HBO Fight Preview

Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi

As every hardcore boxing fan is already well aware of, and the casuals are starting to pick up on is that Sergey Kovalev is can't miss TV.  Kovalev goes by the nickname "Krusher" and he usually does just that to every opponent he faces.  While the boxing world still waits for a fight between Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson that may never actually happen, Kovalev will stay busy with a fight this Saturday night on HBO.  That fight will be against the relatively unknown Nadjib Mohammedi who fights out of France.  While this may just be a stay busy fight for Kovalev it will be without a doubt the biggest fight of Mohammedi's career.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the light heavyweight division and Kovalev's IBF, WBO, and WBA titles will all be on the line.

Kovalev's hands were just too heavy for Pascal

The reason Kovalev has become so popular with boxing fans is because of his seek and destroy mentality.  The Russian fighter plies his trade out of the orthodox stance and is a very aggressive fighter who never lets up.  It isn't just the power punches of Kovalev that are dangerous, he also has a very stiff jab and follows that up nicely with a powerful straight right hand.  However, his jab could actually be considered a power punch, especially when it lands to the body, because he has knocked opponents out with that punch before.  Along with all of those weapons Kovalev also has a devastating left hook that can end a fight in an instant.  Yet Kovalev also has plenty of boxing skills for an opponent who dares not go down.  Some questions popped up about his chin in his last fight when Jean Pascal was able to buzz him with some clean punches, but Kovalev was able to keep his feet and finish Pascal before the final bell.

In the last few years Kovalev has come from relative obscurity to become a fighter who many recognize as being the best light heavyweight in the sport right now, despite what Stevenson might say about that.  In recent fights he has shown his patient boxing skills against Bernard Hopkins and also his devastating power against Pascal.  That is what makes Kovalev truly dangerous, he can beat you in so many different ways.  Outside of a draw that happened when Kovalev's opponent was rendered unable to continue, Kovalev has put together a perfect career.  His record stands at 27-0-1 with a brutal 24 knockouts and it doesn't look like he will lose anytime soon.  

Mohammedi may be in over his head

Mohammedi is an orthodox fighter who likes to stay up and alert on his toes.  He seems to be one of those fighters who is in constant motion, even when he doesn't really need to be.  Mohammedi uses a pawing jab and it doesn't have much on it although he will follow it up with an overhand right that does land with some pop.  The fighter out of France doesn't use his left hook very often though and his style is very awkward.  He loves using his jab followed by his overhand right but he will sometimes just seem to slap with both punches.  One thing that doesn't bode well for Mohammedi is the fact that he has been stopped twice in his three career losses and both knockouts came before the 3rd round.  

 

Over the course of his career Mohammedi has actually faced a few name fighters, however, he hasn't done very well against them.  The biggest name Mohammedi fought was Nathan Cleverly who beat him by the way of unanimous decision back in 2010.  Kovalev has also faced Clevery, knocking him out in the 4th round.  For his career Mohammedi has put together a record of 37-3 with 23 knockouts but when he has taken the next step up in competition he has always lost.  Kovalev is not only a step up in competition but also the best fighter Mohammedi will have every faced.

 

This is the type of fight where you need to have your beer and snacks on hand because it probably won't last long.  Mohammedi doesn't take punches particularly well and Kovalev is one of the heaviest hitters in the game.  The last time Kovalev failed to score a knockout was against Bernard Hopkins, a master of the sweet science.  Mohammedi is nowhere near the boxer that Hopkins is and he probably won't be able to keep Kovalev at bay for very long.

 

PREDICTION: Nadjib Mohammedi is a solid puncher so he has at least a puncher's chance, but that is all he has.  Sergey Kovalev is too strong and too skilled not to beat Mohammedi.  Mohammedi may survive the first few rounds but eventually the "Krusher" will get the job done by the way of 5th round knockout.

 

 

Jean Pascal vs. Yunieski Gonzalez

 

 

The co-feature for Saturday's HBO card will feature at least one name familiar to boxing fans, Jean Pascal.  Pascal is fresh off his loss to Sergey Kovalev in March and now he is set to take on Cuba's Yunieski Gonzalez.  This will be an important fight for both men as Pascal looks to remain in the mix near the top of the light heavyweight standings and Gonzalez looks to score the upset and make a name for himself.  The two light heavyweight are scheduled to do battle over the course of 10 rounds, with the winner putting himself closer to a big fight.

 

Pascal was able to buzz Kovalev a few times

Pascal is a skilled orthodox fighter who just seems to be a half step behind the top of the division.  Defensively Pascal is skilled, although he didn't really show it against Kovalev.  Usually Pascal moves his head well and his footwork keeps him out of danger and he is a very athletic fighter.  Pascal has a good jab and keeps his lead hand low, also throwing a solid left hook.  Perhaps the best punch for Pascal, or at least the most powerful, is his overhand right.  While that punch has a lot of power on it, it usually comes in wild.  Pascal can fight on the inside but he is usually better at a distance where he can stick jabs to the body and stay out of danger.

 

During his career Pascal has faced a lot of quality opponents.  Unfortunately Pascal has often lost to those opponents including a loss to Kovalev, a loss and a draw to Bernard Hopkins, and a loss to Carl Froch.  Yet Pascal has had some great moments also, such as his win over Chad Dawson in 2010 and his win over Lucian Bute in 2014.  As it stands now Pascal has a record of 29-3-1 with a solid 17 knockouts and Saturday will be an important night for him.  Pascal was really beaten up by Kovalev at times and now he faces a fighter with little to no name recognition in the United States.  A loss for Pascal would really hurt his career but a win won't actually help it that much. 

 

A win for Gonzalez would be huge for his career

Gonzalez is an orthodox fighter from Cuba, but he sure doesn't fight like most Cubans who come from the school or hit and don't be hit.  Gonzalez is an aggressive fighter who likes to stay in the pocket and slug it out, and he has found success doing so.  Jabbing is not something that Gonzalez does much of and instead he relies on wild, heavy punches.  While his hands aren't very fast Gonzalez does have a heavy left hook and overhand right, although but are wide punches.  His most success may come from his uppercuts on the inside, but he has some flaws in his game.  Most notably is the fact that he gets tired quickly and that could spell trouble late against Pascal. 

 

One big question about Gonzalez is how good and how powerful he actually is.  That question gets raised because he has spent the first five years of his career fighting average and sub par fighters and has never faced anyone near the level that Pascal has been fighting at.  Still Gonzalez has remained perfect with a record of 16-0 with 12 of those wins coming by the way of knockout.

 

Fans should be able to tell very quickly if Gonzalez is the real deal or not.  If Gonzalez can land some heavy leather and gets Pascal's respect early he could make it a fight.  However, if Gonzalez throws wide, looping punches and takes rounds off Pascal should be able to thoroughly outbox him.  Hopefully for the sake of the viewers Gonzalez brings it and he and Pascal put on a good show.

 

PREDICTION: If Yunieski Gonzalez is going to win this fight it will be from a wild, heavy punch that Jean Pascal doesn't see coming.  Even after taking a beating at the hands of Sergey Kovalev, Pascal should have plenty enough left to outbox an unproven fighter like Gonzalez.  Late in this fight things will be all Pascal and he will get the unanimous decision victory.