Tweet
– Have you seen some of Cleverly’s fights?
– Not yet, only some fragments. Quite an inconvenient opponent – toll, speedy, hard to reach I’d say… Later I’ll analyze him more thoroughly.
– After your win over Cornelius White you said “Fight me, Hopkins!”
– Of course that would be much more interesting to fight with Hopkins rather than Cleverly. Hopkins is a living legend of the world boxing. It seems to me, he would teach me a lot, like how to confront some unfair tricks. And I don’t care how this fight would finish, it doesn’t matter would I win or lose.
– And why you did not managed to arrange a fight with Hopkins?
– Well, first of all he kept silence and didn’t react to our requests, while the IBF compelled us to settle all questions until the 17th of June. So, let’s just imagine the situation: we reject the Cleverly’s proposal and are waiting for the Hopkins’s answer till this date. So if he still doesn’t answer, we’re like in between. So in order to avoid that uncertainty we’ve chosen the freer from risk way – accepted Cleverly’s proposal. Maybe I’ll fight with Hopkins one day. And when everything was decided and my match with Cleverly was announced, Hopkins finally dropped a line in his Twitter that he is ready to meet me. Well, perhaps we’ll meet in the combined match of WBO and IBF champions.
– Your previous opponents Lionel Thompson, Gabriel Campillio and Cornelius White were all knocked out in the third round. Quite fast, isn’t it?
– I just didn’t want to drag it on; moreover the opponents let me to do it. It’s a boxing, not a figure-skating after all. 10-12 rounds are OK for training. I didn’t think that the fight with White would end so quickly too. But he did some very hard blows. Then I distanced myself, started to sidestep and knocked him down. I practiced this trick in Chelyabinsk. Why didn’t I train in the USA? Actually I came to Russia to extend my international passport, which was valid till the 1st of April. But it took more time to get my visa so instead of one month my vacation lasted two months. So I didn’t want to lose time and started training in Chelyabinsk. And in the USA I had my final phase – working in sparring and cutting weight.
– You are titled as the most spectacular Russian boxer. Are you pleased?
– Of course! It means that I work not for nothing!
– And who do you think is the most spectacular fighter?
– Honestly, I don’t like the heavyweight division; I’m just not interested in it. The fight Ruslan Provodnikov – Timothy Bradley was really beautiful though, intriguing I’d say; I enjoyed watching it. But Ruslan underdid. In the crucial moment he lost his head, while he should have kept it cool. When a person’s knocked down he’s kind of drunk: the speed and alertness are different. Ruslan had only to make a precise strike, alas, he didn’t managed. As a result, he didn’t win, but he became a star instead.
And when it goes to the former USSR countries, the most outstanding for me is Gennady Golovkin; he is hard-hitting and as tough as a tank. We know each other very well: we lived in the same house and went to the same gym in Big Bear. Now I live in Florida but soon will fly to Big Bear for three weeks. I’ll have my first stage of preparation for the fight with Cleverly there. I’ve already bought the tickets. But the gym will be different. I’ll start with the overall body conditioning: cycling, jogging and swimming – there’s a beautiful lake in Big Bear.
Besides I’d also mention Ravshan Hudaynazarov. He’s a great boxer, even though not famous. By the way, he made his first steps in Chelyabinsk as well.
– How would you describe your style?
– I don’t know! But I can say that I enjoy punch-outs, even when it’s dangerous or is not needed.
– Have Americans given you any nickname?
– Yes, before the fight with Campillio I was given the nickname “Krusher”. I have always been against all these nicknames, but my promoters insisted. As they said, There’re plenty of Kovalevs, but only one – the Krusher. (Kovalev is a widespread surname in Russia – translator’snote).
– Do you remember which else Kovalev became famous in the USA?
– Of course I do. Aleksey Kovalev, the ice hockey-player. By the way, I visited one of the NHL matches – Florida- Edmonton.
– Have you been in the “Traktor” Ice Arena in Chelyabinsk (“Traktor” is the biggest ice arena in Chelyabinsk, named after the famous Chelyabinsk ice hockey team – translator’s note).
