Sergey Kovalev (boxer)

Amateur career

Kovalev started boxing in 1994 at age 11, and made his amateur debut in 1997 in the Russian Boxing Junior Championship, where he won the gold medal in the middleweight juniors division. One year later he competed with the seniors and reached the final, and a year after that, he won the final fight. For Team Russia, he competed in the European Championships.

In 2004, Kovalev for the first time took part in the Russian Senior Championship, and in his first season, he reached the final and also won the golden medal in the team event. The next year was the most successful in his career as an amateur in winning two titles: the first as champion of Russia and the second as champion among servicemen. In the 2006 championship for servicemen, he won the silver, and a year later, he took bronze in the Russian Championship and gold in the World Military Games in India.

In 2008, Kovalev took part in his final national competition and again made the final; after that, he decided to turn professional. As he once admitted, he had to leave the national team because of the extremely tense competition between him and more successful boxers such as Artur Beterbiev. He finished his amateur career with a record of 195-18.

Amateur highlights

Early years

Kovalev started his career with a first-round KO of Daniel Chavez at Greenboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. He won his first nine fights with first- or second-round knockout. He faced more serious competition against Darnell Boone in October 2010, when he had to fight all eight rounds, and was dropped en route to a split decision win.

In July 2011, Kovalev won his first NABA belt in a 10-round fight with Douglas Otieno from Kenya. The Russian's next bout against Grover Young was controversial, however, as in the second round, Kovalev threw a left hook to the head, but the judges suggested that it was a blow to the back of the head -– an unintentional infringement. As the American could not continue, the fight was declared a technical draw.

Death of Roman Simakov

In his 2011 fight against Roman Simakov, Kovalev knocked down his opponent in the sixth round and the fight was stopped one round later and Kovalev was awarded a TKO victory. Simakov was taken to the hospital, where he lapsed into a coma and died three days later.

Rise up the ranks

In 2012, Kovalev begun being trained by John David Jackson. He knocked out Darnell Boone in two rounds in a rematch, demonstrating his improvement as a fighter since their last meeting and leading him to be signed to Main Events boxing.

On January 19, 2013 Kovalev faced the former WBA Light Heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo. Kovalev was able to get to the usually elusive Campillo early and often, continually backing him up in the opening round with furious combinations. Campillo, known as a slow starter who looked sluggish throughout the fight, was hurt early in the third round and staggered into the corner. The native of Spain covered up before being dropped with a left hook from Kovalev, one of three knockdowns in the round.

Kovalev vs. Cleverly

On 17 August 2013 Kovalev fought Nathan Cleverly for the WBO Light Heavyweight title. Cleverly, as champion, was given the underdog status by bookmakers. The official press conference took place on 9 July. Kovalev, who knocked out most of his opponents within three rounds, came out throwing heavy shots in the first round, hurt Cleverly badly in the third round, dropping him twice and nearly finishing him off. Kovalev picked things right back up in the fourth, throwing bombs to send Cleverly down for a third time and the referee waved things off. This was the first time Cleverly had been knocked down as a professional.

Kovalev vs. Sillakh, Agnew

On 30 November 2013, Kovalev had his first defense of the WBO Light Heavyweight title against #15 WBO Ismayl Sillakh (21-1, 17 KO’s). The fight took place on the undercard of Adonis Stevenson's WBC title defence against Brit Tony Bellew at the Colisee de Quebeck in Quebec City, Canada. Kovalev found the timing early in round two and in the same round finished Sillakh with a huge left. Sillakh beat the count, but visibly hurt. Kovalev immediately pounced on Sillakh, flooring him a second time, ending the fight. The fight averaged 1.25 million viewers on HBO.

Main Events announced on February 11, 2014 that Kovalev would make his second defence against undefeated contender Cedric Agnew (26-0, 13 KOs) on March 29 at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Although Agnew was not known to many boxing fans at the time, he held victories over Yusaf Mack, Daniel Judah and Otis Griffin. The fight drew a near sell-out of 2,416 fans. Agnew's movement gave Kovalev difficulty at times, and he found himself unable to land the concussive shots for which he was known. Agnew however, simply fought to survive and committed very little to his own offense. Ultimately in the seventh round, Kovalev landed a vicious jab to Agnew's liver that put him down for the count. En route to the finish, Agnew was dropped three times. It was a conclusion many expected, although Kovalev was cut around both eyes and was forced to go past the fourth round for the first time in seven fights, dating back to 2011. After the fight, Kovalev, like most interviews, was asked about Stevenson, he replied, "I don't want to speak on Adonis Stevenson. Adonis Stevenson is a piece of s---. Oh, sorry for my English. He ran from me. I don't worry. I will have another opponent. I didn't think about Adonis at all." The fight drew 1,006,000 viewers on HBO and peaked at 1,048,000 viewers. Although the figures were down from Kovalev vs. Sillakh bout, this fight went head to head with Wisconsin edging Arizona, 64-63 to reach the Final Four of the NCAA's college basketball tournament. The match went on to be the largest ever for a college basketball game on cable television at the time with an average 9.9 million viewers.

