Totowa, NJ: WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight for the first time as a champion in Russia, his home country, in late November but the fight has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts. Kovalev will return to the ring very early in 2016. The date, opponent and location will be revealed shortly.

According to Sergey’s promoter, Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva, “The two fights would simply have been too close together. As we worked on Sergey’s schedule for next year, it became clear that the best course would be to schedule his first bout in 2016 as early in the year as possible. While Sergey is disappointed that the bout in Moscow must be postponed, he understands that the change in schedule is necessary at this time and he will return to Russia to fight in front of his fans there as soon as possible.”

Kovalev, a consensus top-five pound-for-pound boxer and 2014 Fighter of the Year, has been an extremely active champion since winning his first title in August of 2013. He has defended his titles six times, including defeating the legendary Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins in a unification bout in November of last year. “The Krusher” is looking ahead to a big 2016.

otowa, NJ: Last week Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-2-2, 10 KOs) had the very rare privilege of choosing between two mandatory offers: one from the WBC and the other from the IBF. The 28-year old from Malawi opted to take the offer from the WBC. Shortly thereafter, the IBF extended the mandatory fight offer to Main Events’ stablemate Sullivan Barrera (16-0, 11 KOs), the 33-year old Cuban defector.

Yesterday, Chilemba formally accepted the the WBC elimination bout against Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (18-0, 10 KOs) of Apartado, Colombia and Yvon Michel, Alvarez’s promoter, formally accepted for Alvarez. The winner of this fight will be poised as the WBC’s mandatory challenger in the light heavyweight division and will have their shot at current WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (26-1, 21 KOs).

Regarding Alvarez, Chilemba said, “I’m very happy that he accepted that challenge. I’m not taking Alvarez lightly, he is a good fighter all round. I know he wants to be a champion himself, unfortunately not this time as this is my time. By the time we meet, I’ll be 100% ready and, even though my mind is fully focused on the present opportunity, it brings me closer to that WBC championship I have been working so hard to get to. Just that is what will drive me into leaving nothing to chance when I face Alvarez. I really appreciate the great work of my team getting me where I am today.”

His manager, Jodi Solomon added, “I want to thank Alvarez and his team for accepting the fight. Isaac has wanted this opportunity for the longest time and I believe with Buddy [McGirt] in his corner, nothing will be left to chance. Thank you also to Main Events for helping to get Isaac this opportunity.”

Sullivan Barrera
Photo Credits: Mike Gladysz/Main Events

Last week, Barrera formally accepted his offer from the IBF to face Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs) for the mandatory position in the IBF. The winner will face WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs).

An eager Barrera said, “I’m excited to finally get my opportunity. I’m looking forward to the fight. I don’t know anything about Beterbiev. Only thing I know is to get to the top I have to beat him. Looking forward to the opportunity.”

Sullivan is trained by world renowned trainer, Abel Sanchez, who is best known for training current IBF and WBA Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. When asked about this opportunity, Sanchez replied, “Warriors understand greatness is only reached when you challenge yourself. Sullivan Barrera is a warrior wanting to be champion and knows that fighting the perceived best is the fastest way to your dreams coming true.”

Main Events CEO, Kathy Duva, who promotes Chilemba, Barrera and Kovalev, said, “We’ve been focused on the light heavyweight division for the past few years. I’m delighted that so many of our efforts are paying off at the same time and that Isaac and Sullivan are finally getting the opportunities that they’ve earned and have been waiting for. Yvon (Michel, who promotes both Beterbiev and Alvarez) and I have a lot to talk about! I’ve reached out for him and expect that we’ll begin negotiations over the weekend.”

There is no rest for the highly motivated and driven. On August 27th Sullivan Barrera (16-0 11 KO’s) will return to the high altitude of Big Bear, Calif. to resume training under the guidance of Abel Sanchez.

Barrera is hoping for a quick return to the ring after his 8 round destruction of Hakim Zoulikha on July 25th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

On the same card former champion Jean Pascal won a controversial decision over Yuniesky Gonzalez and Barrera still wants revenge for his compatriot.

“I called Pascal out after he got a gift against my boy Yuniesky. He knows he lost that fight. I don’t know why this guy continues to duck me. Is he scared of all Cubans now? Pascal I’m waiting for you papa. Glove up,” said Barrera.

The former Cuban standout is willing to face any top 10 contender but has his sites clearly focused on Pascal.

“Is Pascal going to be a coward and just wait for a Kovalev rematch? No one thought you beat Yuniesky. Fight me to prove you deserve a Kovalev rematch. He already knocked you out so it’s not like that fight is in high demand. You can earn the rematch by winning a real fight. I already said I would go to Canada so man up,” Barrera stated.

