An energized, reinvigorated Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) spoke with Southern California’s leading boxing journalists and websites and put on a show of skills at a media workout on Tuesday, November 14. The event also featured Kovalev’s new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov; Kathy Duty, CEO of Main Events, and Egis Klimas, Kovalev’s manager. (Photo credit Craig Bennett/Main Events)
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev – former unified light heavyweight world champion
Former unified light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) did a lot of soul-searching after his controversial loss to Andre “S.O.G” Ward over the summer in Las Vegas, Nevada. He traveled back to his home in Russia for several months with his wife, Natalia, and his son Aleksandr and even spent time meditating at a monastery in Greece. After months of contemplation, he decided it was time to sever his relationship with long-time trainer, John David Jackson.
Two of the most experienced fighters in the stacked 130-pound division will continue the heated Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry when Jason “El Canito” Sosa (20-2-4, 14 KOs) takes on Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (24-13, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super featherweight fight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on the televised undercard for Kovalev vs. Shabrankskyy. The event takes place Saturday, Nov. 25 and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Bernard Hopkins of Golden Boy says the rematch between Saul Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will be a “reincarnation of the Andre “SOG” Ward vs. Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev fight. Canelo will be Ward, and Golovkin will be Kovalev, says Hopkins.
Hopkins says Canelo (49-1-2, 34 KOs) will learn from the first fight against Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs), and he’ll use what he learned to expose him as not being the “boogeyman” that everyone fears.
Canelo didn’t look so great in fighting to a 12-round draw against Golovkin on September 16 in a fight televised on HBO pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kathy Duva, CEO – Main Events: All right, everybody, welcome. We are here today to officially kick off the promotion for a fight that’s going to take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 25. That’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev is going to fight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in a fight that is going to be a little departure for what Sergey’s gone through lately. It’s going to be a fight where both guys stand in the ring and throw punches at each other.
It has been confirmed by HBO how former light-heavyweight king Sergey Kovalev will make his ring return on November 25, against once-beaten contender Vyacheslav Shabranskyy of Ukraine. The bout will take place at Madison Square Garden Theatre and it’s possible Mexican warrior Orlando Salido could also return on the same card.
Kovalev, 30-2-1(26) is of course coming off back-to-back losses to Andre Ward, the second fight in June being a KO defeat for “Krusher.” Some people felt the Russian puncher would take a considerable amount of time off after being halted the way he was by Pound-for-Pound king Ward, but, no, he’s back less than six months on – and against a pretty good fighter.
Former Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) returns to the ring Saturday, November 25 at The Theater Madison Square Garden to take on hard-hitting contender Vyacheslav “Lion-Heart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-round light heavyweight showdown. Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy will be promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions, and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
According to Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva, Sergey’s next fight would take place sometime this coming November. Despite … continue
There are winners, and there are champions at heart. Sergey Kovalev, despite being a rather active trash talker, is generally a very honest and constructive person after his bouts. In today’s Instagram, Kovalev stated the following:
“I admit that Ward was better in rematch. I give him credit he did his homework with “A” and showed his professionalism and discipline. But he didn’t put an end to our clash. I fought with two people in the ring… I will be back!”
When the fight was stopped, the scorecards showed Andre Ward as a close winner. Based on the direction the fight was going, the scores were spot on.
I think it’s unnecessary to nitpick, and more candid to say that Andre Ward was simply better than Sergey Kovalev this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, NV. He was better in most ways, and it showed early in the fight. If we start disputing the fashion in which, or the reason as to why Tony Weeks stopped the fight, I am afraid the fantasy of the “what if” will skew and mottle what the fight was actually beginning to look like. Had Tony Weeks not stopped the fight, chances are, at least based on the direction the bout was going, Kovalev would have lost in a much more devastating fashion, possibly with knockdowns, or even being knocked out as a result.