Kovalev vs. Caparello

On June 14, 2014 it was announced that Kovalev would defend his WBO title a third time, this time against undefeated Australian contender Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs). Kovalev was looking to land a unfication fight against WBC champion Adonis Stevenson, but Stevenson stated he would only fight on Shwotime. Since Kovalev was contracted to HBO, he had to settle with an over matched Caparello. The bout was scheduled to take place on August 2 at the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey and televised on HBO: Boxing After Dark. There was an attendance of 1,603 fans at the Ovation Hall. Caparello started well, scoring a flash knockdown after catching Kovalev with a solid shot while Kovalev was off balance. Kovalev however was unhurt and even appeared enraged, thoroughly dominating Caparello en route to a second-round technical knockout. The win guaranteed Kovalev would fight 49-year-old unified champion Bernard Hopkins in the fall of 2014. Main Events Kathy Duva believed there was a loss of focus and pressure built up as to why Kovalev was dropped. Kovalev shrugged of any claims that he felt pressure, "I didn't think about Bernard Hopkins tonight. I was focused on this fight. It is very important. A big step for me. If I do not win the fight there is no fight with Bernard Hopkins." Lou DiBella, promoter of Caparello, also praised Kovalev, in particularly the body shot that ended the fight. Negotiations already began for the Hopkins fight, prior to the Caparello fight. The fight was watched by an average 990,000 viewers and peaked at 1.052 million.

Kovalev vs. Hopkins

On August 22, 2014 it was confirmed that a fight between Kovalev and 49 year old Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) would take place on November 8, 2014 in a unification bout at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Barclays Center was also discussed as a potential venue. The fight was televised on HBO World Championship Boxing. In front of 8,545, Kovalev defeated Hopkins by unanimous decision to retain the WBO light heavyweight title and win the IBF and WBA (Super) titles. In a one-sided fight, Kovalev knocked Hopkins down in the first round. Kovalev won every single round on all of the three judges' scorecards. The score totals of the fight were 120-107, 120-107, and 120-106. In the fight, Hopkins only landed just 65 of 196 punches (33%), whilst Kovalev, the much busier fighter landed 166 of 585 punches thrown (28%). In round 12, Kovalev landed 38 punches on Hopkins, the most any boxer had ever landed on him in a single round in his 41 fights recorded by Compubox Stats. Hopkins earned a base purse of $1 million whilst Kovalev earned $500,000. Kovalev said after the fight, "I'm very happy. This victory was for my son Aleksandr." Aleksandr was Kovalev's first child, was born on October 20, whilst Kovalev was on his training camp and not yet seen him. The fight was considered a hit as it was watched by an average 1.328 million viewers.

Kovalev vs. Pascal

It was announced on December 23, 2014 that Kovalev would defend his world titles and fight Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) on March 14, 2015 for WBC Diamond light heavyweight title at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada live on HBO. Kovalev had just been named Sports Illustrated's 2014 Fighter of the Year. Kovalev started the fight off aggressively as usual and took control of the fight earlier and eventually knocked Pascal down in the 3rd round. Pascal began to fight back and showed some signs of life in rounds 5 and 6, although Kovalev gained control of the fight again and began to hit Pascal with huge shots, wobbling him and in the 8th round the referee stopped the fight as he felt Pascal had taken too much punishment. Pascal felt the stoppage was unfair and demanded for a rematch. At the time of stoppage, Kovalev was leading 68-64 on all three judges' scorecards. CompuBox stats showed Kovalev landed 122 of 471 punches (26%) and Pascal connected on 68 of 200 (34%). The fight averaged 1.152 million viewers on HBO.

Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

Before the Pascal fight, Kovalev knew his next fight would be against 30 French boxer Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs), as he became the IBF mandatory challenger knocking out Anatoliy Dudchenko in June 2014. Mohammedi was on a 13 fight win streak at the time. The fight took place on July 25, 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Kovalev steamrolled the over matched Mohammedi, knocking him down once in the second round and one more time in the third round. The second knockdown ended Mohammedi's night and gave Kovalev his 25th knockout victory. Kovalev said in the post-fight interview, "I wanted more rounds. I wanted him to look like a clown. I wanted him to look foolish. I'm very happy that I got the victory," Kovalev said. "I gave my best. I am happy. I told him to stand up. It was a short show. People didn't see boxing." Abel Sanchez, trainer of Mohammedi believed his boxer was overwhelmed with being on the main event and having lots of pressure on him. Kovalev earned $750,000 and Mohammedi earned a career-high $270,000 purse. Kovalev landed 67 of 170 punches thrown (39%) and Mohammedi did little damage in landing 17 of 96 thrown (18%). The fight was seen by just over 1 million viewers on HBO.

Promoter Duva stated that Kovalev would be looking for a homecoming bout next, likely on November 28 in Moscow. She stated she would call promoter Yvon Michel in order to set up a fight with two-time Olympian Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs), who defeated Kovalev in the amateurs. The fight unlikely to happen as Beterbiev was advised by Al Haymon, and performed on Premier Boxing Champions, who were banned by HBO. Another possibility was a rematch with Jean Pascal.

Kovalev vs. Pascal II, Chilemba

On December 5, 2015 it was announced that the rematch between Kovalev and Pascal was set, to take place on Janaury 30, 2016 at the Bell Centre in Montreal on HBO. Pascal was pumped for the rematch stating it would turn out differently to the first fight, "I put him down in the eighth round in the first fight, but [the referee] called it a slip. But I promise you that Kovalev is going to have a full plate in the rematch. I'm going to have a full plate as well, but I have a new trainer [Hall of Famer Freddie Roach]. I'm going to teach him respect and to respect Canadian boxing fans."

In front of 9,866, Kovalev dominated the fight, both outpunching and outlanding Pascal by wide margins. Kovalev won when Pascal's trainer Freddie Roach refused to let his fighter continue after the seventh round. At the time of stoppage, the scorecards read 70-62 three times, in favour of Kovalev. Round 5 was scored 10-8 on all three judges cards without there having been a knockdown. Kovalev landed 31 of 73 punches in round 5 alone. After the round, Roach threatened to pull Pascal. According to compubox stats, Kovalev landed 165 of 412 punches (40%) and Pascal landed 30 of 108 blows (28%).

After the fight, Kovalev said his future plans would likely include a fight with former super middleweight champion Andre Ward, but he first wanted a unification bout with reigning WBC and recognized lineal champion Adonis Stevenson. Kovalev, who has been desiring this fight for some time but has not been able to get it, called Stevenson "Adonis Chickenson" during the post-fight interview. Stevenson, who was in attendance, responded by confronting Kovalev in the ring surrounded by three bodyguards. The fight averaged 1.179 million viewers on HBO and peaked at 1.269 million viewers.

It was announced on April 23, 2016 that Kovalev would have a warm-up fight on July 11 against 28-year-old Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) in Ekaterinburg, Russia at the Palace of Sports. This was the first time in five years that Kovalev would return to Russia for a fight and defend his IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight titles. Chilemba was known for having a similar style to Andre Ward, who Kovalev would meet in the Fall in a big fight. Kovalev tipped the scales at 174.6lbs, while Chilemba weighed in at 174.8lbs. Kovalev earned a unanimous points decision after a hard-earned battle. Kovalev was forced to go the distance for just the fourth time in his career, as Chilemba recovered from a seventh round knockdown but ultimately lost on points. The three judges at ringside scored the fight 117-110, 116-111 and 118-109 at the end of 12 rounds in favour of Kovalev, who retained his titles. In round 7, Chilemba staggered across the ropes and was down following a straight left with a right to the jaw.

Kovalev vs. Ward

It was announced on June 16, 2016, that a contract had been signed between Kovalev and undefeated former super middleweight world champion Andre Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 19, 2016. Both fighters remained undefeated through interim bouts. This fight marked Ward's first time fighting in Las Vegas.

