Kathy Duva Says Kovalev vs Canelo Not Happening!
Over the past few weeks, there has been much talk about who Saul “Canelo” Alvarez would face next. Despite reigning as the WBA and IBF middleweight champion, he was openly eyeing matches with several fighters outside of his division.
The most eye-catching name out of the bunch is WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev. From the very beginning, finalizing a bout with the dangerous Russian was a dubious proposition.
At the time that Team Alvarez began targeting the Krusher, the latter was already deep in negotiations with Anthony Yarde. Even further, the Yarde match-up was a mandatory obligation for the champion to keep his WBO light heavyweight title.
Given the precarious situation, it was very doubtful from the outset that an Alvarez v Kovalev bout would come to fruition. Now, the Russian champion’s co-promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events has officially killed any notion of this bout coming next.
“The Yarde deal is getting done. After all the talk, Golden Boy never made a serious offer. They never offered us an acceptable amount for Sergey to fight Canelo in September, when you consider that Danny Jacobs was paid $15 million to fight Canelo.
“Golovkin is reportedly promised over $25 million and Jarrell Miller was getting something like $6.5 million to face Joshua. And Joshua is a guy who is barely known in the US. So, it makes you wonder.
“As things stand, Sergey would love to fight Canelo. But Golden Boy and DAZN are going to have to get serious if they really want the fight to happen.
“Perhaps, with some more time to sort things out, Golden Boy and DAZN can find a way to get this done later in the year. I hope so. But, in any event, Sergey is going to have to move forward with plans to fight Yarde in Russia in the meantime.”
Duva supplied her commentary in an exclusive interview conducted with WorldBoxingNews.net.
Future Possibilities
The late breaking news confirms what the seasoned promoter Bob Arum had already publicly theorized. In an article published by 3kingsboxing, it was reported that Arum felt that there was not enough time to work out all the details.
Apparently, the time constraints, coupled with the low-ball offer, proved too difficult to overcome.
For those who had their hearts set for the Kovalev v Alvarez bout, there is still a glimmer of hope. The fight is will not be happening at the moment. Although, should the Krusher prove victorious over Yarde, Team Alvarez is still open to facing Kovalev in a late fourth quarter showdown.
We will just have to see how the next month or so plays out.
Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing for all the latest boxing news and updates.
By: Bakari Simpson
