By Keith Idec
Sergey Kovalev feels much different while winding down training camp for his rematch with Andre Ward than he did seven months ago.
As Kovalev concluded camp for their first fight November 19, the former light heavyweight champion lacked energy. The Russian knockout artist and his team are certain that he over-trained for each of his last two fights – a debatable 12-round unanimous-decision defeat to Ward and a convincing, 12-round unanimous-decision victory over South Africa’s Isaac Chilemba last July 11 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Kovalev made numerous changes during this training camp, throughout which he worked with a new strength and conditioning coach, Alexander Mikhailovich. They’ve focused more on speed than strength over the past two months.
Consequently, the 34-year-old Kovalev feels fresher and stronger as he heads toward his 12-round rematch against the undefeated Ward, scheduled for June 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas (HBO Pay-Per-View).
That should help Kovalev avoid fading during the second half of their rematch. He slowed down noticeably in the final six rounds of their first fight, when Ward made adjustments and, thanks in part to being properly conditioned, finished strong to become a world champion in a second weight class.
“I feel much better at this point [in camp],” Kovalev said during a conference call Tuesday. “I’m not nervous about my shape right now. Before the last fight, I couldn’t say before the fight, ‘I don’t wanna fight because I’m not ready.’ I got to the fight, walked the steps into the ring and fought Andre Ward with an empty tank. My energy and strength was empty one month before the fight.
“Right now, I feel very great that I fought empty with the best American fighter, and this fighter didn’t whip Kovalev. But right now, I feel that the fight is definitely gonna be different and much better than last time.”
Kovalev’s critics have hammered him for using his belief that he over-trained as an excuse for his close loss.
Nonetheless, his head trainer, John David Jackson, also is convinced Kovalev overdid it in that training camp. Jackson was especially surprised because there were days Kovalev ran 14 miles in preparation for the first Ward fight.
“I didn’t say much back then,” Jackson told BoxingScene.com recently. “I don’t try to step on another man’s toes when he’s doing his job. I just noticed that it wasn’t what he should’ve been doing. But then after the fight, [Kovalev] let it be known that he wasn’t happy with it. He changed up and got a different coach, so now that’s working for him.”
Russia’s Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) is a slight underdog against Ward (31-0, 15 KOs), who’ll make the first defenses of his IBF, WBA and WBO 175-pound championships.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.