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By Thomas Gerbasi - “We are a different breed,” Sergey Kovalev said.
The question asked of the WBO light heavyweight champion was about the current popularity of fighters like himself, Ruslan Providnikov, and Gennady Golovkin. The three hail from Eastern Europe, have varying commands of the English language, yet they all have become beloved pugilists in the United States.
And yeah, “different breed” pretty much covers it, because in a boxing world increasingly populated by those who run away from fights – both literally and figuratively – fighters like Kovalev only want to compete against the best and do so in a fashion that leaves fans screaming for more.
But in the case of the 31-year-old Chelyabinsk native nicknamed “Krusher” for the 23 knockouts he’s produced in 25 wins without a loss, his separation from the fistic flock goes beyond that.
Manager Egis Klimas saw it immediately. Sure, he had the requisite talent that comes with a 193-22 amateur record, but there was more to Kovalev, and for Kovalev, there was more to Lithuania’s Klimas.
“We understand where we grew up,” said the champion. “Mentally, we’re the same.”
“He had very good boxing skills, and he never was greedy,” Klimas adds. “He always took my advice and I knew where we were going, and in my mind, I had the road already.”
It wasn’t going to be an easy one, but they would travel it together. To this day, the two don’t have a signed contract, but their bond is airtight, and it’s survived the test of time and a business that has broken up families, let alone those not connected by blood. [Click Here To Read More]
The question asked of the WBO light heavyweight champion was about the current popularity of fighters like himself, Ruslan Providnikov, and Gennady Golovkin. The three hail from Eastern Europe, have varying commands of the English language, yet they all have become beloved pugilists in the United States.
And yeah, “different breed” pretty much covers it, because in a boxing world increasingly populated by those who run away from fights – both literally and figuratively – fighters like Kovalev only want to compete against the best and do so in a fashion that leaves fans screaming for more.
But in the case of the 31-year-old Chelyabinsk native nicknamed “Krusher” for the 23 knockouts he’s produced in 25 wins without a loss, his separation from the fistic flock goes beyond that.
Manager Egis Klimas saw it immediately. Sure, he had the requisite talent that comes with a 193-22 amateur record, but there was more to Kovalev, and for Kovalev, there was more to Lithuania’s Klimas.
“We understand where we grew up,” said the champion. “Mentally, we’re the same.”
“He had very good boxing skills, and he never was greedy,” Klimas adds. “He always took my advice and I knew where we were going, and in my mind, I had the road already.”
It wasn’t going to be an easy one, but they would travel it together. To this day, the two don’t have a signed contract, but their bond is airtight, and it’s survived the test of time and a business that has broken up families, let alone those not connected by blood. [Click Here To Read More]
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