Perez is just about inactive enough that Kovalev might be able to pull it off. Perez will have a massive strength and bulk advantage.
He’s got nothing left in the tank. Just a faded name at this stage. Ginger Hulk beat a shell of a former champ. Still, he has a better chance against a LH than he does against Beterbiev. Even Bivol will knock him out and outbox him. One more fight for the retirement fund or the legal fund. Maybe the vodka fund is a little light. Either way, he’s not a thread to anyone but himself these days.
Kudryashov vs Kovalev would be a great scrap. I got Kudryashov by highlight reel KO after being out jabbed early.
This does not look like a smart move on his part. Sure Kovalev has the power to be competitive but it's not like he has the defensive skill set of guys like Toney, Tarver or even Adamek. Kovalev is far to hittable at this stage ilof his career.
Kovalev's tough fights, knockout losses, smoking, and drinking have caught up to him. He can't take a good shot anymore. He's going to get flattened.
I don't see Kovalev even being able to hold gatekeeper status at cruiser, I can see every decent fighter in the world that weighs 190 wanting a piece of him
Because we dont need another death in the sport especially when it can be prevented. Im not a big fan of his but I do like him and would not want to see him be seriously hurt.
I had the exact same match up in my head when I saw the thread title. Two name Russky fighters head to head, should generate enough interest over there? Certainly would be a huge name on Dimitri's resume even if Sergei is shot! If he could win that is. Kudryashov was absolutely 'shite' in his last performance. I seriously doubt he could even beat today's version of Kov!
It´s how he has fought since Eleider KO´d him. And Alvarez has great defence as well, so that alone will make someone more hesitant. Even against Hopkins, whom he handily dominated, Kovalev still had to pull back often because Hopkins was making him miss. From a technical standpoint, he was spot on. It´s clear that Kovalev´s stamina is shot to bits, so how exactly could he push the pace? We all saw what happened against Eleider. And even Yarde almost got to him. Kovalev has always been a superb boxer and he still is. He just cań´t afford to load up how he once did. But mentally? I have no idea. I would like to think that he gave it his all but I feel he wanted out of there as soon as his stamina started dwindling.