By Norm Fraiebheim–

Sergey Kovalev’s stoppage of Nadjib Mohammedi last Saturday in Las Vegas marked a six-year anniversary of his first fight in North America. It was a beginning then. In some ways, it still is.

As the Russian learns English, we begin to learn more about him. At times, he’s as blunt as the Russian hammer.

Ask him about Adonis Stevenson, and his response is profane. He looks as if he’s about to take off a shoe and bang it on a table the way Nikita Khrushchev did at the United Nations in 1960.

He looks at ex-trainer Abel Sanchez with a glare that reminds you of news photos of a Putin-Obama stare down. Then, he breaks into a smile that, so far, has been interpreted as either predatory, or goofy, or good-natured.

Who is this guy? Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian? Ivan Drago, the arrogant character in Rocky IV? Or both?

Hard to say right now. But that’s the intriguing part of Kovalev’s ongoing introduction, a journey that started with a first-round stoppage on July 25, 2009 of somebody named Daniel Chavez in Greensboro, N.C, to a third-round knockout in a light-heavyweight title defense on July 25, 2015 at Mandalay Bay.

With apologies to Dos Equis, Kovalev has become the most interesting man in boxing.

It’s based on what we’ve seen. His unbeaten record is built around a swift right hand that is as long as it is lethal. Then, there’s what most of us didn’t see. His record includes Roman Simakov, who died three days after Kovalev stopped him within seven rounds of a December, 2011 bout in Russia.

There’s reason to fear him. There’s reason to like him.

There are reasons to watch him.

Putting together the evident pieces of stardom, however, is about finding the right business partners, all at the right time. Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva sees the potential for an era comparable to the 1980s when Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns staged a four-way middleweight rivalry as legendary as any in boxing’s star-crossed history.

George Kimball wrote about it in his terrific book, Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing.

Duva thinks she might already have three sides to a potential sequel. There’s super-middleweight Andre Ward. Duva believes Ward-Kovalev is likely, probably next year perhaps at 172-pound catch weight.

Then, there’s Gennady Golovkin. In ongoing talks with Ward’s management, Duva says she’s been told that it wants Ward to fight Golovkin before Kovalev.

There’s already been speculation about Golovkin-Kovalev, despite the weight difference. GGG is a middleweight (160 pounds), and a small one at that. Kovalev is a natural 175 pounder. If Ward and GGG can agree on a catch weight, however, it’s not a stretch to think that a deal on weight can be made for GGG-Kovalev.

But who completes the square circle? Who’s the fourth rival? Thus far, it looks as if Stevenson doesn’t want to risk his piece of light-heavyweight title. That’s why Kovalev has repeatedly calls him a piece of bleep. Earlier this week, Stevenson announced he would fight somebody named Tommy Karpency. I guess Andre Berto is busy.

The Stevenson possibility is further complicated by his professional relationship. He’s with Al Haymon’s PBC. Given their rocky history, a joint venture between Duva and Haymon is unlikely. She sued him. The case never got to court. It was dropped when Bernard Hopkins agreed to fight Kovalev, who went on to win a one-sided decision last November.

She has offered Artur Beterbiev a Nov. 28 fight against Kovalev in Moscow. It’s a natural. Beterbiev, an emerging light-heavyweight and former Olympian, beat Kovalev when they were Russian amateurs.

The problem is Haymon. He has a contract with Beterbiev. Duva sent the offer to Beterbiev promoter Yvon Michel of Montreal. Duva expects some kind of answer next week.
The search continues. A chance at boxing’s next great era depends on it.

LAS VEGAS – Sergey Kovalev is blunt and effective.

Mostly, he’s predictable.

If you want subtlety, pick another Russian game. Chess, maybe. It’s full of a lot of pawns, which is what every light-heavyweight has become when faced with Kovalev.

Nadjib Mohammedi was just the latest on a board that Kovalev continues to rule with impunity. Andre Ward looks like a challenger. Maybe, Adonis Stevenson. But those are only fights to imagine, talk about. For now, it’s Kovalev’s empire.

“I wanted to make him look like a clown,’’ Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) said. “I wanted to make him look like a fool.’’

At 2:38 of the third round Saturday night, that’s exactly what Mohammedi (37-4, 23 KOs) looked like. He was down, finished by a right-left combination that left the Frenchman with a damaged left eye.

“I wanted it to continue,’’ said Kovalev, who also put Mohammedi on all fours with a crushing right hand that is as long as it is lethal. “I wanted more rounds.’’

Kovalev didn’t say so. But he might have wanted more time to drive home a point to his ex-trainer, Abel Sanchez, who was in Mohammedi’s corner.

