Better win: Donaire or Kovalev?

Nonito had a lot more left than Kovalev did and he was extremely dangerous right up until the end throwing monster left hooks and straight rights with mean intentions. The whole David vs Goliath angle that Golden Bum were pushing about Clenelo jumping up 2 divisions was greatly exaggerated. Sure Kov had a significant height advantage but reach (2'') and weight wise there was **** all in it . Clen jumped up 2 divisions to face a LHW who has been coming in around the SMW fight night weight range of late and that's exactly the same range Clenelo comes in. Kova weighed 180 and 182 respectively for Eleider Alvarez II and Yarde, Clenelo would've weighed about 180. He was still dehydrated at the weigh in after weighing a ripped 175 (or just under). Hence why he was reaching for the liquids lol

And ''Goliath'' was a shot drunkard with ****ty stamina who isn't hitting anywhere near as hard as he was in his prime and whose chin is cracked. Clenelo has never stopped anyone world class above Clenelo weight and one of those fighters he did stop at Clenelo weight (155) was blown up featherweight Khan lol.

Nonito was hella dangerous tonight from first bell to last and unlike Kov he isn't a vodka-swilling alcoholic who was 4-3 in his last 7 fights, had been stopped in 2 of those losses by relatively light hitting opponents and who only managed to escape being 3-4 in his last 7 and being stopped x 3 by the skin of his teeth after nearly coming a cropper against a rank novice who had never fought anyone with a pulse before. And Nonito wasn't coming off a gruelling fight 9 weeks earlier where he took a lot of punishment and only had a few weeks to rest in between it and starting his next camp.

Kovalev used to be one of the most feared and destructive punchers in the entire sport FFS and rightfully so because he was a freaking beast. But this version had only managed to hurt or drop 1 opponent in his last six fights as a result of his power and said fighter has glassy whiskers. The Yarde KO was due to exhaustion.

Prime Kov hurt, badly hurt, dropped, or brutally stopped virtually everyone who shared a ring with him including some of the most iron-jawed fighters in the game. It's hardly a coincidence all his opponents back then spoke very highly indeed about his power and the ones of today don't seem too impressed by it. He was dropping, knocking out, and breaking his opponent's ribs with jabs FFS

The difference between prime Kovalev and the shell of the one today is night and day and best believe Team Clenelo were aware of that as were the bookies lol

I knew Clenelo was not only going to stop Kov late but that he was going to finish him with a head shot too albeit I thought it was going to be from a left hook to the chin. Hence why I picked him via stoppage.

When the fight was announced I was just pleased for Kov that he was going to finally secure a payday that his talent deserved. However, the only time I actually entertained the thought of him winning was during the fight itself as he was well up on my scorecard heading into the second half of it. But I predicted he'd gas in the second half (hardly a Nostradamus level call there lol) during the RBR and sure enough he did and it cost him dearly.

My boy Dre be knowing what time it is

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Nathan Cleverly

''Kovalev is a massive puncher; each punch is like being hit by a sledgehammer,'' Cleverly said. ''He sparked Ismayl Sillah clean out in the second round '' he was completely gone. He didn't do that to me, he shook me up and I was in no position to continue really, I was drunk from the punches and I have got a great chin, so he does hit hard and he's probably the most dangerous Light Heavyweight out there.''

Were you surprised by how hard he hit?

I suppose I wasn't surprised because with his record it was inevitable that he was a banger and every shot he threw was a thudding shot. It was like a hammer. He wasn't rapid fast, he had good timing, good distance and his punches were just so hard... His jab, his right hand. Just when he caught you on the shoulder he would have an impact and he was just clubbing me. He just clubs you with his heavy hands and he's the type to just club you into submission. That's his aim. To club you until he puts you down. I just kept it tight early but I knew, after taking a few of his punches, I knew I couldn't afford to be caught with a shot on the chin. I knew that. I remember thinking in the first round, if he catches me clean, I'm gone. I remember thinking that.

Yeah. I did think I would be able to take it but I knew, I knew and especially from the first round '' I knew if he caught me clean it was highly likely I would go. Even the shots on the gloves and the shoulder, the impact was really heavy. It was clear to me from the first couple of punches that when this guy landed I would be in trouble.

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''Kovalev is an animal of a puncher''

-- Nathan Cleverly

2:36

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Darnell Boone

'KOD: Who is the hardest puncher that you have fought?

Darnell Boone: The hardest puncher was [Sergey] Kovalev. He knows exactly how to use his height and leverage with punches. He keeps you on the outside, away from getting on the inside on him. He fights tall.

Cornelius White

''His power is unreal,'' White said of Kovalev. ''I've never felt that power before. I've fought heavyweights, cruiserweights and I've never felt that before. And they weren't bricks. It was steel.''

Interview with former Kovalev victim Lionell Thompson. Thompson has sparred against a who's who of the LHW and SMW divisions: Dawson, Bute, Froch, Pascal Troy Ross, David Lemieux and numerous others too. He said every shot he throws is heavy, even the ones on the arms and gloves hurt and that no one hits like Kovalev.

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''I ain't ever been hit that hard. When he hit me it felt like somebody lifted the soul out of my body.''

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Earl Newman

0:56-1:39

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Pascal on Kovalev, Beterbiev, and Bivol

'Pascal is very familiar with all three of the Russian boxers.

He suffered two defeats at the hands of Kovalev, he used Bivol as a sparring partner, and Beterbiev was his stablemate in the gym.

While he believes Beterbiev is the best fighter of the three, he says Kovalev is the hardest puncher of the three. 2018 will be interested year to watch, if all three Russian punchers will begin to face each other in unification bouts.

"Bivol was my training partner for my second fight against Kovalev. Who has the style that was more complicated for me, it was Kovalev. The best of the three? It's Beterbiev. On the other hand, the one that hits the hardest, it is Kovalev," Pascal told The Montreal Journal.