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Sergey Kovalev has carved a respectable career inside of the ring, but is it worthy of enshrinement into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York?
If you ask the two-time light heavyweight champion ahead of his cruiserweight debut on May 14 against Tervel Pulev at The Forum in Los Angeles in a Triller pay-per-view event, Krusher is indifferent regarding receiving the career-defining honor.
“It’s not my goal, but if someday my name will be in the Hall of Fame, I will be very happy,” Kovalev told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “Believe me, right now, I do what I do. Everything is for my family, for my kids. I would be an example for my kids that life and sports can be hard, but never give up. Dreams can come true if you want them … I don’t have any complaints. Everything happens for a reason.”
Kovalev’s career kicked into second gear in 2013 when he knocked out then-unbeaten champion Nathan Cleverly in four rounds in the United Kingdom. Kovalev enjoyed the height of his reign between 2014 and 2016 as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound candidates beginning with a decision victory against Bernard Hopkins followed by two knockout wins against Jean Pascal.
The victories eventually set up Kovalev with back-to-back fights and losses against Andre Ward, one via razor-thin unanimous decision, and the other via an eighth-round stoppage due to a barrage of body blows in yet another close fight.
Kovalev reflected on what was at the time the height of his career.
“In the first fight with Andre Ward, I didn’t have enough experience on this level. I was very surprised when [promoter] Kathy Duva said, ‘are you ready to fight Andre Ward?’ I said, ‘of course I am ready.’ A couple of minutes after the meeting, I went home and said, ‘a fight with Andre Ward? Wow.’ I couldn’t believe it,” said Kovalev.
“I overrated him and didn’t rate me enough for the fight. I overtrained and killed myself before the fight in the mountains by doing three workouts a day. I didn’t have a smart coach at the time as I do with Buddy McGirt right now. I’m really happy that I found a smart and professional coach like Buddy.”
Kovalev’s career has been uneven ever since the second Ward fight in 2017, marked with several misfractions out of the ring and a 4-2 record.
Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) picked up a title Ward had vacated with a win against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2017 and defended it once before losing it via seventh-round KO to Eleider Alvarez in 2018. Kovalev immediately avenged his loss to Alvarez in 2019 via unanimous decision, outlasted Anthony Yarde in a brutal slugfest and eventual KO, only to suffer the same fate himself against Canelo Alvarez in 2019 in a fight for which he was reportedly paid nearly $11 million.
After fighting three times in a span of nine months in 2019, Kovalev hasn’t fought ever since and is nearing a 2 ½ year break from the ring. It was further stalled due to the pandemic as well as testing positive for synthetic testosterone, which forced the cancellation of an announced bout with Bektemir Melikuziev.
The 39-year-old Kovalev is confident he can cash in on his career cache to further continue shaping his boxing resume and potential Hall of Fame credentials with another world title run in a new weight class.
“First of all, money. Of course, money is energy [and motivation to fight]. You have money, you have energy. You have the type of life, for sure,” said Kovalev. “Also, my motivation is to finish my boxing career as a champion because I will be an example for my children – to never give up. If I finished my boxing career right now, no, I would not feel comfortable for the rest of my life. I would have a lot of money, but mentally, no. I would feel like I can continue, and that I could get another title. That’s what I am trying to do right now. To get another title in a new division.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.