Kovalev next move?

[imp]

After the mental and physical loss to Ward...Kovalev is now falling apart.
(First fight was a draw at least)

Do you want him to stay at 175? retire or move up to cruiserweight?

Vodka or no Vodka..no one is afraid anymore.

[Master]

Shocked to see Kov lose so emphatically. He does not look so invincible and intimidating now but he did get some wins in and got a belt. Kov could do it again at the same weight but think he is too small for Cruiserweight.

[mikeeod]

Those type of knockout losses spell big trouble for a fighter who fuels himself with the fear/intimidation of his opponent. He will always doubt his stamina now, and that will cause extra stress which will only tire him out faster. His opponents will force a fast pace and wjile some won’t make it long due to his big right, the ones who see the 7th round will stop kov on exhaustion.

Unfortunately, like Master says, I don’t see cruiserweight as an option at all. Kov’s best bet is to try and entice Adonis into fighting him and then be real selective on future opponents (if he wins).

[J_Undisputed]

For what it is, retire. Kovs been smart with his money. I believe hes invested in some crypto currency brands and others. If he moves back (which i believe if a real possibility-- he grounded himself there after the ward rematch) he makes a killing on the exchange rate.

In a more perfect world, See if Stevenson is now baited into a fight. If so, look to reunite with John David Jackson if possible (Just for publicity) to max out the story/angle revenue on the fight, then cash out and retire. (but kovalev will get lowballed now by stevenson's people and be forced to take it. Duva isn't quite as dirty and ruthless at the negotiating table so i don't even know if he would get the most he could get for the fight. So its probably not worth the trouble. He could hang around and see if Bivol fights him as a step up, but that's a dangerous proposition for Bivol and i don't know if his people would want to go there.

I think the big issue here is Kovalev preps down to the level of his comp (which was good enough when his power bailed him out against most of the division... it was even heading that way for this fight before the stoppage) . That means he won't really be pushed by any trainer and do things his own way. Best trainer in the world cant help you if you don't listen. He looked like he was already thinking about bivol to me and going through the motions with Alvarez. He didn't expect this guy to be fighting for his life. The right hand he got caught with was uncharacteristic and lazy. I don't think his heart is in it anymore. It doesn't have to do with ward (no matter how much kellerman jocks him in the post fight commentary) it has everything to do with Kovalev. Comments by John David Jackson and Abel Sanchez are really starting to fill out the picture now about Kovalevs habits.

Any kind of comeback would require a partial tear down and rebuild to get to the next level. Kovalev is willing to work in camp but i don't think hes digging that deep into himself mentally to find that level. Its hard to maintain a level of "good enough" without slipping. You either strive to get better or slip and get worse (leveling off is just a slower form of descent).

[powerpuncher]

I think we are forgetting that Kovalev isn’t in his prime years. After a mentally breaking loss to Ward, and with age catching up to him, he seems to have lost that edge he used to have. It looked as though he were just going through the motions. His stamina has never been great, but it seems even worse now.

Getting caught by that right hand was just lazy. I think it’s a mixture of things, but he is done being the top guy. It’s unfortunate because I’ve always been a huge fan of his. I think he fights a little longer to make some money against lesser opponents. Then he will cash out against one of the other Russian fighters.

[TitoFan]

All good points here.

For me, Kovalev is near the finish line. Like mikeod said, Kovalev's fuel was the intimidation factor. He's lost that now. He's no longer the invincible "Krusher". I'll never accept either the 1st Ward decision (flaky), or the low-blow barrage that wilted Kov. But this one was different. Alvarez dominated the 1st few rounds.... weathered the storm when Kov came charging back..... and dropped Kov in convincing fashion with a "krushing" (sorry Kov) right hand.

Normally, I'd say this is the type of fight that deserves a rematch. Kov was arguably winning the fight at the time of the knockout, which came suddenly and without warning. But Kov's 35, and his days in professional boxing are numbered.

I'd MUCH PREFER "Hesitant Stevenson" into the ring for a last hurrah..... and obviously I'd be rooting hard for Kovalev to stretch out that f*cking prima donna who apparently doesn't want to fight anybody. Why that dumbass hasn't been stripped for refusing to face the elite fighters in the division is beyond me, but oh well.......

[imp]

Why is Stevenson ducking everyone?

He has the power to beat anyone..he beat a prime Jack regardless of being gassed in later rounds..

He would have gave Kovalev issues at any stage of his career but I must agree that he ducked him..it’s crazy that he let Ward step into the division to do the job that he should have done.

I one that Ward is not a fan favourite and he hugs to death..but major props for stepping to and beating the bogeyman of the division..Adonis looses major points for that one!

[Primo Carnera]

Last night might’ve just swayed Stevenson to take the Kovalev fight for a last big payday for both of them.
Although nowhere near as big as it would’ve been anytime in the last 5 years.
After that, the only thing Kovalev hits is the Vodka bottle.

[Freedom]

He should fight a lesser opponent on the next Bivol card, and then rematch Alvarez in early 2019.

If he loses to Alvarez again, perhaps then he should consider retirement.

But people are being too hard on Kovalev right now, Alvarez is a very good fighter and there is no shame in losing to him.

Adonis Stevenson avoided Alvarez for a good reason.

[Spicoli]

The mans 35 and his losses were both physically and psychologically crushing. Sorry had to. Much as I hate to say it cruiserweight is a no go and the blueprint is out that he can in fact be timed and he knows he can lose. I say think about calling it a day. He reminds me of a guy whose psyche and chin have cracked simultaneously and for a fighter who had to do it on his own early not hitting the 'big show' until close to 30 yrs old, is full of stubborn pride with intimidation leading him in as much as that head-body hard jab..it's a long long road back. A guy can only reset so many times clamoring for that peak form again. He's not some broken skill less shell but as a fan I don't know if he has the focus and fire to go one less than 100 percent, nor the patience to rebuild at a lower level. Everything said, Alvarez is to be respected for stepping up and stepping in. He earned his spot and has shown he was an undefeated mandatory for a reason and now he knows he belongs. Mighty fine turn around last night.

[Alpha]

I think he's been hinting at retirement. Hard to get his mindset back to 100% at this stage. Although I think he can still makes some nice fights at 175. He was winning that fight until getting caught with that big shot. Take a tune up then roll the dice again on a big fight.

[Hulk]

He got caught pulling straight back with his hands down with the perfect punch in a fight he was winning. He can come back and even grab a title again who knows. I’d still like to see him fight Marcus Browne or Joe Smith Jr. Is Gabriel Campillo still around for a nice early KO win? Lol

[Ron Swanson]

He should probably do something racist to rally his fans around him. Hit the bottle again in lieu of any real personal reflection. Blame everyone else. Then slack in training. It’s worked for him so far

[TitoFan]

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2018/08...t/#more-268248



Seems the door's open for a rematch if Kov wants it.

[Alpha]

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2018/08...t/#more-268248



Seems the door's open for a rematch if Kov wants it.

Personally I'd prefer he take a confidence builder rather than an immediate rematch. He seems pretty stubborn so I think he'll go straight back in there.