You might be selling Carpintier a bit short here. I think he was over rated at the time, but he had some tools.
Yeah, he wasn't a bum or anything. But based upon film i'd happily pick Kovalev to beat him. I've been wrong before; could be again, but that would be my pick.
As Choklab has proven lately this is the fight we should be pitting Dempsey against. I mean with modern hydration techniques Kovalev is at 195 on fight night which makes him the bigger man here. Fireman Flynn knocked out Dempsey in one round. Using a combination of Choklab's weight theory and a deep analysis of boxrec I must conclude Kovalev wins by stoppage.
Forgetting the likely difference in power for a moment, Kovalev is at a stylistic disadvantage - upright, poor inside fighting ability, used to being the boss. He doesn't have the defensive craft of a Tommy Gibbons or Billy Conn. He's slower to boot.
If Ward who is an excellent inside fighter but lacks power ,can make Kovalev fight his fight,Dempsey takes him out ,imo
The Ward fight was the first time I'd seen Kovalev who I had winning by a round actually tested, and especially in the 2nd half of the fight he looked a bit distressed in there. Ward was able to mess him around and I definitely thought Ward's body shots disturbed him. I agree with Ward he didn't seem to have any inside game at all. Personally from what I saw Saturday night I think Dempsey would wreck him.
to be honest i would give kovalev the same chance to win against dempsey that i do against foreman or tyson.... with marciano the same....and kovalev in the night of the fight is basically of the size of rocky and dempsey....
People think Kovalev is a badass killer and at a certain level he is but he wouldnt know what hit him in there with Dempsey. Dempsey is a totally other level of animal. I don't think Kovalev would know what to do in close with that kind of pressure. If he can't keep him on the end of his jab his arse falls out and he gets destroyed. I give him the benefit of the doubt and say he lasts 6 rounds, but he probably wouldn't. Krusher gets crushed.