When current WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion, Eleider Alvarez, steps in the ring to face Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev in their much-anticipated rematch on February 2 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas live on ESPN+ (https://plus.espn.com), it will Kovalev’s fifteenth consecutive world championship fight. As the challenger, Kovalev will seek to utilize his extensive championship experience to avenge his title loss in his ESPN+ debut and take back his title. Alvarez looks to prove his upset over Kovalev in their last fight was just the beginning of a championship run. Below is the scouting report for this exciting event:
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Category
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Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
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Eleider “Storm” Alvarez
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Age
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35
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34
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Record
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32-3-1 (28 KOs)
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24-0-0 (12 KOs)
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Strength
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Coming into his 15thconsecutive championship bout, The Krusher has more elite level experience than any of the current light heavyweight titleholders. He also possesses significant knockout power in both hands.
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The Storm has quick hands, possesses a sharp and accurate jab and is a great counter-puncher. He is patient in the ring. He waits for his opponents to make a mistake, which showed in the first Kovalev bout.
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Weakness
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Sergey needs to preserve his energy for the later rounds, if he cannot score a knockout early in the fight. He will need to be prepared to go into deep waters with the champion.
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Alvarez is an accurate puncher, but he needs to turn up the volume on his punch output. Although he earned the stoppage win in the first bout, he was down on all three scorecards going into the seventh round.
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Experience
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The championship experience of the former champion is his main strength. He has fought nothing but the best opposition available throughout his career and has comeback after adversity.
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The champion gained vast experience in capturing the title from The Krusher. He overcame some big shots and was down on the scorecards before he turned the tables on Kovalev.
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Power
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The Russian’s power is still the most dangerous component heading into this fight.
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Although he is not known for being a puncher, he did land the perfect knockdown punch in their first encounter.
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Speed
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The challenger has good speed and even quicker combinations.
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The champion has quick hands and is an even quicker counter-puncher.
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Endurance
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He has been a full 12-rounds just three times in his lengthy career against top-notch competition including Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward.
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Eleider has been a full 12-rounds on three occasions as well, including two former Kovalev foes, Isaac Chilemba and Jean Pascal.
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Accuracy
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One of Kovalev’s secret weapons has always been his jab. When he fully commits to it, the rest of his offensive weapons are even more effective.
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Patience has been one of the champion’s most prominent strengths. He picks his shots wisely and does not waste any punches.
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Defense
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Kovalev has always been an offensive-minded fighter. His best defense is his jab and he will have to keep it busy to avoid a repeat of what happened in the first fight.
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Contrary to his opponent, Alvarez focuses much more on defense. He moves his head well and shows great composure while waiting for his opponents to make a mistake.
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Chin
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Kovalev has always been known to have a strong chin. He’s only been stopped twice as a professional.
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Alvarez has a proven chin; he has withstood shots from some of the division’s heaviest hitters.
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Style
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Kovalev has always had a fan-friendly style. He likes to come forward and press the action from start to finish. He is an aggressive, in-your-face fighter that utilizes an aggressive jab and legitimate power shots during the fight.
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Eleider is a counter-puncher with quick hands and a solid jab. He is patient in waiting for his opponents to make a mistake and capitalizes once they do. He has also shown that he is not afraid to stand toe-to-toe with anyone.
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Crowd Support
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Although he has never competed in the state of Texas, he has been one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world for several years. He is expected to have significant crowd support.
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This will be just his third appearance on U.S. soil and his debut in the state of Texas. He is not expected to have a vast amount of crowd support.
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Intangibles
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It has never been in Kovalev’s nature to take tune-up bouts, whether it be following a win or coming off a loss. He exercised his right to an immediate rematch and got right back into the gym to correct what went wrong in the first fight.
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Alvarez waited a long time for his shot at the title and seized the opportunity against Kovalev. He fully understands that if he wants to fully dethrone Kovalev for good, then he needs to defeat the Russian one more time for his name to be discussed as one of the elites in the light heavyweight division.
