ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It has been four years since Atlantic City, a city made famous by its casinos and a Bruce Springsteen song, hosted a major boxing card. On August 4 boxing is back with what should be an excellent fight between Sergey Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KOs) and Eleider Alvarez (23-0, 11 KOs) on HBO. On the line in that fight will be Kovalev's WBO light heavyweight title.
Kovalev, who goes by the nickname 'Krusher,' usually does just that. He is one of the heaviest hitters in boxing and it all starts with a very strong jab. The Russian native, now living in Florida, fights out of the orthodox stance and seems to relish punishing his opponents. What really makes Kovalev so dangerous, besides his temperament, is the fact that he can do damage with both his left hook and right hand. Knockouts come for 'Krusher' whether he lands upstairs or to the body and he can absorb as well, having show a strong chin throughout his career. During his nine year professional career Kovalev has never tasted the canvas, with his only stoppage loss coming standing against Andre Ward.
In the U.S. Kovalev really started to make a name for himself in 2013. After a number of impressive knockouts he took on what was then the toughest challenger of his career in Bernard Hopkins and was able to dominate the older fighter. Unfortunately for Kovalev he has lost the two biggest fights of his career, both against Andre Ward. While a strong case can be made that he actually won the first fight, he was stopped in their rematch when Ward pounded away to his body, even if a few of those body shots strayed below the belt. Since that second loss to Ward, Kovalev has fought twice, going 2-0 with two knockouts and he will look to make it three in a row against Alvarez.
Most fighters who come from Colombia are known as big punchers who don't have a very high skill level. Alvarez, a Colombian native, would be the exception to that rule. He isn't a big knockout puncher but he does have plenty of skills. Alvarez fights out of the orthodox stance and he has quick hands and puts his combinations together well. He works behind a good jab and brings a very fast straight right hand behind it, probably his best punch. While his left hook isn't great, or used very often, he will throw excellent uppercuts that can surprise opponents. Defensively he does have some flaws though and has a bad habit of leaving his lead hand very low which could spell trouble against a puncher like Kovalev.
Alvarez wasn't given many easy touches on his rise to title contender and he's faced a lot of quality opponents. Among his victims are names like Jean Pascal, Lucian Bute, and Isaac Chilemba. This will be the first world title fight of Alvarez's career and a win would easily be the biggest and most important of his nine year professional career. Beating a knockout artist like Kovalev won't be an easy task though.
This fight will come down to the speed of Alvarez against the power of Kovalev. Kovalev is the naturally bigger fighter but Alvarez actually has a 3-inch reach advantage that could really help him. Look for Alvarez to stay on the outside and not really sit down on his punches. He does need to land something early that will get Kovalev's respect but expect him to stick and move and rely on his volume of punchers over landing powerful ones. Alvarez's best chance at winning will be to stay very busy from the first round to the last but he will need to stay very focused or he could get caught and dropped. As for Kovalev, expect him to be sharp since he last fought just five months ago. Alvarez's speed might frustrate him early but as long as he sticks to his guns and keeps coming forward and landing his power punches he could really slow the Colombian fighter down. One thing Kovalev can't do is just look for the knockout. He certainly needs to land his power punches but he can't let Alvarez have a major punch output advantage.
PREDICTION: Eleider Alvarez has the skills to win this fight. His hand speed will really help him in this fight and he could find himself with a lead against Sergey Kovalev. However, Kovalev is a serious power puncher who can slow Alvarez down with body shots and even if he's down on the cards he will get the victory by the way of 10th round knockout.
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| Kovalev admiring his work against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy |
In the U.S. Kovalev really started to make a name for himself in 2013. After a number of impressive knockouts he took on what was then the toughest challenger of his career in Bernard Hopkins and was able to dominate the older fighter. Unfortunately for Kovalev he has lost the two biggest fights of his career, both against Andre Ward. While a strong case can be made that he actually won the first fight, he was stopped in their rematch when Ward pounded away to his body, even if a few of those body shots strayed below the belt. Since that second loss to Ward, Kovalev has fought twice, going 2-0 with two knockouts and he will look to make it three in a row against Alvarez.
Most fighters who come from Colombia are known as big punchers who don't have a very high skill level. Alvarez, a Colombian native, would be the exception to that rule. He isn't a big knockout puncher but he does have plenty of skills. Alvarez fights out of the orthodox stance and he has quick hands and puts his combinations together well. He works behind a good jab and brings a very fast straight right hand behind it, probably his best punch. While his left hook isn't great, or used very often, he will throw excellent uppercuts that can surprise opponents. Defensively he does have some flaws though and has a bad habit of leaving his lead hand very low which could spell trouble against a puncher like Kovalev.
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| Alvarez unloading on Jean Pascal |
This fight will come down to the speed of Alvarez against the power of Kovalev. Kovalev is the naturally bigger fighter but Alvarez actually has a 3-inch reach advantage that could really help him. Look for Alvarez to stay on the outside and not really sit down on his punches. He does need to land something early that will get Kovalev's respect but expect him to stick and move and rely on his volume of punchers over landing powerful ones. Alvarez's best chance at winning will be to stay very busy from the first round to the last but he will need to stay very focused or he could get caught and dropped. As for Kovalev, expect him to be sharp since he last fought just five months ago. Alvarez's speed might frustrate him early but as long as he sticks to his guns and keeps coming forward and landing his power punches he could really slow the Colombian fighter down. One thing Kovalev can't do is just look for the knockout. He certainly needs to land his power punches but he can't let Alvarez have a major punch output advantage.
PREDICTION: Eleider Alvarez has the skills to win this fight. His hand speed will really help him in this fight and he could find himself with a lead against Sergey Kovalev. However, Kovalev is a serious power puncher who can slow Alvarez down with body shots and even if he's down on the cards he will get the victory by the way of 10th round knockout.
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