Opinion: 2 Biggest Takeaways From Kovalev vs. Álvarez
By Dr. Paul Jones | Published: August 5, 2018 | 6:00 PM ET
■ Eleider Álvarez is the new WBO\IBA Light Heavyweight Champion stopping Sergey Kovalev by technical knockout.
■ Where Kovalev goes from here is anybody’s guess.
___________________________________________________________________
Here are two take home messages from Kovalev vs. Álvarez:
1. There’s a new sheriff in town in the light heavyweight divison.
By stopping former champion Sergey ‘Krusher’ Kovalev (32–3–1, 28 KOs) on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, newly-crowned WBO/IBA Champion Eleider ‘Storm’ Álvarez (24–0, 12 KOs) established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division. Any path to an undisputed champion at 175 pounds must now go through Álvarez. Colombia #StandUp.
While many questioned whether Álvarez had the chops to beat Kovalev (e.g., Vegas odds tipped heavy in favor of Kovalev, ca. -600 to +400),* few boxing insiders that I spoke to believed that Álvarez would simply fold to Kovalev. Undefeated fighters like Álvarez, who struck gold in the Pan-Am Games (2007) and conquered former (albeit over-the-hill) World Champions Jean Pascal (33–5–1, 20 KOs, 1 NC) and Lucian Bute (32–5, 25 KOs), and savvy veterans like Isaac Chilemba (25–6–2, 10 KOs), rarely do.
But dig deeper and you’ll find that, despite underwhelming odds, Alvarez’s win was no fluke. It was the culmination of hard work, dedication, and preparation. And Team Álvarez probably believed that they were playing with house money going into the Kovalev fight.
Consider that, according to Álvarez’s trainer Marc Ramsay, the Colombian badass trained at high altitude in Bogotá (Colombia’s Capital) to prepare for this bout. Therefore, there was little doubt that Álvarez would come to Atlantic City in peak physical condition, ready to rumble.
More important, however, was a short quote from Ramsay in a recent interview that spoke to Álvarez’s mental focus. “…[Álvarez] come[s] to Atlantic City really confident,” said Ramsay, “We have the recipe to beat Kovalev.”
That “recipe” was undoubtedly cribbed from the cookbook of former pound-for-pound king, Andre Ward who handed Kovalev a pair of heartbreaking losses in 2016 and 2017. Ward “cracked Kovalev’s code” with (but not limited to) intelligent pressure, a well-timed and discouraging jab, a relentless body attack (that may venture south of the border at times), and by forcing Kovalev to fight while backing up.
Álvarez replicated Ward’s recipe to a tee, putting the Russian dynamo on his wallet three times en route to a technical knockout in seven rounds. The hard-hitting Colombian’s victory was also a de facto warning shot to Light Heavyweight Division: There’s a new sheriff in town.
2. Where Does Kovalev Go From Here?
After losing three of his last five fights, a major question for Sergey Kovalev is: “What’s next?”
Naturally responses will fall along a continuum ranging from Kovalev should resume his boxing career to Kovalev needs to call it quits.
Among the reasons that Kovalev should continue to ply his craft is that he’s still a box office draw. Despite fighting Álvarez, a virtual unknown to casual boxing fans, Kovalev’s star power was able to put 5,642 fannies in seats at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. A sellout crowd at an inaugural boxing event in a newly-opened venue. That’s noteworthy.
Kovalev also proved that he can still fight. For instance, at the time of the stoppage, Kovalev was ahead on all three scorecards (see below).
Kovalev also managed to outpunch and outland his foe, though the Russian was slightly less efficient in doing so per HBO PUNCHSTATS:
Irrespective of my (and other boxing writers’) skepticism of fight metrics, Kovalev was far from a shopworn fighter from a statistical standpoint.
Nevertheless, Kovalev’s continues to display stamina issues. He’s admitted as much after a previous fight (see 10:42 Mark), and this limitation may have resurfaced in the loss to Álvarez.
Also working against Kovalev is Father Time. Kovalev is 35 — about five years after even the most prolific NFL running backs either decide to retire or experience a severe performance deficit — and likely entering the twilight of his career.
All things considered, Sergey Kovalev remains a fan-pleasing fighter and there are many appealing fights out there for him. Bouts versus any of the Light Heavyweight vanguard are still must-see TV.
But, while a Álvarez rematch or matchup against WBA Champ Dmitry Bivol (14–0, 11 KOs) are enticing, there is still unfinished business between Kovalev and WBC Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (29–1–1, 24 KOs) that deserves consideration.
In fact, Stevenson-Kovalev might be the type of fight that can help rejuvenate Kovalev’s career and (perhaps) get him back into the winner’s circle. ■
*Simply put, betting $100 on Álvarez at +400 would yield a payout of $400.
_________________________________________________________________
Dr. Paul Jones is a boxing writer, ringside photographer, and 🏆 award-winning educator. He has published over a dozen scholarly papers and technical reports, and his boxing articles and photography can be seen on EastsideBoxing.com, Boxingnews24.com, Wrapsontv.com, and BoxingInsider.com. Follow him on Twitter @boxingepicenter, YouTube, and Medium.com.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO DR. JONES’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Send all comments to Dr. Jones at prjones1@hotmail.com. Your response could be mentioned in Dr. Jones’ upcoming monthly mailbag.
Also checkout these related columns:
■ ESB Best of 2017! Lomachenko, Crawford, Joshua, More!
■ Boxing Bros. | ESB Best of 2016! Frampton, Thurman, Álvarez, More!