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The Match-Up
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1. Will Kovalev be able to keep his stamina for the later rounds?
2. Will Alvarez go in there looking for one shot and get caught by Sergey?
3. Will Kovalev be able to stick to the game plan with his new corner?
4. Will Alvarez be able to take Sergey’s power the second time around?
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Main Events’ matchmaker, Jolene Mizzone commented, “Who doesn’t love a rematch in a fight that was an upset win? This is what boxing is all about! Kudos to both fighters to sticking to promises and contracts and moving forward with it so quickly.”
Their first fight ended with a dramatic knockout that shook up the Atlantic City Boardwalk. The rematch between Eleider “Storm” Alvarez and Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev will bring two of the light heavyweight division’s biggest names to The Star.
Alvarez will defend his WBO light heavyweight world title against former unified light heavyweight world champion Kovalev on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility.
Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) scored a come-from-behind knockout against Kovalev on Aug. 4 in a major upset to shake up the division. Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs), who has made nine title defenses across two reigns, will seek to become a three-time world champion and regain his position in boxing’s pound-for-pound top ten.
Alvarez-Kovalev 2 and a soon-to-be announced co-feature will headline a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The entire undercard will stream live beginning at 7 p.m. ET in the United States on ESPN+ – the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.
Promoted by Top Rank, Main Events and Krusher Promotions, in association with Groupe Yvon Michel, tickets, priced at $225, $165, $85, $55, and $25 (including facility fees), go on sale Friday, Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. CST and can be purchased at Seatgeek.com.
”The fact that Kovalev said it was a mistake and that I was lucky is motivation for me,” Alvarez said. “He is a sore loser, and I will make sure there will be a second ‘accident.’ ‘I expect Kovalev to be stronger in that second fight. I expect the best Kovalev because he won’t underestimate me this time, but I am fully aware of this. I am able to be even better than in the last fight.”
“I am very thankful to fight on ESPN on Feb. 2,” Kovalev said. “I will look to take back my title and put on a great show for the fans. Together with my new trainer, Buddy McGirt, I will be ready for Alvarez.”
“Sergey and Eleider are two of the world’s best fighters, and we look forward to hosting their rematch and another great night of boxing at Ford Center at The Star,” said Stephen Jones, Chief Operating Officer of the Dallas Cowboys. “Ford Center at The Star has proven to be a premier fight venue, and there is no better way to continue that legacy than to bring the world light heavyweight championship to North Texas.”
Alvarez, 34, a native of Colombia who now resides in Montreal, turned pro in 2009 following an amateur career that included a pair of Pan American Games gold medals and a 2008 Olympic berth. In 2013, he defeated former middleweight world champion Edison Miranda by unanimous decision, and by 2015, he had established himself as one of the world’s top light heavyweight contenders. He earned the shot at Kovalev following a trio of high-profile wins: a 2015 majority decision against perennial contender Isaac Chilemba, a 2017 knockout of former longtime super middleweight world champion Lucian Bute, and a majority decision over former light heavyweight kingpin Jean Pascal. That all led to his triumphant night on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, a feat he hopes to duplicate in Frisco.
Kovalev is one of the most dominating world champions of his era, a devastating puncher with nine title defenses across two title reigns. He won the WBO world title in August 2013, traveling to Wales and knocking out hometown champion Nathan Cleverly in the fourth round. He became the unified champion in November 2014 with a dominating 12-round decision against future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins and further enhanced his résumé with a pair of knockout wins against Jean Pascal. He lost his world titles in November 2016 via controversial decision to pound-for-pound great Andre Ward. Nearly seven months later, Kovalev was stopped in the eighth round by Ward, a bout remembered in part for the multiple low blows that immediately preceded the stoppage. Kovalev rebounded, winning the vacant WBO light heavyweight title with a second-round TKO against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in his next bout. He defended the title once, a seventh-round TKO of Igor Mikhalkin in March, before running into Alvarez.
