Atlantic City, NJ: Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs) has a reputation as a knockout artist but his challenger for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) has a reputation for lasting deep into the later rounds of a fight where Krusher has never been before. On August 2nd everyone is dying to see whether Caparello can handle Sergey’s power long enough to see whether or not Sergey has the endurance to go the distance. Below is the scouting report for the match-up:
Blake Caparello
Photo Courtesy of:
Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
Category
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Blake “Il Capo” Caparello
Age
31
27
Record
24-0-1, 22 KOs
19-0-1 (6 KOs)
Strength
Sergey’s biggest strength is his power. He has both one-punch power and he can mix it up. He has the ability to break opponents down with his power.
Caparello has incredible technical skills, easily out-pointing most of his opposition thus far. He is also very well conditioned and stays active, with this is his ninth bout in the past two years.
Weakness
Kovalev has been hit before, though not hurt, so his defense is questionable. He has not gone past eight rounds so endurance is an unknown.
Caparello lacks real punching power. He has only earned a knockout in six of his 20 professional fights.
Experience
Sergey has fought everybody that has been put in front of him. He has gone into other people’s hometowns and came through victorious.
Blake’s experience is gradually improving with each fight, he recently outpointed former ranked light heavyweight contender Elvir Muriqi
Power
Krusher has an abundance of power. It is his biggest advantage. He also puts punches together well.
Kovalev will have a big advantage in power as Caparello utilizes his technical skillset more than anything.
Speed
Kovalev has average speed.
Caparello has average speed.
Endurance
Sergey’s endurance has never been tested because he knocks out the majority of his opponents. He has never been past the eighth round.
Blake has great endurance, he successfully went 10-rounds in his most recent bout, and had three consecutive 12-round decision wins before that.
Accuracy
Kovalev puts bunches of punches together. He is very accurate with the one punch knockout.
Blake is a pretty accurate puncher. He puts together good counter-shots and has a very effective jab as well.
Defense
Sergey focuses on his offense more than his defense.
Blake is very defensive-minded, moves around the ring well and has not really gotten himself into danger thus far.
Chin
Krusher has never been down in a fight.
Blake’s chin is questionable because nobody has really gotten to it yet.
Style
Sergey is an offensive fighter who comes straight at his opponents.
Blake is a defensive-minded fighter with great technical skills offensively.
Intangibles
This is Sergey’s second straight fight where there has been the possibility of an even bigger fight on the horizon but he has managed to stay focused on the opponent in front of him
Caparello could have continued to quietly climb the rankings, but instead has decided to seize the moment and take a fight that most other fighters would rather avoid.
Crowd Support
Sergey is fighting in Atlantic City for the second time. He is trying to make it his home. It is close to Brooklyn where he has a big contingent of Eastern European fans who will make the trip to Revel.
Caparello has only fought in the US once before, and his name is not too well-known so he will most likely be in hostile territory.
The Match-Up
Will Caparello be able to take Sergey’s power?
If Caparello is able to take Sergey’s power, will Sergey have a Plan B or C?
Is Sergey looking past Caparello to the bigger fights?
Is Caparello in over his head and will he fold under the big lights?
If this fight goes past eight rounds everyone is anxious to see whether or not Caparello can seize the opportunity and out-box Sergey or if Sergey’s beast mode will take over in later rounds to finish off Caparello.
Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva, said, “In the Provodnikov-Algieri fight in June, we saw a previously untested underdog box his way to a world title against a widely-feared puncher. That was a big upset! I think Sergey Kovalev is better than Ruslan Provodnikov, but maybe Caparello is better than Algieri? We just don’t know and that’s why we fight the fights. And the great thing about Kovalev is that he makes every fight exciting!”
About Kovalev vs. Caparello:
The WBO Light Heavyweight World Championship between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, (24-0-1, 22 KOs) and Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) is on Saturday, August 2nd at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic, City, NJ. The fight will be telecast as part of a split-site triple-header on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 PM ET/PT. The event is presented by Main Events in association with DiBella Entertainment. Tickets prices are $55, $80, $160 and $250. They are available at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the HBO Boxing After Dark special triple header split site telecast begins at 9:45 PM.
About Revel
Revel Casino Hotel is Atlantic City’s newest and most spacious casino resort and convention destination. Located on Atlantic City’s world-famous boardwalk, the ocean front hotel is designed to offer endless views of the Atlantic at every turn. The casino resort offers 130,000 square feet of world class gaming, with 2,400 slots, 130 table games, electronic tables and players’ lounges, along with the high-limit table game Ultra Lounge. A member of the American Express Gold Hotel Collection, Revel features 1,399 ocean view rooms. Guests can enjoy indoor and outdoor pools, cabanas, gardens, lounges, a 32,000-square-foot spa, 13 restaurants that offer a range of fine dining to deliciously affordable menu options, a collection of boutiques, nightclubs, a dayclub, and live entertainment at The Social and showroom headliners at Ovation Hall. While taking in all the casino has to offer, guests can earn points as they play, dine, shop and relax with the Revel Card loyalty program. For additional information and updates, and for complete details and rules of all promotions, customers can visit the Revel Card desk or visit www.revelcasino.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/revel and follow @revelresorts on Twitter and @revelcasino on Instagram.
