We wondered before Servey Kovalev stepped into the ring on Saturday night vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy whether Andre Ward had ruined Kovalev for good. After all, Kovalev had suffered back-to-back losses to the now-retired Ward, and he was clearly physically and mentally exhausted when Ward knocked him out in the second fight.
But Kovalev wiped all those questions away on Saturday by knocking out Shabranskyy in the most impressive of manners. As you can see below.
It leads us to new questions: Has Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs) returned to the top of the light heavyweight division now that Ward is done? And who in the 175-pound weight class can challenge Kovalev and, at the same time, make him a top moneymaker once again (remember, Kovalev made about $3 million for his two fights with Ward)? The answer to the second question might affect the answer to the first question, so let?s take a look at who else at light heavyweight could make the claim that they?re the best fighter in the weight class.
As these fighters show, it could make for an awfully fun division during the next few years.
Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs): He?s perhaps the most frustrating fighter in the sport. He?s clearly so talented, but it seems like he never wants to fight. And when he does fight, he?s not fighting the best in the division. Heck, he?s not matching up with anybody in the top-five. But he has a mandatory title defense due against the undefeated Eleider Alvarez, and that?ll be a tough test. Still, even if Stevenson?who is 40 years old, by the way?beats Alvarez, it doesn?t seem likely he?ll ever want to take on Kovalev.
Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs): Since losing to Ward in March 2016, Barrera?s stock has risen sharply with a knockout win of Shabranskyy, a victory against Joe Smith Jr., and a triumph against Felix Valera on the Kovalev-Shabranskyy undercard on Saturday. Barrera is a solid six-figure fight (he made $450,000 vs. Ward and $130,000 vs. Smith), but he doesn?t bring a ton of money to the equation for Kovalev. Yet if Kovalev can fight Barrera with the same intensity and skills Kovalev brought vs. Shabranskyy, Kovalev would make a decent payday and probably score another significant victory. It sounds like Kovalev would be just fine with that.
Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs), Artur Beterbiev (12-0, 12 KOs) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk (14-0, 12 KOs): All three of these fighters are from either Russia and the Ukraine, and all of them are heavy-handed punchers and dangerous to anybody in the division. Bivol and Beterbiev already hold titles (Kovalev and Stevenson own the other two belts), and the three could set up an incredible round-robin set of matches during the next several years.
Badou Jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs): The newcomer in this division is Jack, who won a title at super middleweight and who?s coming off an impressive knockout win vs. Nathan Cleverly in his first 175-pound fight in August. He won a secondary title which would have given him a mandatory shot against Bivol, but Jack declined saying, via ESPN. ?My promoter is looking for bigger and better things for me ? I’m ready for whoever’s next and the big checks. I want to fight Adonis Stevenson. He’s a big name, and he’s probably the biggest name in the light heavyweight division now that Andre Ward has retired. If there’s a bigger money fight, give that fight to me. If it?s Kovalev, give me him.? Right now, Jack isn?t scheduled to fight anybody, but that could change soon.
Whatever the case, the 175-pound division seems healthy, and as Bivol made clear, a World Boxing Super Series tournament featuring the light heavyweights would be awfully pleasing.
Meanwhile, the light heavyweight now has a very interesting situation. I can only repeat that I am ready to fight against any opponent – Barrera, Kovalev, Beterbiev or Stevenson. Super Series in light heavyweight? Why not?
? Dmitry Bivol (@bivol_d) November 26, 2017
It?s hard to disagree with that.
