The last time Sergey Kovalev fought Eleider Alvarez, he seemed well on his way to winning the light heavyweight title fight. Then he unexpectedly got knocked down and eventually knocked out in the seventh round. Now, when he meets Alvarez for a rematch that begins at midnight ET on the ESPN+ streaming service, he?s got another chance to save his career.
Considering Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs) has lost three of his last five fights, a win vs. Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) on Saturday night is imperative. And he probably knows it.
Here?s what happened the last time these two met in the ring.
Now, Alvarez?who?s a -175 favorite, meaning you?d have to bet $175 to win $100?gets the chance to show his upset victory wasn?t a fluke, and Kovalev, a +145 underdog, gets his chance at redemption. There are plenty of reasons to watch this fight. Here are three of them.
1) Kovalev needs to save his career: Though he was one of the best light heavyweights in the world earlier this decade, Kovalev lost back-to-back fights vs. Andre Ward. The first fight was a controversial decision loss, but Ward knocked him out in the rematch. Though Kovalev bounced back to win two-straight and another 175-pound title and though he was outboxing Alvarez and ahead on the scorecards before that ill-fated seventh round last August, his career as a top earner might hang in the balance in his rematch with Alvarez. ?This is the most important [fight] for me because I couldn’t stop my boxing career as a loser,? Kovalev said. ?It’s not in my character. First of all, this is my goal, to get back my belt that I dropped on the way to my big goals. I made a mistake last time [against Alvarez], but this time I will fix it. This Saturday, I will fix this situation and be on top again. If not, I am not the Sergey ?Krusher? Kovalev. Believe me, this Saturday will be the best version of me because I turned everything on to get in the best shape of my boxing career.”
2) Alvarez need not be intimidated: Kovalev had been considered one of the sport?s scariest fighters, but some of that reputation was deflated by his two losses to Ward. Now, Alvarez can take solace that he knocked down Kovalev multiple times the last time they fought. ?He?s used to guys being afraid of him. And that?s a problem,? Ward told ESPN.com. ?A reputation will get you a world title, keep a title for a while, even make you rich. But once that aura is pierced … Alvarez is not a better fighter than Sergey Kovalev. But he?s got heart. He?s got momentum. And he?s emboldened.?
3) Can Buddy McGirt make an impact?: Once again, Kovalev has a new trainer. He famously clashed with one of his old coaches, John David Jackson, and Kovalev has blamed recent losses on his propensity for overtraining and leaving him with a lack of energy on fight night. Kovalev is hoping his partnership with Buddy McGirt, who will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame this year, helps with that. ?I don?t need a coach to give me instructions, or tell me what I should do,? Kovalev told Hannibal Boxing. ?I need a coach who stops me (and says) ?Hey, relax, go home.? You know, to save energy for a fight. All my life I got from the hard work in the gym but I forgot I?m already 35. It?s a different recovery. You know I need longer time for recovery. If it was three or four years ago, after a hard workout, I awake the next morning and start work out (again). Right now I need to take a rest. Right now I need to (listen) to my body.?
World Boxing Super Series turmoil: Earlier this week, the manager for Ivan Baranchyk, who made the semifinals of the junior welterweight World Boxing Super Series tournament, said he wouldn?t participate because of financial issues.
?We got the purse for the quarterfinals but we had to wait about two months for the win bonus that Ivan was owed, and we didn’t get it until after we had to threaten them,? manager David McWater told ESPN.com. ?They paid us late and now they are refusing to put the money in escrow for the semifinals until the fight. They won?t even put part of the money in escrow.?
Soon after that news emerged, the WBSS announced that Baranchyk would fight Josh Taylor in the semifinals on May 18 in Glasgow, Scotland. It also tweeted this statement.
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World Boxing Super Series ✔ @WBSuperSeries Comosa AG Statement:#WBSS2 #AliTrophy
86 10:07 PM – Jan 31, 2019 49 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Keith Thurman?s strong ratings: Though Keith Thurman?s return to boxing after a 22-month absence wasn?t exactly smooth, his majority decision victory vs. Josesito Lopez drew good ratings for Fox.
The entire boxing card last Saturday drew an average of 1.98 million viewers, and according to Boxing Scene, it peaked at 2.77 million. It slightly outdrew the last Fox telecast in December, which featured the Charlo brothers and which earned an average of 1.97 million viewers with a peak of 2.4 million.
The last time Thurman fought, a victory vs. Danny Garcia in March 2017, the card drew an average of 3.74 million with a peak of 5.1 million for CBS?which was the best primetime showing for any boxing card since 1998.
