Boxing Detective: Canelo very eager to get Kovalev in the ring

Image: Boxing Detective: Canelo very eager to get Kovalev in the ring
By Raj Parmar - 09/03/2019 - Comments

By Raj Parmar: Before light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev agreed to take on rising contender Anthony Yarde in what turned out to be an amazing fight a couple of weeks ago, he was being tempted to walk away from it and that matchup was almost never made.

Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, approached Kovalev during his negotiations for the Yarde fight and made offers for him to decline it and instead take on Canelo in a big money fight. Canelo however suffered an injury and would not be able to step into the ring soon enough for Kovalev.

Sergey then agreed to take on Yarde and nearly lost after being rocked in the eight round, however his experience proved to be the difference and he was able to stop an exhausted Yarde in the eleventh round with a stiff jab. After the fight, Canelo’s team again expressed interest in matching their superstar Canelo against Kovalev.

There is no doubt that a Canelo-Kovalev fight would be very lucrative for all parties involved, however it is a little bit surprising that Canelo’s team is so eager to challenge a hard hitting fighter that is two weight classes higher.

If Canelo were to defeat Kovalev, he would become a rare four weight division champion and would significantly enhance his legacy. For Kovalev, this would be a huge payday as he nears the end of his career and is the type of fight that would set him up for a very comfortable retirement.

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There are a couple of key points to consider before the match is made. The first being that Canelo is looking to get into the ring very soon, which may be tough for Kovalev who just went through an intense encounter with Yarde. The second issue will of course be the weight, as there is a two division gap between the fighters and one of them may need to sacrifice some comfort to make the fight happen.

With how intent Canelo is on making the fight against the older but still very dangerous champion in Kovalev, it may certainty be made sometime soon as both men look to significantly bolster their resume (and bank account) with a huge win.