Will Kovalev retire?

[imp]

Beast of a fighter and still very much up there as a top tier fighter..so what's all this about?

http://www.boxingscene.com/sergey-ko...rement--119855

[Primo Carnera]

Beast of a fighter and still very much up there as a top tier fighter..so what's all this about?

http://www.boxingscene.com/sergey-ko...rement--119855

Too much vodka and getting ripped off by his team, no more desire and hunger.

[Master]

Kov has not been the best managed fighter. I believe he got the short end of all his big fights.

Kov v Badou Jack would be a good fight to make.

[Gandalf]

He has been really badly managed. He has probably lost his confidence and seemingly doesn't have very good stamina. He started strong both times against Ward but then struggled and it isn't as though Ward even throws many punches. Saw a bit of Mayweather/McGregor on You Tube and it seemed a bit like Ward/Kov 2.

Should fight a durable journeyman or 2 just to learn to pace himself. Kovalev was so used to stopping fighters he didn't learn to pace himself over 12. Then step up and fight a top 10 guy and then maybe go for a title.

He is going through the Pavlik 'I don't know what to do' phase. He can put it right or his career ends.

[powerpuncher]

Very unfortunate if he doesn't fight again. He is still a very good fighter and has some good fights to be made. I agree though that he has been horribly managed.

[J_Undisputed]

He's sick of boxing right now. The judges, the decisions, people telling him what to do... and no corner to go to now to keep him stable... so his family is the only thing thats keep him grounded at this point. If he connects with God and God tells hims to stop being such a stubborn mofo and take some responsibility for the way his career has been going lately... then that's great. If god says this isn't for you anymore and he goes into something else he can find a passion for, well i'll be equally happy for him.

But the answers he's seeking from above come from inside. Lots of fighters go through this. Life knocks your d*ck in the dirt. You comb over everything and think why me. you get disheartened.. start to doubt your efforts; your intent... then you show up ringside and there's a little spark somewhere in the darkness of your soul that either gets you off your @$$ slowly and back in the gym or a sigh that has you thinking "i dont miss this at all'... As dangerous as the sport can be, its the second one you don't want.

[Spicoli]

I'm all for the individual decision and he is responsible once the bell rings but you have to say, the person he took financial or even interpreted a contract like his last shouldn't be allowed to manage a hot-dog cart let alone a professional athlete. I don't doubt he has the talent and core that can be refired but he'll come back angry and trusting fewer if he doesn't first get away from the sport by the sound of it. He needs independence.

[Fenster]

How has he been badly managed?

I know the last fight he had a horrible deal/situation (public trainer/manager spats) but what happend before that?

[erics44]

itd be a shame if he did retire

it was a mistake fighting ward, not because he lost but because he was not only fighting ward he was fighting Americas lb4lb dream

in america

[Primo Carnera]

How has he been badly managed?

I know the last fight he had a horrible deal/situation (public trainer/manager spats) but what happend before that?

3-4 years ago he was fighting for $5000 dollars a fight.
We heard about the "bad deal" he had for his last fight because it was so high profile.
If he was getting shit pay then and shit pay in his last fight in relative terms, then it stands to reason he was getting shit pay in between.
He's probably a bit naive in business terms, understandable for a guy earning in a strange country and he's a boxer , not a business guru.
It's a shame ,

[Master]

How has he been badly managed?

I know the last fight he had a horrible deal/situation (public trainer/manager spats) but what happend before that?

Kov has had the short end of the big fights against BHop and first Ward fight.

[J_Undisputed]

I think they might have done better in the first ward negotiations. For the Hopkins fight, lets be honest.. who would have got him a good deal fighting a legend who was his own promoter? It was going to be a break even fight for him so Hopkins would qualify him on the international stage. The moneys divided before hand. It looks so much worse in hindsight because he performed so well in that fight. Really he would always get the short en of the stick because he's foreign and many American fans (especially the casuals) discriminate.

For the second ward fight, there was no other way to get Ward into the ring... If Kovalev says he wanted the rematch and his belts, etc. im pretty sure it was explained to him that it was going to cost him everything, and he didn't care. If you say get me a certain fight, then its the promoter and managers job to get you that fight within the stipulations you set forth. A fighter does not have to sacrifice and sign... he can walk away from the table and fight someone else. (look at the softies some fighters continuously take... stevenson, D garcia, etc) More likely scenario is this could have just been more of Kovalev trying to do it all himself and control everything.

[Ron Swanson]

It takes a very narrow view to suggest America is biased against foreign fighters. Because if you have any periphery at all you will see foreign fighters treated quite well in America. I'd make a list but it would be so long it would be absurd.

[walrus]

It takes a very narrow view to suggest America is biased against foreign fighters. Because if you have any periphery at all you will see foreign fighters treated quite well in America. I'd make a list but it would be so long it would be absurd.

Yeah think of how poorly we have treated foreign fighters they all try to avoid America cause we are so bad and they can't make money here

[GAME]

If both Ward fights went exactly as they did but in Russia instead of America Kovalev would be undefeated and p4p number 1. But he has been poorly advised and I think his best days are behind him

he doesn't have that heart and grit of the true light heavyweight greats and I dont think it would be a huge loss if he did retire now. I don't see his career ever getting back to what it was