Rising star Sergey Kovalev 'likes to make pain' for opponents
Sergey Kovalev finds no issue with motivation for opponents like Nadjib Mohammedi. (Eric Bolte, Paste BN Sports)
LAS VEGAS - It's hard to imagine now, but at one point, no promoters were interested in Sergey Kovalev.
His manager Egis Klimas tried with all his might to no avail. He would lobby promoters to watch his guy, told them he was the real deal, a Russian who could punch like a mule. But no one - not Bob Arum, nor Oscar De La Hoya - bit.
Enter Kathy Duva.
She noticed the talent and immediately knew she had hit the jackpot. Kovalev has been destroying fighters ever since he signed up with Totowa, N.J.-based Main Events in 2012. He holds three light heavyweight titles and owns an exclusive contract with HBO. "Krusher" makes the fifth defense of his championship against mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, HBO), and even though the challenger is as much as a 40-to-1 underdog, Kovalev tells Paste BN Sports it's easy to get motivated for these fights.
"A fight is fight. And any opponent is dangerous because he wants to get what you have," Kovalev said through his thick Russian accent. "And I must defend my titles. My titles, for me, are like small babies. … If any kid lost his toy, they cry, right? And they disappointed. That means that I'm not going to be disappointed. I train hard for this fight and I'm ready for the fight 100 %. I need one more belt."
Kovalev (27-0-1 24 KOs) has endeared himself to the American public with his stoic glare, propensity for knockouts and genuine interest in inflicting pain on his foes. After he knocked out Ismayl Silakh, he screamed and motioned for his fallen foe to rise. Of course, he didn't.
All six of his titles fight have been televised by HBO, and only one fighter - the legendary Bernard Hopkins - has gone the distance over that time. But even Hopkins tasted Kovalev's massive power and was dropped twice in the contest.
The 32-year-old knows boxing fans are fickle and that he must deliver an exciting performance to maintain their interest. He sees no reason why this defense will be any different.
"I like to make pain for my opponents and I want to break (Mohammedi's) nose," declared Kovalev, who has since become friends with Hopkins. "… I want to kick his ass because he's already said that he's won this fight; victory. He put on his record, like, 38th victory. Never say before (you'll win). Never."
Klimas says Kovalev must secure the right opponent to get to the next level. And that foe could be Andre Ward, according to Duva. She says it's a matter of when, not if, and has been in negotiations with Roc Nation Sports for some time. When Kovalev was asked about Ward, he feigned fear and said he didn't want to look past Mohammedi, no matter how long the odds are for an upset.
"We both want the fight and it's up to them to decide how they want to guide Andre Ward's career," Duva said. "And when they're ready to do that, we're here. … When the best fights the best, people will notice."
The student of former champion John David Jackson has mowed through the 175-pound division since his arrival in the U.S. three years ago. He wrested the WBO title from Nathan Cleverly in surprisingly easy fashion during his HBO debut. It was a harbinger of things to come.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident went on to take care of business against nondescript opposition, but made a big splash in his lone fight this year. Kovalev squared off against former lineal champion Jean Pascal in a Fight of the Year candidate with both men hurt at various times. It was Kovalev, though, who stood last, prevailing via TKO.
Pascal fights in the HBO co-feature Saturday and Duva acknowledged the sides are discussing a rematch next year. But first, Duva wants to build her fighter in Las Vegas. Just half of Kovalev's HBO bouts have taken place in America, and all were in Atlantic City.
"If you want to be in the big time, you've got to establish some roots (in Las Vegas) and you gotta throw them down and you gotta let people know this is where I'm going to end up," Duva said of the fight capital of the world. "… If you want to be in the biggest fight ever, it generally happens in this one city."
Establishing a fan base on another coast will help, but there's another stumbling block to crossing over to mainstream status: the language barrier. The native Russian is attempting to learn English and said he understands it "100%." The greater challenge comes with expressing himself freely, but he says it's coming to him "little by little."
He is slated to return to Europe in November, and it's likely that bout will be a hero's welcome in Russia, according to Duva. Whether or not HBO will travel is unclear, but one thing is certain. Kovalev knows he can't rest on his laurels and must bring the pain each time he competes.
"To be one of those special fighters, you have to have all of these qualities. You have to be able to box, you have to be able to bang, you have to have personal charisma, you have to have charisma in the ring that makes people stop and pay attention," Duva said. "You have to have ambition that is so great and so expansive that no matter how much success you achieve, you want more. He's got all of that. That doesn't come in one package very often."