Duva Still Thinks Kovalev vs. Stevenson Can Happen

by David P. Greisman

More than a year has passed since an anticipated fight between power-punching light heavyweights Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson fell apart, with Stevenson signing with powerful boxing adviser Al Haymon and bolting from HBO, leaving Kovalev seeking opponents and opportunities.

Much has changed since then. Kovalev has since beaten Bernard Hopkins and holds three world titles. Haymon’s boxing empire has expanded to include the launch of his “Premier Boxing Champions” venture on several networks. Stevenson has stayed busy but has missed out on fights with Hopkins and now Jean Pascal, who Kovalev is facing Saturday night in Montreal.

Stevenson, the lineal light heavyweight champion and WBC titleholder, will defend against Sakio Bika on April 4 in an afternoon broadcast on CBS. Kovalev, should he beat Pascal, will make a mandatory defense against Nadjib Mohammedi.

And Kovalev’s promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events, still thinks Kovalev vs. Stevenson can happen. Interestingly, Main Events had petitioned the WBC to have Kovalev placed in a spot where Stevenson would either have to fight Kovalev or drop the belt.

“We have some steps. Sergey has to won on Saturday and then he has to beat Mohammedi, and once we get there sometime this summer the WBC will order them to fight each other, and then it’ll be up to Adonis Stevenson and the [Boxing Writers Association of America-voted] manager of the year to decide if they want to do it,” Duva said.

And she believes she can work with Haymon despite their past, including a lawsuit Main Events filed against Haymon and Stevenson and many others when the fight fell apart last year. That lawsuit was dropped when Kovalev signed to face Hopkins, as there were no longer any damages from losing out on the Stevenson fight.

“I’ve worked with Don King. I’ve worked with Bob Arum. When we started in our business, Main Events established itself by suing Don King and the WBC and the WBA and Bob Arum to get what was rightfully ours according to the rules, to get our fighters’ mandatories,” Duva said.

“Evander Holyfield got the opportunity to fight for the heavyweight title because we won a lawsuit against the WBC. I was just up there hugging a guy from the WBC,” she said. “I was hugging a guy from the WBA. We’re all friends I have made more fights with Don King personally than a lot of other promoters. We find a way to work with our enemies. We have to.”

The fight is still important to Kovalev, she said.

“Number one, it’s about the belts. Number two, who wouldn’t want to see that spectacle of him fighting Stevenson, especially here [in Montreal] after he’s presumably become a star here with his performance [against Pascal]?” Duva said. “The boxing fan in me would love to see. I’d love to see it. And I’d love to do it.

“I am well aware of the political roadblocks, but I’ll say to you — think about it — a year ago when that fight with Stevenson got canceled, did any of you think that we’d be standing here today after he [Kovalev] has beaten Bernard Hi=opkins and is about to get in the ring with Jean Pascal, or did everybody think, ‘Oh boy, he’s really screwed now because Al Haymon killed his fight.’?”

“I thought at that moment that we were really screwed, and look what happened,” she said. “This sport, stuff changes every minute, and you’ve got to be ready to move on your feet, like the fighters, move with the punches. We’re lucky because we plan. And I’ve got 15 plans in my head. We’re going to work it out.”

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