– Yes, not once. In the last season “Traktor” performed beautifully, won a lot of matches. Though they lost the final, but they fought decently. And the goals that “Dinamo” scored (“Traktor”’s rival in the final – translator’s note) were wishy-washy I’d say. “Dinamo” were just lucky, that’s all. For my jubilee “Traktor” players gave me a bandy with their autographs and the inscription: “From the Traktor Ice Hockey Club for Sergey Kovalev’s Birthday”. Very nice.
– You have 215 matches as an amateur boxer in your track record.
– Yes, but I hadn’t such quick fights as now. Only about four fights I won by knockdowns. Of course I had wins by TKOs before, especially during the first years of my career: I simply went to the ring and punched them up. Then I changed my tactics. I remember after one of my wins my trainer told me: “Did you understand how you’ve just won? You’ve started boxing, scoring points!?”
– Have you ever had to fight with someone stronger than you?
– Yes, once I nearly fainted….
– Tell me about that.
– It happened in Minsk. We were told that if we, boxers from Chelyabinsk would had done our best, we would have represented Belarus at the Olympic Games in Athens. The first and the second matches I won. And in the semi-final I had to fight with the boxer from Armenia. At first sight he was a harmless guy with a childish face. But when I attacked the first time, he responded with such a blow, as if the brick hit my head. I thought “Wow!” and the referee didn’t open the score. He had really hard blows, after the first round I was losing 3:7; after the third round the score was 7:15. And in the last fourth round we had a really tough combat: I knocked him down twice and won with the score 30:20, gaining 23 points in one round. I felt dizzy after that, but in the end I won the tournament. I was so exhausted during the final battle; I almost didn’t use my left arm. That Armenian “kid” completely frazzled me out.
– And where is this “kid” now?
– I haven’t heard anything about him after that tournament in Belarus.
– And what went wrong with Belarus?
– They had a Dagestani trainer, who preferred his countrymen.
– And then you quitted amateur boxing. Why?
– I took part in Russian Championships finals regularly and lost quite often, because everything was decided behind the curtains so to say. They never sent me to European championships, not mentioning the Olympics. The money I was paid was scarcely enough for the living. I couldn’t afford myself even a domestic car, even on credit.
– So why have you decided to move to the USA?
– This idea was given me by the friend of mine. We met once upon a time and he said, “Come on, you should try!” But I answered, “No, hanks, I’m not interested”. I thought, in the prizefighting they beat you to a pulp, and actually it’s true. But nevertheless I decided to take a risk and try. My defeat in Kaliningrad in the fight against their boxer was a final straw. Besides they didn’t call me to any tournament, even the Russian championship. I really wanted to wipe their eyes and prove that they had underestimated me. So I flew to the US, which was my dream, by the way. I tried a number of gyms, tried myself in sparrings with champions, and I did quite well. Then I did my debut; three years I worked only for a long term, I was paid nothing. I got fees only for the last three fights.
– How is that possible?
– Because I didn’t have a promoter, but finally I was spotted. I signed a contract with Main Events, won Thompson, Campillo and White. My match with Cleverly will be aired on HBO, and it’s a completely new level. So, of course the fee will be higher too. Honestly, right now I’m still short of money. Big thanks to my manager Egis Klimas, he’d been providing me with accommodations and meals, giving me pocket money, bought
– And what can you say about your promoter Kathy Duva?
– She’s a fair person, at least towards me. As far as I know she has inherited reins of power in Main Events from her departed husband. Actually it seems to me, that Main Events is ruled by women only, there’s only one man – their photograph. And they do it great; you see how fast they arranged a WBO title fight for me.
– How much was you paid for the last win over White?
– $10,000, but minus all taxes and percents I got $4,000.
– And how much you’re planning to get for Cleverly?
– The fee is stated, but I can’t reveal it. But more than 10,000 this time (laughs).
– Do people in the US recognize you in the streets?
– No, but Chelyabinsk is a different story. The US population is 365 millions, and there are a lot of other popular sports. But a day or two ago we dropped into a sport bar to watch the NBA Miami- San-Antonio final. So the barman said “Hello” to me and then said, “Hey, I know you, you’re the boxer from Russia”. Honestly, I was surprised. “Well, nice to meet you”, said I. I got used to the life in the US. It was difficult at the first time, but now everything’s fine, moreover I have my wife beside me. Though I miss Russia, I’ll always do.
