I think Matthew mauls him. Kovalev didn’t show much resolve when the chips were really down against Ward. If that’s in question it’s not a good place to be sharing a ring with the much harder hitting and lion hearted Matthew Saad Muhammad.
What's the over/under on knockdowns? 4. or 5? I think Saad ruins him with a brutal ko. 1 punch ko from Saad to add to his other 1 punch ko's. Terrific fight for us the fans but a huge huge price to pay for the loser.
Kovalev was really a H2H force in his short, non-alcoholic prime. On top of that he was a tidy boxer who moved well and could do some unorthodox and creative things in the ring. Kov winning this wouldn't shock me tbh.