Kovalev lost a closely contested controversial decision with the judges all scoring the fight 114-113 in favor of Ward. Larry Merchant stated after the fight, "It was a classic hometown decision, Kovalev won the fight!" Gareth Davies, boxing correspondent gave the fight to Kovalev with 115-112, as did Max Kellerman. Kovalev's promoter, Kathy Duva, said, "We got a great fight, which is what boxing needed. But we also got a bad decision, which is not what boxing needed." Still, many boxing experts have applauded the decision. Paulie Malignaggi noted the high degree of difficulty both fighters faced that night and doubted the prospect of a one-sided affair in the case of a rematch. Still, he concluded that Kovalev faded late in the fight. Promoter Eddie Hearn added that Kovalev lacked a sense of urgency after the halfway point. Gennady Golovkin's trainer, Abel Sanchez, noticed how Kovalev allowed Ward on the inside and as a result wore down.

The fight reported to have done 160,000 buys on HBO PPV. A replay was shown on HBO prior to the Lomachenko-Walters title fight, which averaged 834,000 viewers. The event produced a live gate of $3.3 million from 10,066 tickets sold, including complimentary tickets, the full attendance was announced as 13,310. The venue was set up to hold 14,227.

Kovalev vs. Ward II

Kovalev's manager Egis Klimas announced that negotiations had begun for the rematch between Ward and Kovalev. According to the NSAC, The T-Mobile Arena was put on hold for June 17, 2017 on HBO PPV. On March 24, 2017 Kovalev revealed via Social Media that he had signed his end of the deal. It was also noted that the rematch would take place at the Mandalay Bay in Paradise, Nevada on HBO PPV. On April 4, Roc Nation Sports and Main Events confirmed that terms were agreed for the rematch to take place on HBO PPV. The fight is being billed as "No Excuses". The Las Vegas Sun confirmed the bout will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. On April 10, Kathy Duva said that there would be no rematch clause in place for a third fight, meaning the winner would not be obliged to fight another rematch. The fight purses were revealed before the fight with Ward taking a guaranteed $6.5 million and Kovalev, not having a base purse, would receive a percentage of PPV and gate revenue.

In front of 10,592, The fight ended in the 8th round with a victory for Ward once again. A big right hand from Ward had Kovalev in trouble which was followed by what Kovalev felt was a series of low blows. There was split opinion over whether they were low blows or borderline legal punches. Nonetheless, with Kovalev slumped over on the ropes, the referee Tony Weeks had no choice but to stop the fight, in what many felt was an early stoppage. At the time of stoppage, two judges had Ward ahead 67-66, whilst the third judge had it 68-65 in favour of Kovalev. CompuBox stats showed that Ward landed 80 of 238 punches (34%) whilst Kovalev landed 95 of his 407 thrown (23%).

Ward praised Kovalev in the post-fight interview, "He's a good fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him. First time around, the man is world champion, and he's been on top a long time. I give him credit. He is a great fighter, and when you fight great fighters, you have to raise your game." Kovalev said the fight could have continued, "I don't know. I can't explain it. Not every round, but I thought I was doing very good. I was better, and he was better this fight. I didn't feel like I was getting knocked down with his punches --- I could have continued," Kovalev said. "I didn't feel the punch. This is fighting. We are boxers. Yes, he did punch me, but he didn't hurt me. The fight should have continued."

According to Yahoo Sports, the fight only generated around 130,000 buys on HBO PPV. The replay was shown on regular HBO averaging 752,000 viewers and peaked at 947,000, which was during the final round. The event produced a live gate of $2,187,340 from 6,366 tickets sold, including complimentary tickets, the full attendance was announced as 10,592. The venue was set up to hold 10,748.

Change of trainer

Kovalev spoke to reporters in Russia on June 27, 2017 confirmed that he would be making changes to his team. This included a new head trainer, meaning he would part ways with John David Jackson and a new specialist. Due to him having issues making the light heavyweight limit, he was considering moving up to cruiserweight. Reports also suggested that Ward's trainer, Virgil Hunter offered his services to Kovalev.

Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy

On September 9, 2017 HBO announced that Kovalev would make his ring return on HBO: Boxing After Dark on November 25, 2017. His opponent was announced as 30 year old light heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) in a scheduled 10 round bout, to take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Shabranskyy's only loss came in December 2016 via TKO against Cuban boxer Sullivan Barrera. Kovalev spoke about his consecutive defeats, “I learned a lot from my fights with Andre Ward. When you don’t win and when you suffer adversity, it makes you stronger. It also shows you who your real friends are. I feel like I cleaned out my life and now I’m ready to start fresh. I’m very excited to get back in the ring, and fight at Madison Square Garden for the first time, and I’m focused on the future. I’m not looking back.” Kovalev told Ringtv that he would not had a lead trainer for the fight.