– Not yet, only some fragments. Quite an inconvenient opponent – toll, speedy, hard to reach I’d say… Later I’ll analyze him more thoroughly.
– After your win over Cornelius White you said “Fight me, Hopkins!”
– Of course that would be much more interesting to fight with Hopkins rather than Cleverly. Hopkins is a living legend of the world boxing. It seems to me, he would teach me a lot, like how to confront some unfair tricks. And I don’t care how this fight would finish, it doesn’t matter would I win or lose.
– And why you did not managed to arrange a fight with Hopkins?
– Well, first of all he kept silence and didn’t react to our requests, while the IBF compelled us to settle all questions until the 17th of June. So, let’s just imagine the situation: we reject the Cleverly’s proposal and are waiting for the Hopkins’s answer till this date. So if he still doesn’t answer, we’re like in between. So in order to avoid that uncertainty we’ve chosen the freer from risk way – accepted Cleverly’s proposal. Maybe I’ll fight with Hopkins one day. And when everything was decided and my match with Cleverly was announced, Hopkins finally dropped a line in his Twitter that he is ready to meet me. Well, perhaps we’ll meet in the combined match of WBO and IBF champions.
– Your previous opponents Lionel Thompson, Gabriel Campillio and Cornelius White were all knocked out in the third round. Quite fast, isn’t it?
– I just didn’t want to drag it on; moreover the opponents let me to do it. It’s a boxing, not a figure-skating after all. 10-12 rounds are OK for training. I didn’t think that the fight with White would end so quickly too. But he did some very hard blows. Then I distanced myself, started to sidestep and knocked him down. I practiced this trick in Chelyabinsk. Why didn’t I train in the USA? Actually I came to Russia to extend my international passport, which was valid till the 1st of April. But it took more time to get my visa so instead of one month my vacation lasted two months. So I didn’t want to lose time and started training in Chelyabinsk. And in the USA I had my final phase – working in sparring and cutting weight.
– You are titled as the most spectacular Russian boxer. Are you pleased?
– Of course! It means that I work not for nothing!
– And who do you think is the most spectacular fighter?
– Honestly, I don’t like the heavyweight division; I’m just not interested in it. The fight Ruslan Provodnikov – Timothy Bradley was really beautiful though, intriguing I’d say; I enjoyed watching it. But Ruslan underdid. In the crucial moment he lost his head, while he should have kept it cool. When a person’s knocked down he’s kind of drunk: the speed and alertness are different. Ruslan had only to make a precise strike, alas, he didn’t managed. As a result, he didn’t win, but he became a star instead.
And when it goes to the former USSR countries, the most outstanding for me is Gennady Golovkin; he is hard-hitting and as tough as a tank. We know each other very well: we lived in the same house and went to the same gym in Big Bear. Now I live in Florida but soon will fly to Big Bear for three weeks. I’ll have my first stage of preparation for the fight with Cleverly there. I’ve already bought the tickets. But the gym will be different. I’ll start with the overall body conditioning: cycling, jogging and swimming – there’s a beautiful lake in Big Bear.
Besides I’d also mention Ravshan Hudaynazarov. He’s a great boxer, even though not famous. By the way, he made his first steps in Chelyabinsk as well.
– How would you describe your style?
– I don’t know! But I can say that I enjoy punch-outs, even when it’s dangerous or is not needed.
– Have Americans given you any nickname?
– Yes, before the fight with Campillio I was given the nickname “Krusher”. I have always been against all these nicknames, but my promoters insisted. As they said, There’re plenty of Kovalevs, but only one – the Krusher. (Kovalev is a widespread surname in Russia – translator’snote).
– Do you remember which else Kovalev became famous in the USA?
– Of course I do. Aleksey Kovalev, the ice hockey-player. By the way, I visited one of the NHL matches – Florida- Edmonton.
– Have you been in the “Traktor” Ice Arena in Chelyabinsk (“Traktor” is the biggest ice arena in Chelyabinsk, named after the famous Chelyabinsk ice hockey team – translator’s note).
