Kovalev: I’m ready for Adonis Stevenson

By Boxing News - 12/01/2013 - Comments

kovalev6By Eric Thomas: WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KO’s) made a statement last night in stopping #15 WBO Ismayl Sillakh (21-2, 17 KO’s) in the 2nd round on HBO from the Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The win puts the 30-year-old Kovalev on course to face WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KO’s) in a fight that could take place next if HBO is willing to come up with the big money to get Stevenson to accept the fight.

That’s the one thing that will determine whether the Kovalev-Stevenson fight happens next or at some point down the road after the two fighters have exhausted all the possible smaller money fights they can take before facing each other.

Kovalev made it clear where he stands in terms of who he wants to fight next, telling HBO’s Max Kellerman “I’m ready for Adonis Stevenson.”

Stevenson said this in response “I don’t have a problem if HBO puts up the money. If the money is right, no problem. But the fans of Quebec City wants Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins. You see? [fans cheer lightly with this comment]. But Kovalev is a good fight, too. But I don’t have a problem with Kovalev, but the fans in Quebec City wants Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins, because they know Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins; Lucian Bute was defeated [by Froch]. But I don’t have a problem with a fight with Kovalev. If the money is right, no problem.”

So it comes down to Stevenson wanting to please his fans by facing Froch or Hopkins next. But he’ll also agree to fight Kovalev if HBO opens up their wallet and makes a big money offer to make it worthwhile for Stevenson to take that fight with the slugger Kovalev. It’s definitely a good fight if HBO can make a big enough offer for Adonis to take the fight.

Stevenson will likely have major problems getting either Hopkins or Froch to agree to a fight with him. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn chose to have Froch bypass a fight with Stevenson on a couple of occasions when he was Froch’s IBF mandatory challenger earlier this year. It’s highly doubtful given Froch’s recent poor performance against George Groves that Hearn will show interest in putting Froch in with Stevenson, no matter how much money HBO offers for the fight, which probably wouldn’t be a lot.

Froch has already said he’s not interested in fighting at 175, and he probably wouldn’t agree to fight Stevenson at a catch-weight either. Hopkins has already said that a fight against Stevenson would be a problem due to him fighting on HBO, and him on Showtime. Whether a Hopkins-Stevneson fight can take place would depend on how much Hopkins wants it. If he does want it, then he probably would be able to work something out. But if Hopkins doesn’t want any part of Stevenson, then you can expect him to use the excuse of the two fighters being part of different networks as a reason not to fight him.

Kovalev has the power to give Stevenson a lot of problems if he attacks him right off the bat in the 1st round. Kovalev wouldn’t be looking to take his time against the lightning quick and powerful Stevenson because he likely knows that fight plan wouldn’t work well for him.



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