WBA/WBO & IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev was at this destructive best last night in Las Vegas, effortlessly blowing away French mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi inside 3 rounds, demonstrating exactly why most right-thinking boxing fans consider him the premier fighter at 175 lbs ahead of lineal WBC champion Adonis Stevenson.
After the fight Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said via fighthype.com that she was thoroughly impressed with her fighter’s win – even if it was a case of undertaking a routine piece of business – and that she intends to have Kovalev make a huge homecoming return in Russia in November, eyeing fellow Russian 175 lb stand-out Artur Beterbiev as the potential opponent.
“Sergey closed the show, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You got a weak opponent in front of you, you just get them out of there, and he did it. That’s what makes this sport so much fun to watch,” she said.
“We’re gonna take him to Moscow. We’re going to be doing a fight there in November, I think it’s going to be Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving in Moscow, what could be better than that?
“We’re going to go into a nice sized arena there and really introduce him to his (home) fans, and I’m going to send a note to Yvon Michel who handles Artur Beterbiev, another Russian. They fought each other in the amateurs, Beterbiev holds a win over him so that would be a spectacular fight to do in both of their homes.”
Sadly for Duva, Beterbiev is also signed with elusive ‘advisor’ Al Haymon, so like Adonis Stevenson (who is also promoted by Yvon Michel), she may find that a difficult fight to come by, although the obvious Russian connection gives it far more chance of happening than any Adonis fight.
On that clash, and whether or not fans are ever likely to see it, she said;
“I don’t know. It’s up to them. Sergey has a contract with HBO. As far as I know Adonis isn’t contractually obliged to fight on any one network.
“Sergey has 3 belts, Adonis has 1 belt. They have an offer – 50/50, do the fight in Montreal – I don’t think we can be any more accommodating than that and I’ve never had a response back from Yvon.”
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