Story by: Chris Williams (CBoxingInfo.com)
(Las Vegas, NV) – On Saturday November 2, a significant bout takes place in the light heavyweight division as WBO World light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev takes on challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The title fight will be aired live on DAZN and nine other countries, televised on FTA Azteca 7 in Mexico,and TBA in Russia.
Also scheduled to appear on the card is sensational lightweight prospect Ryan “Kingry” Garcia. Garcia is on tap to face hard-hitting Romero Duno. More announcements about the undercard will soon follow.
Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:
Sergey Kovalev
|
||
Age
|
36
|
29
|
Record
|
34-3-1 (29 KOs)
|
52-1-2 (35 KOs)
|
Height & Reach
|
Kovalev is 6 foot, with a 72.5-inch reach. |
Alvarez is 5 foot 8, with a 70.5-inch reach. |
Experience
|
Kovalev has victories over world-class fighters Eleider Alvarez, Anthony Yarde, Bernard Hopkins, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal, Gabriel Campillo, and Nathan Cleverly. He’s also had two controversial fights against Andre Ward. As an amateur, Kovalev compiled a record of 195-18. He battles the likes of Matvey Korobov and Artur Beterbiev.
|
Alvarez has wins over world-class fighters Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Amir Khan, Shane Mosley, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Austin Trout, and Kermit Cintron. He’s also fought Floyd Mayweather, Jr. In 2004, Alvarez won the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National championships. He turned pro at age 15. |
Power
|
Kovalev is called Krusher for a reason. His signature throughout his career has been his power. He throws each punch with bad intentions and can end a fight with one punch. |
Alvarez has good pop in his punches, but like tends to wear guys down to get a stoppage. Shawn has stopped 64% of his opponents, with Amir Khan, James Kirkland, and Alfredo Angulo as knockout victims. |
Strengths
|
The Krusher has knockout power in both hands and can end a fight with any punch he throws. He has a sharp jab that has been effective in keeping his opponents at bay and has plenty of big-fight experience coming into this bout.
|
Alvarez is a technically sound fighter who has an offensive arsenal of shots to the head and body. He punches in combinations. Alvarez also has an excellent jab and a solid chin. |
Weaknesses | Sergey sometimes doesn’t preserve his energy for the later rounds, causing problems with stamina. Kovalev has shown to be susceptible to being hurt by body-shots. Sergey has also been knocked down numerous times in his career. | Alvarez fights flatfooted and can be outmaneuvered by boxers with good footwork. Alvarez has also experienced stamina issues in fights. In addition, most of his knockouts came against fighters who were faded, chinny, or not world class boxers. |
Questions | How will Kovalev deal with the body-punching-specialist Alvarez?
Will age catch up to Kovalev in this fight? Can Sergey overcome the short turnaround of coming off a brutal fight on August 24? |
How will Alvarez offset the superior Kovalev jab?
What weight will Alvarez come in at and how will he adapt to a world class light heavyweight? Does Alvarez have enough power to hurt Kovalev? |
# # #
Media info:
www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, www.facebook.com/thekrusher/, www.facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing and www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, @Canelo, @Main_Events, @SergeyKrusherKovalev, and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #CaneloKovalev.