By Dan Ambrose: Sergey Kovalev has no issues with the quick 10-week turnaround involved in fighting Saul Canelo Alvarez on November 2, says @StevESPNKim. Kovalev’s manager Egis Klimas and trainer Buddy McGirt have say that it’s not a problem for Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) to return to the ring just 10 weeks after his grueling title defense against #1 WBO mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde (18-1, 17 KOs) last Saturday night in Russia.
Will the money Kovalev gets for the Canelo fight make it worth it for him fighting with just a 10 week turnaround? If Kovalev gets beaten up badly, then you can that it’s not worth it. What price can a person put on their health? At this point in Kovalev’s career, he probably wouldn’t beat Canelo even if he had six months to rest before that fight.
Kovalev to get a huge payday against Saul AlvarezÂ
This admirable of Kovalev to get back into the ring so soon, because this is an old school way of fighting. This is the way boxers used to fight. They’d get back in the ring quickly, and fight many times per years for very little money. Nowadays, you’ve got fighters that routinely compete just once a year, and then they wonder their careers go downhill so quickly. For all intents and purposes, Kovalev is getting golden parachute in the Canelo fight.
Kovalev getting a golden parachute against Canelo
The money that Kovalev will be getting for fighting Canelo will give him a soft landing into his retirement years. Kovalev clearly isn’t going to stay WBO light heavyweight champion for too much longer. We saw that last Saturday night when Kovalev struggled to beat a badly flawed, and inexperienced Yarde. The other champions at 175 would have treated Yarde like a speed bump, and wasted him away. Kovalev went life and death with Yarde, and made him look good.
It’s easy to understand why Kovalev doesn’t mind fighting so soon against Canelo, since he’s expected to get over $10 million for the fight. With that kind of money, Kovalev can get a lot of rest after he fights Canelo.
Kovalev was buzzed in the 8th round by a big shot from Yarde. Although Kovalev eventually stopped Yarde in the 11th round, he knew he’d been in a fight afterwards. The unheralded Yarde, 28, had come close to knocking his lights out in the 8th round.
Kovalev’s trainer and manager on board with letting him fight Canelo on November 2
Spoke to Egis Klimas and Buddy McGirt, they both said that the Nov 2nd turnaround for Sergey Kovalev to face Canelo is not an issue… #boxing
— Steve Kim (@StevESPNKim) August 27, 2019
Kovalev will need to take it easy during training camp if he wants to make it into the Canelo fight in one piece. It’s not only the severe punishment that Kovalev took against Yarde last Saturday that could effect him, but also the wear and tear of another training camp.
Sergey is 36-years-old, and his aging body needs a long rest after the Yarde fight. The training camp was probably the worst of it for Kovalev, because he worked hard without rest. Going into a second training camp with one week of rest won’t be enough. Kovalev can’t miss the opportunity against Canelo.