Saturday night at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Eleider Alvarez dethroned WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev?
Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, unbeaten Eleider Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs), from Montreal, Canada, by way of Apartado, Colombia, dethroned reigning and defending WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey ?Krusher? Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KOs), from Ft. Lauderdale by way Kopeysk, Russia, by KO at 2:45 of the seventh round.
Fighting out of the red corner in black trunks with silver trim, Kovalev started slowly. He was methodical but effective, pocketing rounds almost nonchalantly as the fight progressed.
Alvarez, fighting out of the blue corner in white trunks with black trim, had waited five long years for his shot at the crown. He was always in the fight, but victory for either man was not a foregone conclusion until the very end.
Kovalev?s Waterloo was courtesy an Alvarez right hand to the temple. He saw the punch coming but went down just the same. He failed to take a count and was immediately greeted by a left hook-right hand that dropped him a second time. Again Kovalev rose, on very unsteady legs, and quick three-punch combination sent to him to the deck for good.
The win is in the running for Upset of the Year. And that initial right hand to the temple dramatically changed two boxers? lives.
?I wanted to show him I?m strong,? said Alvarez after the bout. ?I?m ready for the best in the world. I?m ready for the best in the division. I?ve been waiting for five years. I?m ready for anybody.?
The scores at the time of the stoppage were 58-56 and 59-55 twice, all in favor of Kovalev.
Kovalev is now the B-side of any future title challenges. He had a good run. He had his time. But the downward slope is steep, and Sergey Kovalev has done slid.
