Former light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev is facing new legal troubles.
TMZ reports that Kovalev was arrested for a DUI [driving under the influence] in Los Angeles early Monday morning.
The 36-year-old was reportedly pulled over by the California Highway Patrol around 2AM. During the stop, the trooper believed Kovalev was under the influence and arrested him for DUI. He was taken to a nearby station where he was booked.
There is no confirmation if Kovalev was given a sobriety test or refused to take one.
After a few hours at the police station, Kovalev was released on his own recognizance around 7:35AM.
Kovalev, who has a reputation as a drinker, is currently in the middle of a felony assault case stemming from an incident where he allegedly attacked a woman in 2018 in Big Bear, California.
Kovalev is accused of striking and causing injuries to Jamie Frontz, who makes allegations that Kovalev assaulted her after she rejected his sexual advances.
If convicted on the assault charge, Kovalev faces up to 4 years in prison. There is also a civil case ongoing. The two sides had reached an agreement in the civil case, but recently Frontz sued Kovalev with claims that he violated the settlement agreements by not making the agreed-upon payments.
There was also an incident last year, where Kovalev was allegedly intoxicated and caused a scene during a flight, when a female passenger claimed he was making her feel uncomfortable and wanted to kiss her.
Kovalev has been out of the ring since November or 2019, when Canelo Alvarez knocked him out in the eleventh round. Canelo had moved up by two weight divisions to challenge Kovalev for his WBO title. DAZN, who streamed the fight, has two fight options on the Russian boxer.