By Jake Donovan

Sergey Kovalev didn’t need a lot of motivation for his past few fights. Regardless of his level of opposition, the unbeaten light heavyweight titlist boasts frightening knockout power against just about anyone else in the world in and around his weight class.

The odds are much closer to a pick-‘em affair for his next trip to the ring, though, as he faces living legend Bernard Hopkins. The two collide November 8 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, with three belts at stake in their HBO-televised headliner.

Kovalev (25-0-1, 23KOs) boasts a significant edge in power and – if age can be considered an advantage – youth, as he is – at age 31 – more than 18 years Hopkins’ junior. He’s arguably the biggest puncher that Hopkins (55-6-2, 32KOs) has ever faced, but that hardly guarantees victory against a fighter who has built a legacy out of ruining careers.

Suffice to say, the very thought of facing a future Hall of Famer who is still very dangerous deep in the twilight of his career is enough of a motivating factor. Kovalev now has at least one more reason to go that extra mile, finding inspiration from the birth of his son, Aleksandr on Monday.

“November 8 is one more fight that I’m going to win and give this victory to my son, Aleksandr…this is for me, a huge fight,” Kovalev acknowledges. “This is the biggest fight of all of my life. It’s a very important fight.”

Kovalev emerged on the title scene with an emphatic four-round beatdown of previously unbeaten Nathan Cleverly last August on the road in Cardiff, Wales.

The bout marked the Russian knockout artist’s debut performance on HBO and also his first title fight. He has since defended his belt three times, all coming on HBO and all ending in one-sided knockout, including a 2nd round stoppage of Blake Caparello in August.

Kovalev’s last fight came just over 24 hours after it was revealed that he had reached terms to face Hopkins. His performance versus Caparello suggested that of a disinterested fighter, even suffering a flash knockdown before putting on his game face and pounding the Aussie contender into submission.

It can be guaranteed that Kovalev will have his game face will be on from the opening bell versus Hopkins. The birth of his son was inevitable at least from the time he and his wife learned earlier this year that she was pregnant. The timing of his showdown with Hopkins comes at the perfect time in his career and - given recent events – in his life. 

“My baby was born (Monday) and I will always remember this,” Kovalev said. “My son has pushed me more and it’s a big motivation for me. Now I understand for who I am doing everything in my career. I’m doing this not just for me but I’m doing this also for my family.”
 
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox