There was a point during the months-long struggle to secure a fight date for his mandatory title defense when Sergey Kovalev and his team strongly considered jumping ship in favor of a lucrative showdown with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Had he taken that fight instead of his eventual August 24 meet with England’s Anthony Yarde, it would’ve meant waiting until late October or early November, which would put nine months between fights. Enough time had dragged along in waiting out an Alvarez date, however, to where the three-time and defending light heavyweight titlist was able to revisit plans to defend his crown versus Yarde at home in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
As luck would have it, though, Kovalev was able to have his cake and eat it too. Less than a month after knocking out Yarde in 11 rounds this past August, Kovalev was signed and sealed for a Nov. 2 title fight with Mexico’s Alvarez (52-1-2, 35KOs), the World middleweight champion who will move up two divisions for their DAZN headliner at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I really like that my fights are (close) like this.” Kovalev (34-3-1, 29KOs) noted during a recent media conference call to discuss the event. “I like the short rest between the fight.”
The bout will mark his third of the year and coming with just 10 weeks between ring appearances. It’s an experience he hasn’t enjoyed since fighting three times in 2016—a year which strangely mirrors his current ring campaign. Kovalev saw his light heavyweight title reign end in a Las Vegas ring, preceded by an appearance in his native Russia.
Four months separated his win July 2016 win over Isaac Chilemba and his Nov. 2016 disputed decision defeat to Andre Ward, the first loss of his career and kicking off a five fight stretch housing all three career setbacks.
A knockout loss to Eleider Alvarez last August prompted sweeping changes in Kovalev’s career. James ‘Buddy’ McGirt, a Hall of Fame former two-division champ took over the training reins, guiding Kovalev to a revenge-fueled landslide decision over Alvarez (no relation to Canelo) to regain his titles this past February, followed by his aforementioned knockout win over Yarde in August.
In taking this assignment, it meant a shorter than usual training camp for the biggest fight of his career, but also one where the 36-year old was able to hit the ground running.
“All I can say is the only thing we had to change is not coming to camp in full force, because (Kovalev) was already in shape,” noted McGirt. “We took it day by day, nice and easy. The camp is great because everyone gets along with everybody, and everybody trusts everybody. Everyone is in a relaxed mood. We know what we have to do.
“As far if we win, well I should say, when we win, because I believe in all my heart that Sergey is going to win, and it’s not going to be as hard as a lot of people think. We’re on the same page all of the time.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
