ALVAREZ-KOVALEV II
Kovalev has it all to do against Alvarez,
Previewing the upcoming rematch for light-heavyweight supremacy
LIKE most things in boxing, a fighter’s success in a rematch will often come down to timing. Get it wrong, act in haste, and it’s likely the result of the second fight will go the way of the first and the boxer out for revenge will end up only disappointed – again. Get it right, however, and the defeated boxer, having learned their lessons from fight one, might be able to reverse their fortunes and fare better second time around.
In the case of Sergey Kovalev, Saturday’s WBO light-heavyweight title fight against Eleider Alvarez is an immediate rematch, one he has elected to pursue, but seems to have come at the worst possible time for the Russian. That it feels ill-timed has nothing to do with the fact it arrives six months after he was stopped by Alvarez inside seven rounds in the pair’s first encounter, nor that it recalls the rematch Kovalev triggered against Andre Ward in 2017, nor that it is seemingly fuelled by pure rage and frustration. Instead, the rematch in Frisco, Texas feels wrong because, much to the annoyance of the former champion, it takes place at a time when he is bogged down by negativity and controversy and could probably do without a fight on the horizon.
Though it has only recently come to light, Kovalev, according to TMZ, was arrested last June when a woman in Big Bear, California told authorities he had punched her in the face after she had rejected his advances at a party. There were reports of a broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disc in her
neck.
Understandably, the incident being brought to everybody’s attention now has confused Kovalev, as well as impinged on his preparations ahead of his return against Alvarez. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury – if proven guilty, he could serve a maximum of four years in prison – yet is still battling to clear his name at a time when he should be focusing on a different kind of fight.
Taking to Instagram on January 21, Kovalev posted the following: “I would like to ask all of you not to make hasty conclusions on the situation in which I am accused and put into [an entirely biased light]. After all, you do not know the details of what happened. For me, this most of all seems to be a performance in which I play the main role [not willingly]. Doesn’t it seem strange to you that the incident happened in June of last year, and they announced it on the eve of my rematch against Alvarez?”
It’s true, the timing of it all couldn’t be much worse from Kovalev’s point of view. The fight itself was always going to be a tricky one, given Alvarez’s composure and cunning, but the last thing Kovalev needed ahead of it was to feel distracted or scrutinised.
For Alvarez, meanwhile, the news, and the rematch, could not have come at a better time. Back in August, the fleetfooted Colombian appeared to grow in stature and confidence as the pair’s first fight progressed and, despite losing some of the early rounds, there was a feeling he had slowly but surely figured out the plodding and one-dimensional attacks of Kovalev. He moved a lot, a strategy not an escape method, and set traps even in the rounds Kovalev claimed were his.
It was an approach that paid dividends. By the time Kovalev was looking void of ideas at the halfway point, Alvarez, 24-0 (12), was finding gaps previously unavailable with a well-schooled jab and some clever counter-punching. The finish was dramatic – Kovalev downed three times and stopped in round seven – but Alvarez had been laying the groundwork and teasing its arrival, which meant, in the minds of those hip to his methods, it wasn’t all that surprising.
That’s not to say Kovalev didn’t have his moments, nor does it mean he is incapable of adjusting for fight number two. In fact, according to the three judges at ringside, all of whom had him winning at the time of the stoppage, Kovalev made some good headway in the first fight and was deemed on top, at least statistically, going into that disastrous seventh round. Also, such is Kovalev’s punch power, Alvarez, even when masterminding his downfall, had to be wary of his own lights being switched off at every turn. These two factors alone make Kovalev, 32-3-1 (28), a serious threat on Saturday night, just as they make him a threat to anyone else on any other day.
There does, however, seem an air of inevitability about the former champion’s demise. Now 35, he folded in the eighth round of his 2017 return against Ward, having performed well first time around, and then split from his old coach John David Jackson [Kovalev is now trained by James “Buddy” Mcgirt], a decision which left many questioning whether he was lashing out due to poor form and placing blame at the wrong doors. Worst of all, gone is the fearsome reputation Kovalev once carried into fights. This was dented first by Ward, then shattered by Alvarez, who adhered a lot of what Ward taught the division to add further damage to the ‘Krusher’ mystique.
The overarching theory remains – stand in front of him and you will feel his wrath – but the difference now is that we know success can be gained by any Kovalev opponent composed enough to shift their feet and counterpunch intelligently. Ward knew it and so too did Alvarez. What’s more, having done it once already, it’s easy to see the 34-yearold “Storm” following in Ward’s footsteps, not for the first time, and doing it all over again on Saturday night, this time via 12-round decision.
On the Frisco undercard, WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez, 24-0 (19), defends his belt against fellow undefeated fighter Carmine
Tommasone, 19-0 (5), while the vacant IBF lightweight title is up for grabs when Ghana’s Richard Commey, 27-2 (24), meets Russia’s Isa Chaniev, 13-1 (6).
THE VERDICT All logic points to 35-year-old Kovalev being defeated again.