Sanchez and Kovalev split in 2010 for reasons that remain unclear. What is clear, however, is that Kovalev has not been happy with the circumstances. The Russian never forgets. But he did serve up some cold vengeance in taking down Mohammedi.

Sanchez, Gennady Golovkin’s trainer, tried to explain the one-sided loss.

“It was Mandalay Bay, the bright lights, the pressure,’’ Sanchez said in the middle of the ring during the bout’s immediate aftermath.

Noticed, he never mentioned Kovalev.

The bout, which took place in front of lot of empty seats at Mandalay Bay, will quickly be forgotten. Kovalev will move on, presumably to a show dwon with Ward sometime next year. His immediate plans are for a bout in Moscow on Nov. 28. His promoter, Kathy Duiva of Main Events, said she will offer the bout to Artur Beterbiev, another Russian. Trouble is, Beterbiev is advised by Al Haymon, a Duva rival.

Next pawn, please.

Maybe, Jean Pascal.
Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KOs) ducked repeated sledge-hammer rights and, in the end, ducked an upset in winning a narrow decision that had many in the crowd crying foul and Yunieski Gonzalez (24-3-2, 10 KOs) crying tears. It was unanimous, but only the scorecards..

ON THE UNDERCARD

The Best: Joel Diaz, a junior-welterweight from trainer Abel Sanchez’ Summit Gym in Big Bear, Calif., flashed a prospect’s credentials with double-edged power.
Diaz (19-0, 15 KOs, scored two knockdowns of Alejandro Rodriguez (24-18-1, 14 KOs, in the second round, the first with a right and the second with a left. He finished Rodriguez, of Guadalajara, with a beautiful right hand for a TKO at 39 seconds of the fourth.

The Rest: Unbeaten light-heavyweight Sullivan Barrera (16-0, 11 KOs) of Miami was bleeding, looked tired and appeared to be near defeat when he railed, fighting with urgency in the seventh and energy in the eighth for a TKO of France’s Hakim Zoulikha 21-8, 10 KOs), who was one the canvas early in the eighth and finished when he absorbed a succession of blows at 1:34 of the round.

The show opened with a KO, delivered by Connecticut heavyweight Cassius Chaney (3-0, 2 KOs), who knocked Eduardo Ramirez (1-3, 1 KO) of Yuma, Ariz., unconscious and onto the canvas with a left hand at 1:35 of the first round.

Rodney Hernandez (8-2-1, 1 KO), heavyweight from Modesto, Calif, got a six-round, split decision over Brice Ritani-Coe (4-4-1, 3 KOs). Ritani-Coe, of San Pedro, Calif., shook his head in disagreement. But it was hard to know if anybody agreed with him. The arena was empty when the scores were announced.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – It starts with a smile. It’s there because Sergey Kovalev genuinely enjoys what he does. Then again, so does a crocodile.

That smile was perhaps a hint at what many expect Saturday. Kovalev turned his head away from Nadjib Mohammadi during the ritual stare-down after a formal weigh-in Friday at Mandalay Bay.

After tipping the scales at 174.5 pounds, Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) looked at the crowd, flashing that grin with teeth that could make a Great White blink. It’s hard to know what Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) thought during a moment when he looked a little bit like prey.

Mohammedi, who was at 173 pounds, is given no chance in a light-heavyweight bout televised by HBO (10 pm ET/PT). That’s probably not fair to a tough fighter who might have a significant advantage in his corner. Abel Sanchez, Kovalev’s ex-trainer, is Mohammedi’s current trainer. But will that, or anything else, make a difference? Few believe it will go the full 12 rounds.

Consider this: On a wagering sheet at the Mandalay Bay’s sports book, there’s a proposition that has Kovalev at minus-2200 to win by knockout. In other words, you’ve got to put up $2,200 to win $100.

“Where’s the closest ATM?’’ a wise guy in the media room said. “That sounds like an easy way to pick up a quick $100.’’

Maybe.

But all of that could change at opening bell. Above all, Mohammedi has absolutely nothing to lose. Sanchez is quick to remind everybody that Mike Tyson was a lopsided favorite to beat Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Huge upsets happen, all right

On Friday, however, all of the talk was about Kovalev and what was next for the Russian with the predatory smile. One scenario has him fighting Jean Pascal next in a rematch if Pascal gets past Yuniesky Gonzalez, a tough-looking Cuban, who escaped Cuba on small boat crowded with refugees in 2009.

Then, there’s the projected showdown that has already begun to capture the public’s imagination: Kovalev-versus-Andre Ward. It sounds as if it’s inevitable. Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events says talks are ongoing.

“In fact, those talks have been better than most,’’ she said this week.

There’s speculation that it might happen next year, perhaps after there’s some clarity about when Floyd Mayweather Jr. will in fact retire. Kovalev-Ward could be sold as the fight that will determine Mayweather’s successor at the top of the pound-for-pound debate.