– Yes, not once. In the last season “Traktor” performed beautifully, won a lot of matches. Though they lost the final, but they fought decently. And the goals that “Dinamo” scored (“Traktor”’s rival in the final – translator’s note) were wishy-washy I’d say. “Dinamo” were just lucky, that’s all. For my jubilee “Traktor” players gave me a bandy with their autographs and the inscription: “From the Traktor Ice Hockey Club for Sergey Kovalev’s Birthday”. Very nice.
– You have 215 matches as an amateur boxer in your track record.
– Yes, but I hadn’t such quick fights as now. Only about four fights I won by knockdowns. Of course I had wins by TKOs before, especially during the first years of my career: I simply went to the ring and punched them up. Then I changed my tactics. I remember after one of my wins my trainer told me: “Did you understand how you’ve just won? You’ve started boxing, scoring points!?”
– Have you ever had to fight with someone stronger than you?
– Yes, once I nearly fainted….
– Tell me about that.
– It happened in Minsk. We were told that if we, boxers from Chelyabinsk would had done our best, we would have represented Belarus at the Olympic Games in Athens. The first and the second matches I won. And in the semi-final I had to fight with the boxer from Armenia. At first sight he was a harmless guy with a childish face. But when I attacked the first time, he responded with such a blow, as if the brick hit my head. I thought “Wow!” and the referee didn’t open the score. He had really hard blows, after the first round I was losing 3:7; after the third round the score was 7:15. And in the last fourth round we had a really tough combat: I knocked him down twice and won with the score 30:20, gaining 23 points in one round. I felt dizzy after that, but in the end I won the tournament. I was so exhausted during the final battle; I almost didn’t use my left arm. That Armenian “kid” completely frazzled me out.
– And where is this “kid” now?
– I haven’t heard anything about him after that tournament in Belarus.
– And what went wrong with Belarus?
– They had a Dagestani trainer, who preferred his countrymen.
– And then you quitted amateur boxing. Why?
– I took part in Russian Championships finals regularly and lost quite often, because everything was decided behind the curtains so to say. They never sent me to European championships, not mentioning the Olympics. The money I was paid was scarcely enough for the living. I couldn’t afford myself even a domestic car, even on credit.
– So why have you decided to move to the USA?
– This idea was given me by the friend of mine. We met once upon a time and he said, “Come on, you should try!” But I answered, “No, hanks, I’m not interested”. I thought, in the prizefighting they beat you to a pulp, and actually it’s true. But nevertheless I decided to take a risk and try. My defeat in Kaliningrad in the fight against their boxer was a final straw. Besides they didn’t call me to any tournament, even the Russian championship. I really wanted to wipe their eyes and prove that they had underestimated me. So I flew to the US, which was my dream, by the way. I tried a number of gyms, tried myself in sparrings with champions, and I did quite well. Then I did my debut; three years I worked only for a long term, I was paid nothing. I got fees only for the last three fights.
– How is that possible?
– Because I didn’t have a promoter, but finally I was spotted. I signed a contract with Main Events, won Thompson, Campillo and White. My match with Cleverly will be aired on HBO, and it’s a completely new level. So, of course the fee will be higher too. Honestly, right now I’m still short of money. Big thanks to my manager Egis Klimas, he’d been providing me with accommodations and meals, giving me pocket money, bought
– And what can you say about your promoter Kathy Duva?
– She’s a fair person, at least towards me. As far as I know she has inherited reins of power in Main Events from her departed husband. Actually it seems to me, that Main Events is ruled by women only, there’s only one man – their photograph. And they do it great; you see how fast they arranged a WBO title fight for me.
– How much was you paid for the last win over White?
– $10,000, but minus all taxes and percents I got $4,000.
– And how much you’re planning to get for Cleverly?
– The fee is stated, but I can’t reveal it. But more than 10,000 this time (laughs).
– Do people in the US recognize you in the streets?
– No, but Chelyabinsk is a different story. The US population is 365 millions, and there are a lot of other popular sports. But a day or two ago we dropped into a sport bar to watch the NBA Miami- San-Antonio final. So the barman said “Hello” to me and then said, “Hey, I know you, you’re the boxer from Russia”. Honestly, I was surprised. “Well, nice to meet you”, said I. I got used to the life in the US. It was difficult at the first time, but now everything’s fine, moreover I have my wife beside me. Though I miss Russia, I’ll always do.
Comment