Kovalev Ready For Redemption
Former light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) weighed in at 174 poundson Fridayfor his matchthis Saturdaynight against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO 175 lb. title at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight will be televised on HBO Boxing at10:00 p.m. ET.
This fight could be Kovalev’s last chance at redemption after suffering back to back defeats to the recently retired Andre Ward. Many observers have speculated that the Russian may not be the same guy who once reigned over the 175lb division. While he his saying all the right things it’s yet to be seen what will happen once the bell rings.
The 30-year-old Shabranskyy weighed in at 174.8 lbs. Both guys looked good as Shabranskyy appears to have a slight height advantage over Kovalev. He’s listed at 6’3″ but doesn’t appear that much taller than Kovalev who is listed at 6′ even.
In the co-feature light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) weighed in at 174.8lbs and his opponent Felix Valera (15-1, 13 KOs) weighed 174.2lbs. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds. The winner of Barrera vs. Valera will be in line for a fight against WBA World light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol for his new title.
By: Chris Henderson
