FRISCO, Texas -- The first fight between Eleider Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) and Sergey Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs) was one of the most exciting of 2018 and also one of the biggest upsets. While their rematch promises to be just as good it has been overshadowed by a felony assault charge leveled against Kovalev after he allegedly punched a woman in the face back in June. That arrest, instead of the rematch, has dominated headlines. The fight will go on though and fans can tune in to ESPN+ on Feb. 2 to watch the action as Alvarez looks to defend his WBO light heavyweight title.
Alvarez is a 34-year-old Colombian who fights out of the orthodox stance. He works well behind a stiff jab and while he does have a tremendous amount of power he does have a big overhand right that can do real damage, just ask Kovalev. Alvarez also has a nice left hook and does a good job of attacking the body. He is limited defensively though. The champ is a fairly stationary target and doesn't move his head much. Alvarez does work very well from the pocket and also finds success from the outside so there is really no getting away from him and the big right hand can land at any time.
Not only does Alvarez have a perfect record but he's also starting to add some quality names to his resume. In his last three fights he has beaten Kovalev, Jean Pascal, and Bute and he beat Kolavev and Bute by the way of knockout. In 2015 he also scored a quality victory over Isaac Chilemba. What makes this rematch even more interesting is the fact that Kovalev was up on all three judges scorecards when Alvarez stopped him, and he was up big. The seventh round changed that and propelled Alvarez right near the top of the light heavyweight division. Now Alvarez will look to prove that first victory wasn't a fluke and join Andre Ward in fighters who have back-to-back wins over Kovalev.
Kovalev is a heavy hitter. That should be obvious considering his nickname is 'Krusher.' The 35-year-old Russian fights out of the orthodox stance and seems to relish in punishing his opponents. His jab is an excellent weapon that often lands like a power punch and he can stop opponents with his straight right hand or left hook. That power has given Kovalev a lot of confidence in his power but he will headhunt at times and forget about the body. Defensively he is there to be hit but his offense has been so destructive that it usually hasn't matter, at least not until his second fight against Ward. Ward showed exposed two things about Kovalev, the first being that his conditioning isn't great, the second being that he hates taking body shots. His chin hadn't been questioned until Alvarez dropped him three times in the seventh round of their first fight and now Kovalev will seek redemption.
'Krusher' is in need of a win after going 2-3 in his last five fights, although he thinks he beat Ward in their first fight, and he certainly has a strong argument. He has once again made changes in his camp and for this fight has trained under newly minted Hall of Fame fighter James 'Buddy' McGirt, who famously trained Arturo Gatti, among others. However, if Kovalev wants to avoid losing two in a row he will need to make sure his conditioned is up to par so he can stay strong an active for all 12 rounds because Alvarez is always in shape and ready to go. At his age, and with his reputation taking multiple hits in recent years, another loss could be disastrous for Kovalev's career but a win would put him right back near the top of the division.
This should be an interesting fight. The first time Alvarez and Kovalev met in the ring the first six rounds were pretty much all Kovalev. It looked as if he would cruise to a wide unanimous decision or late stoppage until disaster struck in the seventh round. Certainly going into the rematch Alvarez has to be the more confident fighter. He knows he can withstand Kovalev's power and he knows he can knock him out. Yet if Kovalev comes into this fight in great shape and angry that could make him a very dangerous fighter.
PREDICTION: Perhaps Eleider Alvarez's most important weapon in this fight is his tremendous chin. Sergey Kovalev is certainly a heavy hitter but he tends to fade in fights and has paid the price for that. Kovalev will get off to a hot start and look very good in the early rounds. However, eventually Alvarez will get going and in the 10th round he will stop Kovalev with the help of his heavy right hand.
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| Alvarez moments after knocking out Sergey Kovalev |
Not only does Alvarez have a perfect record but he's also starting to add some quality names to his resume. In his last three fights he has beaten Kovalev, Jean Pascal, and Bute and he beat Kolavev and Bute by the way of knockout. In 2015 he also scored a quality victory over Isaac Chilemba. What makes this rematch even more interesting is the fact that Kovalev was up on all three judges scorecards when Alvarez stopped him, and he was up big. The seventh round changed that and propelled Alvarez right near the top of the light heavyweight division. Now Alvarez will look to prove that first victory wasn't a fluke and join Andre Ward in fighters who have back-to-back wins over Kovalev.
Kovalev is a heavy hitter. That should be obvious considering his nickname is 'Krusher.' The 35-year-old Russian fights out of the orthodox stance and seems to relish in punishing his opponents. His jab is an excellent weapon that often lands like a power punch and he can stop opponents with his straight right hand or left hook. That power has given Kovalev a lot of confidence in his power but he will headhunt at times and forget about the body. Defensively he is there to be hit but his offense has been so destructive that it usually hasn't matter, at least not until his second fight against Ward. Ward showed exposed two things about Kovalev, the first being that his conditioning isn't great, the second being that he hates taking body shots. His chin hadn't been questioned until Alvarez dropped him three times in the seventh round of their first fight and now Kovalev will seek redemption.
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| Kovalev celebrating a victory |
This should be an interesting fight. The first time Alvarez and Kovalev met in the ring the first six rounds were pretty much all Kovalev. It looked as if he would cruise to a wide unanimous decision or late stoppage until disaster struck in the seventh round. Certainly going into the rematch Alvarez has to be the more confident fighter. He knows he can withstand Kovalev's power and he knows he can knock him out. Yet if Kovalev comes into this fight in great shape and angry that could make him a very dangerous fighter.
PREDICTION: Perhaps Eleider Alvarez's most important weapon in this fight is his tremendous chin. Sergey Kovalev is certainly a heavy hitter but he tends to fade in fights and has paid the price for that. Kovalev will get off to a hot start and look very good in the early rounds. However, eventually Alvarez will get going and in the 10th round he will stop Kovalev with the help of his heavy right hand.
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