Sergey Kovalev wants a rematch with Canelo Alvarez
Just a short time ago it seemed like unified super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (59-1-2, 38 KO’s) was going to have his bout for undisputed. After a few hiccups, clear sailing seemed promising for IBF 168-pound champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (21-0, 12 KO’s). Then in the ninth hour, the bout fell apart for undisclosed reasons. Since the negotiations imploded, the floodgates have opened for fighters chasing the available September date with the redhead.
One of the latest boxers to throw their name in the hat is former unified light heavyweight champion Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KO’s). For The Krusher, this bout would make a great deal of sense. The fight is extremely high profile, he gets a shot at revenge and it’s a major payday. From this angle there is no reason that Kovalev wouldn’t want this dustup.
FRIVOLOUS STAR-WISHING
When viewing the bout from Canelo’s side of the table however, a rematch with the Krusher is exceedingly boneless. To begin, Sergey Kovalev has not fought a bout since his loss to Alvarez nearly two full years ago on November 2, 2019. He’s been inactive so long that the Russian boxer has dropped out of the top fifteen of all the major sanctioning bodies’ rankings. Just like the rankings, Kovalev has slipped from the headlines and discussions of any significant media outlet. While he never formally announced one, for all intents and purposes, Kovalev has functioned as if he is retired.
The Krusher did have a comeback bout scheduled for January 30 against Bektemir Melikuziev. Before the two could meet in the ring however, VADA flagged Kovalev for supplying a dirty test sample. It was later revealed that the Russian was caught with synthetic testosterone in his system . Once the fight was called off, Team Kovalev never rescheduled against Melikuziev or anyone else.
Another significant drawback for Alvarez is the Krusher’s lack of hardware. When the two first tested their might against one another, the title was a major component. A large part of the intrigue was seeing if the cash cow could travel up to light heavyweight and defeat the champion. As history has recorded, not only did he win, Canelo won in devastating fashion. So an aged, beltless, inactive, unranked and recently shamed Kovalev seemingly has little to no shot of getting the golden ticket fight. Yet, I guess you can’t blame a guy for shooting his shot! Stranger things have definitely happened but it’s probably not a good idea holding one’s breathe waiting on this one to be announced!
By: Bakari Simpson
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