By Vadim Pushkin
For the moment, former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) is not considering the possibility of moving up in weight to the cruiserweight ranks, where things are starting to heat up with boxers like Oleksandr Usyk, Tony Bellew, Marco Huck, Murat Gassiev and several others.
But depending on what happens at 175-pounds, Kovalev might consider that career move
Kovalev suffered his first career defeat last month, when he dropped a close twelve round unanimous decision to Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the process Kovalev lost his WBA, WBO, IBF light heavyweight belts. There is an immediate rematch clause, which Kovalev exercised after the loss.
There is still no word on when or where the rematch will happen. Ward has been threatening the possibility of retirement - unless he receives an adequate deal for the Kovalev rematch.
If Ward retires, then all three of the titles will become vacant - and Kovalev is interested in starting a new campaign to re-collect all of them. If rematch happens and he reclaims his belts from Ward, then Kovalev will sit down and evaluate the idea of heading up to the cruiserweight ranks.
"When it's time move up in weight - I'll be ready. Everything will depend on how the events will unfold in the light heavyweight division. If the championship will be vacated and the belts disperse, then we'll try to collect them again. I was already at the top, and I'm still a light heavyweight. So maybe it makes sense [in the future] to go up to the cruiserweight division and then look to reach the highest point over there, to be the best," Kovalev told Elena Sobol.
"I believe Ward's victory is not legitimate. I'm calm regarding what I did [in the fight]. I'm calm [with the reality] that my championships are now in the hands of someone else. I would like to get the belts back. And maybe then it will be possible to discuss a potential move [to the cruiserweight division]."
