By Jake Donovan
OMAHA, Neb.—It wasn’t a blockbuster ring campaign Sergey Kovalev and his team sought when 2015 began, but the year will at least close with promise of a much brighter future.
Progress continues to be made in a planned three-fight deal that Kovalev and his team hope will culminate in a coveted showdown with undefeated super middleweight king Andre Ward by this time next year.
The first step in making that fight happen is, of course, getting the unbeaten, unified light heavyweight champion back in the ring. On deck is a potential rematch with Jean Pascal, whom Kovalev stopped in eight round this past March in Montreal. Another road trip is in store for the explosive knockout artist from Russia, but it beats the staying at home and not fighting at all.
“It's just about a done deal,” Egis Klimas, Kovalev’s manager told BoxingScene.com. “Once we (make it official), it will likely be January 30 in Montreal.”
Such a fight means Kovalev (28-0-1, 25KOs) will begin next year the same he way kicked off his 2015 campaign. The first fight with Pascal came on the heels of a 12-round shutout over legendary Bernard Hopkins last November, the type of major fight Kovalev sought when joining the HBO family beginning with his four-round destruction of Nathan Cleverly in Aug. ’13 on the road in Wales.
His arrival came right on time, as HBO was already in the business of then-newly minted World light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson. The two were placed on a collision course, one that was believed to result in a blockbuster clash at some point in 2014.
Stevenson threw a monkey wrench into those plans in signing with adviser Al Haymon and fleeing from the HBO family, news that came prior to Kovalev’s stay busy win over Cedric Agnew last March. More of the same was perceived to be the case in his eventual knockout win over Blake Caparello last August, although the mismatch was at least accompanied by news that already signed and sealed was a unification bout with Hopkins to rescue his 2014 campaign.
There was no such luck in this calendar year. Kovalev’s win over Pascal was billed by HBO and his promoter Main Events as the best possible light heavyweight matchup that could (reasonably) be made, meaning one that was free of the sport’s politics. Just one other fight has come on the year, an undesirable mandatory title defense versus Nadjib Mohammedi, whom Kovalev zapped in three rounds in front of a sparse crowd this past July in Las Vegas.
There were talks of Kovalev possibly returning to Russia for his first fight in his home country since 2011. Struggles to land an opponent or network interest ultimately killed such plans, prompting his team to build towards his future and ensuring that next year begins and ends with a bang.
“We are also talking with the Roc Nation people about fighting Andre Ward next year,” Klimas confirmed. Maybe we will have a fight in between then (likely a mandatory title defense), to give him three fights on the year.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox