Main Events and InterBox are proud to offer to boxing fans a quality card with a championship flair this January 30 at the Bell Centre. The event, which will feature the unified light heavyweight world championship grudge match between WBA, WBO and IBF title holder Sergey Kovalev and former world champion Jean Pascal, will also put two other titles on the line : Dmitry Mikhaylenko against Ray Robinson for the USBA welterweight belt as well as Renan St-Juste against Francis Lafrenière for the International IBF middleweight title.
Lineal light heavyweight champion, Adonis Stevenson is again insistent that he wishes to put his WBC title on the line against consensus divisional #1 and WBO/WBA/IBF champion, Sergey Kovalev, saying ‘I want that fight made!’
Former light heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal, has stated that he has fixed the flaws that cost him his first fight with WBA/WBO/IBF 175 champion Sergey Kovalev, and that his hook up with esteemed trainer Freddie Roach will be the difference maker in their Jan. 30 rematch.
Pascal was stopped by Kovalev in 8 rounds back in March before going on to a controversial decision victory over Yunieski Gonzalez in July, yet claims that now he has the wisdom of Roach in the corner, he will be ready to effect a different strategy when Kovalev returns to his Quebec backyard next month.
Although the fight is still two months away, there was already tension between unified light heavyweight title holder Sergey Kovalev and former world champion Jean Pascal at Monday’s press conference held at Bell Centre’s La Cage – Brasserie Sportive. Main Events and InterBox formally announce the rematch for the Unified WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship set to take place on Saturday, January 30 at Bell Centre. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.
Big-hitting WBA/WBO/IBF light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, has again turned up the heat on WBC champion, Adonis Stevenson, in an attempt to force ‘Superman’ into a fight, releasing 2 short videos, accompanied by the hashtag #paperchamp.
The 1st clip of Kovalev punching a heavy bag, with a piece of paper stuck to it bearing Stevenson’s name and the above hashtag, was released in response to a tweet from Adonis, who criticised the Russian’s promoter Kathy Duva, for suggesting that he should fight the winner of the mooted January Kovalev/Pascal rematch, writing; ‘I am the champ and I am my own boss.’
After his November homecoming was cancelled, it’s looking increasingly likely that Russian WBA/WBO/IBF light heavyweight champion, Sergey Kovalev, will rematch Canada’s Jean Pascal on Jan. 30 instead.
The plan is for the Pascal rematch to be the first of a 3-fight schedule that will culminate in a clash with Oakland’s unbeaten P4P star Andre Ward later next year – himself set to embark on a similar deal on HBO, ostensibly beginning on next month’s Cotto/Canelo undercard.
WBO/WBA/IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, has had his scheduled November 28th homecoming in Moscow, Russia postponed as his team at Main Events reportedly chase down a huge showdown with WBA (sup) 168 lb boss Andre Ward, according to multiple sources.
Kovalev, last seen making short work of French challenger Nadjib Mohammedi in July, now has a likely January date on HBO, meaning that the turnaround time between the November Moscow date and that next outing is simply too short.
Andre Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter says that if he is to become a fully fledged 175 lb fighter and sign to fight Russian banger Sergey Kovalev, it will happen when they are ready to do it and not the other way around.
Ward returned after 19 months out at a catch-weight of 172 lbs in June, beating up on overmatched British challenger Paul Smith and there is strong rumour that the Roc Nation star will next appear against a TBA opponent on the undercard of November’s Cotto/Canelo mega-fight, as he prepares for an eventual move to 175 good and proper.
After last Friday’s maligned Adonis Stevenson v Tommy Karency PBC on Spike fight from Toronto pulled in a series average of 581k viewers, Main Events boss Kathy Duva – promoter of WBA/WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, has again asked Stevenson to consider coming to Kovalev’s broadcaster HBO for their heavily demanded unification fight.
Kovalev is tied exclusively to the broadcasting giant, and that is proving – technically at least – the sticking point in putting together the fight, which Duva and Kovalev have stated they are willing to travel to Canada for, as well as give Adonis 50/50 in terms of the purse split.