im upset about it, Marshall told reporters on Wednesday.Replays clearly showed the contact, but Stewart said after the game that he believed he was playing within the rules.I thought I got him with my shoulder, too, Stewart said. But hes a hard player to tackle, hes so big, and when he runs, he leans like a running back, coming right at you.Stewart and Marshalls fines raise the Broncos season total by defensive players to three. Cornerback Bradley Roby was docked $24,309 for unnecessary roughness as a result of a hit on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Duke Williams in a preseason game last month.And more Broncos could be added to the list, given the league was reviewing several hits on Newton from the opener, including contact made on other plays by linebacker?Von Miller?and Roby.NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Tueesday he believed one penalty had not been flagged for a hit on Newton in the game that should have been.ddddddddddddThat play is believed to be Marshalls hit.Blandino, who issues a weekly highlight tape to officiating crews with points of emphasis for the upcoming week, included the Stewart and Marshall hits on this weeks tape in an effort to help officials distinguish whats legal and whats not, according to ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder.Several members of the Panthers and Newtons father, Cecil, said the reigning NFL MVP was treated unfairly by the officiating in the game.The NFL and the NFL Players Association each said earlier in the week they would investigate how the concussion protocol was enacted in Newtons case to see if the quarterback was checked quickly and thoroughly enough during the game.Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has defended his players against criticisms that the team is playing dirty.I disagree, Kubiak said Monday. We play hard, were going to continue to play hard.Said Marshall: Were not dirty. When I think of dirty, I think of stepping on somebodys ankle at the bottom of the pile, twisting somebody around. We just play hard, man. We hit hard. We play fast ... we play faster than any defense in the league, in my opinion. Look at some of the dirty plays in the league. Theres a lot of dirty players. Thats not our M.O.The Broncos werent the only team to be fined. Panthers guard?Trai Turner?was also fined $9,115 for taunting, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. ' ' '