Boxing Insider Interview with Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
By: Francisco Martinez
This past November 19th Sergey Kovalev walked into the ring as the unified world champion when he faced Andre Ward. That’s WBA, IBF and WBO 175lbs titles. Titles Sergey wants back and says are his “dream” and “goal” “it’s my life” expressing the only thing on his mind is June 17th. The Rematch at the Mandalay Bay Sergey Kovalev would get his opportunity to get those titles back and avenge his sole loss to Andre Ward.
BoxingInsider: “He insists that you rely on fear a lot. Can you sense the fear in your opponent and can you sense that he doesn’t have any fear of you as a fighter?”
Sergey Kovalev: “It’s very good for me you know that he’s not scared. It’s good for me but usually who is scared acts very calm or very hyper you know, He’s the type of people who’s calm. I think he’s nervous and he understands that the rematch won’t be a easy fight and I understand to that it won’t be an easy fight but I’m ready you know, I wanna get my belts back. It’s my dream, it’s my goal, it’s my life right now. When I go to lay down to sleep and I wake up in the morning there’s this desire and he’s everyday in my head and I know what I should do in the ring and how to do it, I will do”
BoxingInsider: “Would you say he’s the best fighter you’ve faced to date?”
Sergey Kovalev: “No he’s not the best fighter who I’ve faced”
BoxingInsider: “Than who is?”
Sergey Kovalev: “Right now I don’t remember who to campare. Jean Pascal was in the first fight a much harder fighter in the fight. Darnell Boone was a much harder fighter in the fight with him. I don’t want to say if I want to say what I have right now is great motivation for this fight and I will try to get my belts back”
BoxingInsider: “Do you remember the moment when you dropped him and what went through your mind when he was hurt?”
Sergey Kovalev: “That I should not rush you know, keep calm and continue to do what I do but in the 5th round I finished I was confused. I lost my speed, I lost my power, everything. My trunk was empty one month before the fight”
Sergey Kovalev claims that 1 month before the first fight with Andre Ward he was already 175lbs which affected his performance and leading to that moment in the 5th round where he says his “trunk was empty” his stamina, conditioning had ran out “my running, the heavybags, everything. My weight was already in my division one month before the fight. That’s very bad. I finished one month before the fight but I can’t say to to everybody or the public I finished, I cancel the fight. I will bring everything that I have in my pockets and if my pockets are empty okay I will be fighting with my skills, don’t worry, I’m a fighter, I’m not a business man you know”
Sergey Kovalev attacked Andre Ward through out the negotiations process of the rematch. Took to social media by calling him a “piece of sh*t” or “son of judges” also went as far as to say he was Andre Ward’s “god” attacking Ward’s religious and spiritual integrity by posting a picture of a fallen Ward after he connected him with a big right hand in the second round. Sergey said on his official Instagram “hey Andre Ward, you should call yourself Andre S.O.K. Ward” Ward’s acronym of S.O.G being “Son Of God” Sergey flipped it around to “Son Of Kovalev” saying the photo of him on his knees during the knock down in the second round was him “praying to his god”
Tactics not new from Sergey Kovalev heading into this highly anticipated rematch. Will Sergey finish Andre Ward’s boxing career like he told him he would do up at the podium or will Andre Ward duplicate his winning effort once again? Stay tune and don’t miss it “The Rematch” Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev live on HBO PPV at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas Nevada.
Follow all coverage leading up to the fight via #WardKovalev2
