By Jake Donovan
Suddenly, there is an awful lot happening in the world of boxing. The biggest fight that needed to be made has finally been made. There are major shows nearly every weekend for the foreseeable future, with fewer apparent mismatches than has been the case far too often in years past. Slowly but surely, the best in each division are beginning to face one another.
Of course, all of that is old news to Sergey Kovalev.
From the moment the unbeaten knockout artist from Russia signed with Main Events, the question was always how fast the New Jersey-based promotional outfit could take him to a world title. Once that promise was met, Kovalev wanted to know how soon before he could add to the collection.
Now armed with three belts in tow, the unified titlist and rookie father makes his first ring appearance of 2015. The hope for Kovalev and his team would be that their next road trip to Canada would be to face Adonis Stevenson for all the light heavyweight marbles.
For the second straight fight, he instead settles for the best available light heavyweight in the world. Four months after securing a career-best win in a virtuoso performance over legendary Bernard Hopkins, Kovalev travels north of the U.S. border to face former light heavyweight king Jean Pascal.
The bout is the main event of a televised tripleheader, airing live from Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada (Saturday, HBO 9:45 p.m. ET).
“I am waiting for March 14. This day for me mean a lot,” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23KOs) says of his first fight back following a Fighter of the Year-worthy 2014 ring campaign. “This is the first time defending (three) of my titles. I am sure it will be a really great boxing date on HBO.”
Facing Hopkins and Pascal in back-to-back fights is precisely the level of competition Kovalev sought when signing with manager Egis Klimas upon turning pro. It took three years before serious attention was paid to his career, as the Russian crusher was forced to toil on the club circuit and deep on non-televised undercards while seeking out available takers.
Main Events finally gave in and took a chance on the then-raw but rising light heavyweight in 2012. The timing was perfect as the company had just launched its “Fight Night” series on NBC Sports Network.
The series ended last year, as NBC and its affiliates are now in business with adviser Al Haymon. Main Events knew the writing was on the wall, but used the series as a tool to help get its fighters to the next stage. It worked out for several, even those who’ve moved on from Main Events to other promotional entities.
The biggest success story from that run, however, was Kovalev. It took a matter of four fights—three of which aired live on NBC Sports Network, with the viewing audience immediately falling in love—to get to the title stage.
His first crack at alphabet glory coincided with his debut on HBO, causing a big splash with a 4th round knockout of Nathan Cleverly in Aug. ’13. It wasn’t so much the win, but the manner in which he violently snatched the crown, all while facing an unbeaten titlist and in his opponent’s backyard.
Kovalev was happy to pack a bag and continue the road trip. His first defense took place three months later in Canada. A 2nd round knockout of Ismayl Sillah was basically a layup, nor did the location benefit either fighter. The venue—the Pepsi Colisuem in Quebec City—was chosen for the evening’s headliner, Stevenson who stopped Tony Bellew in six rounds.
The show was designed as the first step in building towards an eventual head-on collision in the biggest light heavyweight fight to be made. Kovalev held up his end of the bargain, signing with HBO as he now enters his sixth fight with the network.
Stevenson, however, jumped ship. Rather that remaining with the network that aired his light heavyweight championship winning effort and two subsequent title defenses amidst a 2013 Fighter of the Year campaign, the hard-hitting southpaw instead took his business across the street to Showtime, a move motivated by his signing with adviser Al Haymon.
Two defenses have followed, neither of which followed much of a viewing audience, although Stevenson’s next fight will take place live on CBS preceding Final Four coverage of the college basketball tournament.
Meanwhile, Kovalev has emerged as the darling of the division. A lot of it has to do with the manner in which he disposes his foes. But a knockout wasn’t required for fans to appreciate the manner in which he dismantled Hopkins last November. The 12-round shutout was certainly something to behold, but the fact that he took the fight just because it was available is why fans love—and need more of—fighters like him.
“I am going into the ring for my next victory. Knockout or decision doesn't matter as long as I get the victory,” insists Kovalev, whose seven-fight knockout streak ended the moment Hopkins heard the final bell last November in Atlantic City. “Sure I am going to get my next victory. How it will happen, nobody knows.
“I am not speculating in the future what will happen. It just so happens that I stop my opponents early. Jean Pascal is my hugest challenger. This fight can be 12 rounds again. We can (score the) decision. Anything can happen. If it will be KO, it will be good for me. I am going to ring to show how I can do boxing. I want to see the result of my preparations.”
Pascal (29-2-1, 17KOs) represents the fourth current or former champ Kovalev will face, all coming within the span of his last eight fights. The first was his only fight in which his opponent didn’t enjoy some semblance of hometown advantage, as he stopped Spain’s Gabriel Campillo in three one-sided rounds in their Jan. ’13 fight at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
The win over Cleverly took place in Wales, while his classic performance over Hopkins headlined at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. It marked Kovalev’s third straight fight along the famed East Coast gambling strip, but also an hour and change from Hopkins’ boxing-rich hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Come this weekend, Kovalev will find himself in hostile territory. Pascal has traditionally brought the crowd in past big fights in Montreal. It’s why Chad Dawson and Bernard Hopkins (twice) hit the road despite their promoters and network affiliations having the power to dictate such fights taking place elsewhere if it came to that.
In that vain, Kovalev is in a similar position. Of course, ticket sales are why the fight takes place in Canada this weekend. But it’s not even a fight either fighter had to take; Pascal is the mandatory challenger to Stevenson’s title, while Kovalev has three challengers of his own waiting in queue.
The fight happens, because it’s the level of opposition Kovalev craves—and why he still has designs on cleaning out the division, no matter the political obstacles.
“I don't care who I fight next. My plan is, first of all, to defend my three titles against Pascal. It is the most important thing in my career for now.
“After the fight, my goal is to get all four titles in my division.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
