It looked like something out of DC Comics and Marvel.
If Adonis Stevenson is ?Superman?, then Sergey Kovalev was none other than that good ole fashioned dirty bastard, ?Red Skull?. Sure, he?s a hateful, brutal Nazi extremist who really wants it with ?Captain America? (let?s say this is Andre Ward), but Kovalev looks like a ring equivalent.
Only this one is a Russian new age version- that?s far deadlier.
Kovalev (23-0-1, 21KO?s) was a problem well before his HBO coming out party against Nathan Cleverly, a fight which saw him spank the UK product and put him in timeout, before taking his WBO Light heavyweight title. He?d shown the icy cold poise of an assassin in previous outings too, though not even most hardcore fans knew it.
Soon, the casual fan will know.
Ismayl Sillakh, a talented fighter who comes from Russian origins and can speak a few languages, was having his ass-kicking explained to him in plain English, even as Kovalev revealed in a post fight interview with Max Kellerman that he?s still learning to speak it.
But boy his fists can shout.
I thought Sillakh would extend Kovalev somewhat and make things a little interesting. Roy Jones Jr., part of the HBO commentator team, recused himself from the table to talk to his boy (Jones has a business interest in Sillakh). But this was something like Apollo Creed stopping by to encourage him before facing Ivan Drago. Dude was doomed.
His 2nd round massacre set the stage for the larger-than-life persona and presence of Adonis Stevenson.
Tony Bellew made a point of derisively comparing Stevenson (36), somehow, to a bigger Pernell Whitaker with a big punch. Problem is, Bellew was right, and had he really listened to himself, he would’ve correctly forecasted the massive pounding he was about to take.
My pre-fight prediction of a 6th round stoppage victory for Stevenson (23-1, 20KO?s) came largely on the heels of Bellews mouth and their pre-fight scuffle. After a somewhat competitive 3 or 4 rounds, ?Superman? started treating Bellew like he was Lex Luther at the bus stop.
His 6th round massacre set the stage for a larger-than-life colossal fight with Sergey Kovalev.
Stevenson was calling out Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins afterwards, understanding the economics of either of those fights as opposed to one with Kovalev, who would be far riskier for less ?immediate? reward.
Based on what I can see, Stevenson abducts ?The Alien? Hopkins, and puts him on a UFO. He would also crush ?The Cobra?, Carl Froch, before he could really try to strike. Besides Andre Ward, there is no bigger threat to Stevenson than Kovalev.
It would be a war, and a very cold one.
ADONIS ?SUPERMAN? STEVENSON VS. SERGEY KOVALEV
I don?t know if Sergey Kovalev has a criminal record, but beyond a new age ?Red Skull? incarnate, he fights like a crime boss in the ring or a dirty politician with ultimate power. Matter of fact, he?s what I would imagine Vladimir Putin to be like if he was Kovalev?s age (30) and a great prizefighter.
Kovalev is a fearless, ruthless, cold-blooded badass with ice in his veins that?s out for blood. He strikes me as a guy that?s all about belting you for the hell of it, the actual belt be damned.
Stevenson has the persona and ring demeanor befitting of a pimp. The fact that he was one, and is now an elite fighter, is a testament to his penchant for opportunistic control with arrogance. He believes in himself, and seeks to make every fighter that enters the ring with him his ?bitch?. Now try to imagine him doing this to Kovalev?
I can?t either.
Kovalev would engage ?Superman? in a fierce firefight. But acting like he?s a can of shook soda, once Kovalev opened him up- Stevenson would explode. At some point early in the fight, he would catch the menacing Russian with that lethal left of his and stun him greatly, but Kovalev would weather this storm. Between the two of them he?s more textbook solid in technique, and Stevenson keeps the gate to his chin slightly cracked open.
And Kovalev would sneak right in.
He?d get him with a variety of right hands and power shots from both, as one of the most dynamic offenses in the sport overwhelms and backs up Stevenson. He cannot fight Kovalev backing up, and would eventually become cannon fodder.
Sergey Kovalev, a rising star and fast becoming one of the best fighters in the world, will freeze Adonis ?Superman? Stevenson with a massive right hand late in the 8th round, for a dramatic 8th round KO.
