Kovalev's manager: "Sergey is not a racist."

[Hitman932]

Russia unfortunately teaches its children hate and prejudice, thank god for the internet that Russian children can learn from us westerners about basic human rights


Ive met many Russians over here in London and i could not repeat the things they say about their native Russia. Its good to see they are assimilated to their adopting nation and shun Russia

Sadly we also have Russian gangs who abuse women via sex rings, these are the types of Russians we should deport back to Russia. These men treat women in the most appalling fashion, kidnapping them and forcing them in to prostitution, something i believe is very common in Russia.

Your points made me recall the Klitschko documentary when they talk about coming to America and loving it and how their father still insisted - even after hearing from his children - that all Americans were scum and that everything presented to his children was an elaborate hoax. He had been brainwashed by a life in the Soviet system to hate and distrust anyone who was different than him.

My Grandparents grew up in Hungary when it was under Russian control and to this day my grandmother refers to blacks as "colored people". She isn't racist, she just doesn't know any better. She came from a place where racism and classism were the status quo and the government pitted social groups against each other in class warfare.

I've tried to break her of the habit but she doesn't even realize she does it. The way you speak becomes ingrained in you after so many years. I expect Kovalev will stop using the word as he is young enough to understand and has the financial incentive to be extra sensitive - however I don't think anything he says is specifically racist when taken into context.

He very well may be a bitter racist - these comments just don't happen to be proof of that imo.

[PainfromUkraine]

Your points made me recall the Klitschko documentary when they talk about coming to America and loving it and how their father still insisted - even after hearing from his children - that all Americans were scum and that everything presented to his children was an elaborate hoax. He had been brainwashed by a life in the Soviet system to hate and distrust anyone who was different than him.

My Grandparents grew up in Hungary when it was under Russian control and to this day my grandmother refers to blacks as "colored people". She isn't racist, she just doesn't know any better. She came from a place where racism and classism were the status quo and the government pitted social groups against each other in class warfare.

I've tried to break her of the habit but she doesn't even realize she does it. The way you speak becomes ingrained in you after so many years. I expect Kovalev will stop using the word as he is young enough to understand and has the financial incentive to be extra sensitive - however I don't think anything he says is specifically racist when taken into context.

He very well may be a bitter racist - these comments just don't happen to be proof of that imo.

Great post, very true. Green k your way

Edit - when I'm allowed to give out more rep...

[puga]

i dont even know why they are explaining themselves to the public like this , kovalev dont owe anyone **** ...hell , the most racist fighters are actually african americans (bhop , floyd , broner, etc)..sorry to say , but it is what it is ....

[El Angel]

I think it's a little ridiculous also that HBO is on Kovalev's case, but didn't say a peep to Floyd or Bernard when they said what they said. Little hypocritical no?

If anything this adds hype and venom to Stevenson-Kovalev when it happens. HBO should love the controversy, at least one would think.

[IST-ra-GLEr2]

race baiting fanbase like the mayweather, broner are the only ones making a big deal out of
this non issue.

[GhostBlade]

Stevenson is not African American. From my understanding he's a Haitian living in Canadia of African descent.

[Humean]

What Kovalev said was definitely racist. He was showing ignorance and faulty reasoning, which is essentially what racism is from an intellectual standpoint. The only sort of defence (defence against judging him too harshly) that could be made is that far too many boxers have made ridiculously ignorant and racist comments over the years from many different vantage points and therefore perhaps Kovalev's comments shouldn't be taken too seriously and also Kovalev might be torn between the attitudes that are rife within his native society and the attitudes of America, racism is truly endemic in Russia and Eastern Europe, and therefore in an interview in Russia his comments are skewed accordingly. Kovalev's comments though should definitely be criticized for what they were and that was most definitely racist.

[FrankieBruno]

Your points made me recall the Klitschko documentary when they talk about coming to America and loving it and how their father still insisted - even after hearing from his children - that all Americans were scum and that everything presented to his children was an elaborate hoax. He had been brainwashed by a life in the Soviet system to hate and distrust anyone who was different than him.

My Grandparents grew up in Hungary when it was under Russian control and to this day my grandmother refers to blacks as "colored people". She isn't racist, she just doesn't know any better. She came from a place where racism and classism were the status quo and the government pitted social groups against each other in class warfare.

I've tried to break her of the habit but she doesn't even realize she does it. The way you speak becomes ingrained in you after so many years. I expect Kovalev will stop using the word as he is young enough to understand and has the financial incentive to be extra sensitive - however I don't think anything he says is specifically racist when taken into context.

He very well may be a bitter racist - these comments just don't happen to be proof of that imo.

Good post, and yes our upbringing can shape us, parents have a responsibility and the potential to set their children on the path of failure.

I judge the man and not the race, there is good and bad everywhere. However i am also critical of nations which put poison in the minds of their citizens. No country is perfect, but i believe we should all get a long and not use race or sexuality as to put down one another. I think 100 years from now the kids will look at our generation like we were savages living backwards.

[Citizen Koba]

So..............it's ok because he's ignorant?

Didn't say it was OK - just that it's normal. Sergeis problem is that he didn't understand that he's not supposed to say anything - even to a Russian audience where racism is basically endemic.

[Citizen Koba]

So now that there is confirmation that this is racist, will posters condemn it or will they continue to try and explain it away?

Is that what you took from that post? That Kovalev is racist?

I thought it was intelligent and reasonable post basically acknowledging that Russian society is endemically racist and things Kovalev said were completely acceptable in the context of speaking for a Russian audience.

Is it OK? - no...Now he's in the spotlight Klimas has already said he's spoken to Sergei about being careful what he says.

But people are acting like he's some hood wearing KKKer when he's just a guy speaking how they speak in Russia. It isn't hatred of blacks we're talking about here, just ignorance and indifference to cultural norms.