Comments Thread For: Hopkins-Kovalev Unification Rumblings, 'The Alien' Speaks

[MrP4P]

well i'm assuming they have the rights to murat and shumenov right now right? i mean thats their deal. hopkins opponent must sign a multi-fight deal in order to fight him(according to you). so i assume we will be seeing those guys a lot in the future on showtime. oh the possibilities with murat and shumenov! endless!

Dude... Murat was his mandatory, he HAD to fight him, Kovalev wasnt his mandatory, its a complete different situation. Showtime couldnt get picky in that situation, their only option at that point would be to not buy the fight and not air it on showtime, either way the fight happens because its ordered, or Hopkins gets stripped. I just dont think you understand how the networks work and thats fine, but maybe you should stop commenting on stuff you dont know about then. Just my thoughts.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Kovalev only got his HBO contract after he beat Cleverly. The winner of Kovalev-Cleverly would get the HBO contract. He was not tied to HBO before then. Showtime didn't want the fight. Yet they wanted Murat

[daggum]

Dude... Murat was his mandatory, he HAD to fight him, Kovalev wasnt his mandatory, its a complete different situation. Showtime couldnt get picky in that situation, their only option at that point would be to not buy the fight and not air it on showtime, I just dont think you understand how the networks work and thats fine, but maybe you should stop commenting on stuff you dont know about then. Just my thoughts.

Lindsey Tucker, the IBF's championship chairman, copied Hopkins promoter Golden Boy and Kovalev promoter Main Events on a letter Monday ordering the sides to commence negotiations for the fight.

"The Tavoris Cloud vs. Bernard Hopkins fight (which Hopkins won in March to win the belt) was approved with the condition that the winner must do the IBF mandatory defense within 90 days," Tucker wrote. "At the time the IBF approved [Cloud-Hopkins], No. 2 Karo Murat was the leading available contender. The IBF learned last week that Murat is unavailable. The leading available contender is No. 1 Sergey Kovalev."

The Hopkins and Kovalev camps have until July 17 to strike a deal. If they are unable to, then a purse bid will be ordered. If the fight goes to a purse bid, then Hopkins, as the titleholder, is entitled to 75 percent of the winning offer, with Kovalev getting the remaining 25 percent.

[bopbopbbe]

Hopefully it isnt just talk, but if I would love for it to happen. Itd be hilarious of Kovalev got the Hopkins fight before Stevenson.

[MrP4P]

Lindsey Tucker, the IBF's championship chairman, copied Hopkins promoter Golden Boy and Kovalev promoter Main Events on a letter Monday ordering the sides to commence negotiations for the fight.

"The Tavoris Cloud vs. Bernard Hopkins fight (which Hopkins won in March to win the belt) was approved with the condition that the winner must do the IBF mandatory defense within 90 days," Tucker wrote. "At the time the IBF approved [Cloud-Hopkins], No. 2 Karo Murat was the leading available contender. The IBF learned last week that Murat is unavailable. The leading available contender is No. 1 Sergey Kovalev."

The Hopkins and Kovalev camps have until July 17 to strike a deal. If they are unable to, then a purse bid will be ordered. If the fight goes to a purse bid, then Hopkins, as the titleholder, is entitled to 75 percent of the winning offer, with Kovalev getting the remaining 25 percent.

Again.. Yes you are right to a certain extent, you arent mentioning that Murat was unavailable because of his visa issues, which eleveated Kovalev to #1, but when Murat was able to resolve his issues, he was once again named the mandatory, you are missing THAT part, and like the poster above you.. LOL. You guys think the IBF went like "Yo Showtime, Hopkins has to fight Murat NOW!" no.. IBF informed Hopkins team, Hopkins gathers with said team, they accept the decision, he gathers with the person promoting his fight, the promoter goes and gets the network to buy said fight... you guys dont get how this works LOL.

[HAY-B]

Other than to make himself look good, you mean?

He continues to lie about Kovalev ducking him so I don't see why not.

He's not lying. Kovalev was Hopkins mandatory defense for the IBF strap. Instead of Kovalev fighting Hopkins, he and his team chose to fight Cleverly.

[turnedup]

Bhop stay talkin' shhh but he kinda just threw stevenson, haymon and schaeffer under the bus

[Dirk Diggler UK]

He's not lying. Kovalev was Hopkins mandatory defense for the IBF strap. Instead of Kovalev fighting Hopkins, he and his team chose to fight Cleverly.

Read the thread and do research. Showtime rejected Kovalev as an opponent for Hopkins. Stephen Espinosa said they weren't interested in him because he wasn't well known

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Again.. Yes you are right to a certain extent, you arent mentioning that Murat was unavailable because of his visa issues, which eleveated Kovalev to #1, but when Murat was able to resolve his issues, he was once again named the mandatory, you are missing THAT part, and like the poster above you.. LOL. You guys think the IBF went like "Yo Showtime, Hopkins has to fight Murat NOW!" no.. IBF informed Hopkins team, Hopkins gathers with said team, they accept the decision, he gathers with the person promoting his fight, the promoter goes and gets the network to buy said fight... you guys dont get how this works LOL.

Murat became the mandatory again after Showtime rejected Kovalev. Kovalev went on to fight Cleverly and Murat became mandatory

[daggum]

He's not lying. Kovalev was Hopkins mandatory defense for the IBF strap. Instead of Kovalev fighting Hopkins, he and his team chose to fight Cleverly.

you really love semantics don't you? showtime and hopkins chose not to fight kovalev would be an accurate description of what happened yet you spin it into kovalev chose to fight cleverly lol. why did he choose to fight cleverly? because hopkins wouldn't fight him but you left that part out... you have a great career ahead of you in delusion.