Sergey Kovalev can control a lot of things in the ring. What he and his team can’t fully control is what writers and fans choose to talk about.
Given his stance as an unbeaten light heavyweight titlist, it’s only natural that his name is linked to that of fighters such as Adonis Stevenson – the division’s lineal king – and future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, who currently possesses a couple of trinkets of his own.
Plans at the start of the year called for a collision course between Kovalev and Stevenson, but the latter opted to go in another direction – specifically to Showtime in pursuit of a future unification bout with Hopkins. That fight has barely budged beyond wish-list status for the moment.
Meanwhile, Kovalev (24-0-1, 22KOs) is forced to abandon his own wish-list in favor of staying active, which leads to his next ring appearance. The red-hot knockout artist will next face unbeaten Aussie challenger Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6KOs) on August 2 at Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The fight marks just the second time Caparello fights outside of his native Australia, with his first trip coming earlier this year on the opposite end of New Jersey. His win over Elvir Muriqi was nationally televised on ESPN2, yet still largely forgettable as the fight was completely devoid of action.
That doesn’t mean Kovalev gets to take the night off.
“Luckily for me Sergey Kovalev is a true professional,” notes trainer John David Jackson, a former middleweight titlist who has since found major success as a chief second. “I don’t have to watch him or babysit him. He trains like he is still the challenger. Blake is a decent puncher and boxer. Sergey understands this. He knows we have break down Blake slowly. He is not overlooking Blake. He trains very, very hard. I just try to prepare him so he can go on to bigger and better things.” [Click Here To Read More]
Given his stance as an unbeaten light heavyweight titlist, it’s only natural that his name is linked to that of fighters such as Adonis Stevenson – the division’s lineal king – and future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, who currently possesses a couple of trinkets of his own.
Plans at the start of the year called for a collision course between Kovalev and Stevenson, but the latter opted to go in another direction – specifically to Showtime in pursuit of a future unification bout with Hopkins. That fight has barely budged beyond wish-list status for the moment.
Meanwhile, Kovalev (24-0-1, 22KOs) is forced to abandon his own wish-list in favor of staying active, which leads to his next ring appearance. The red-hot knockout artist will next face unbeaten Aussie challenger Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6KOs) on August 2 at Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The fight marks just the second time Caparello fights outside of his native Australia, with his first trip coming earlier this year on the opposite end of New Jersey. His win over Elvir Muriqi was nationally televised on ESPN2, yet still largely forgettable as the fight was completely devoid of action.
That doesn’t mean Kovalev gets to take the night off.
“Luckily for me Sergey Kovalev is a true professional,” notes trainer John David Jackson, a former middleweight titlist who has since found major success as a chief second. “I don’t have to watch him or babysit him. He trains like he is still the challenger. Blake is a decent puncher and boxer. Sergey understands this. He knows we have break down Blake slowly. He is not overlooking Blake. He trains very, very hard. I just try to prepare him so he can go on to bigger and better things.” [Click Here To Read More]
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