All of the talk has made Kovalev-Mohammedi look like a steppingstone for a legend in the making. That, the lopsided odds and a rival PBC promotion featuring BJ Flores-versus Beibut Shumenov in Vegas The Palms are probably having a lousy impact on ticket sales, although Duva said there has been an uptick during the last couple of days.

But ticket sales, talk about who’s next and speculation about what’s next didn’t seem to matter much to Kovalev. Only an imminent opening bell does. That’s always a reason to smile.

LONDON (24 July) – Knockout king Sergey Kovalev has labelled Adonis Stevenson as “not a real champion” and dreams of capturing his WBC belt.

The unified WBA, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight world champion has conquered all before him, including wins over the legendary Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal, but a showdown with 175-pound rival and current WBC champion Stevenson has eluded him.

A clash has been much talked about over the past year but 32-year-old Kovalev is now set to do battle this Saturday night, live and exclusive on BoxNation, against Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi but his ambition is still to complete his title haul by adding the WBC belt.

“I don’t want to speak about him [Stevenson] at all because he’s not a real champion. He got lucky once against Chad Dawson when Dawson dropped his title against Andre Ward.

“Andre Ward destroyed him and he didn’t recover for the fight against Stevenson. He got lucky and right now is still “champion”. It’s smart for the business but it’s not good for boxing,” said Kovalev.

“I’m ready for any fight but I keep in my mind to win the WBC title first of all but I’m open for any fight. I think I’m a regular world champion but I have three world titles, the WBO, WBA and IBF, but my dream is to get a fourth.

“We’ll see what happens in the future. I hope somebody beats Stevenson and gets the WBC title and then we can make the fight. Even if it is a harder or tougher boxer, it’s no problem. I just need an agreement for a fight for the WBC and a unification,” he said.

The formidable Russian, who is undefeated in 28 bouts with 24 knockouts, is well aware however that a tough task lies ahead this weekend against Mohammedi.

The 30-year-old, a ten year professional, knows his way around the ring with 37 wins and only 3 losses, goes into the fight on a four-year winning streak with a chance of hitting the big-time should he upset the odds, something which Kovalev is well aware of.

“Mohammedi is not a puncher but he knows how to box. He’s smart, sets traps and improvises a lot in the ring. He doesn’t just come forward but has good movement and angles,” said Kovalev.

“He’s also ready for 12 rounds and has good stamina and conditioning. He’s a very good opponent and is dangerous because he’s very motivated.

“I know what motivation can do for a fighter and when a man is motivated he can do a lot of things and is very dangerous. I’m prepared for 12 rounds because you never know what is going to happen in boxing,” he said.

The man who Kovalev overcame in his last fight, Canadian ace Pascal, will also be on the card when he takes on unbeaten Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez in a ten-round contest at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“There is no place like home. I have been fighting at home my whole career. I am glad to be in Vegas, it is my first time fighting here. Every fighter on my level wants to fight at least one time in Vegas,” said Pascal.

“This is my chance to make a statement on Saturday night. I know I am still among the best in the world and best in my division. I know Yunieski Gonzalez is hungry and he wants to make a statement. I want to give a great show on Saturday night,” he said.

Prior to Saturday’s big Las Vegas show, BoxNation will also have some thrilling live domestic action tonight from 7pm when super-middleweight star Frank Buglioni takes on Fernando Castaneda.

The Enfield boxer was set to face WBA world champion Fedor Chudinov but the Russian was forced to delay the fight due to a broken nose sustained in training.

26-year-old Buglioni, however, will be looking to stay busy and get a win under his belt against the tough Mexican before eyeing up his shot at world title glory in the Autumn.

Another top name will feature on the Wembley Arena show with Billy Joe Saunders, who will fight Andy Lee for the WBO middleweight world title on September 19 in a major showdown in Limerick, facing France’s Yoann Bloyer in a crucial must win fight.

Undefeated super-featherweight Mitchell Smith is also back in action this evening against Dennis Tubieron for the WBO Intercontinental title.

Kovalev v Mohammedi is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 525, TalkTalk 415 and online) this Saturday night. Visit boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
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Las Vegas, NV: On July 25, 2015 WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will face his first IBF mandatory challenger, Nadjib “Iron Djib” Mohammedi (37-3-0, 23 KOs) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada and live on HBO World Championship Boxing. Although Krusher has amazing one-punch knockout power, he has struggled at times in his career against fighters with awkward styles like Mohammedi. Will the 30-year old from Gardanne, Bouches-du-Rhône, France give the champion the fight of his life? Below is the scouting report for this intense match-up:

Category
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Nadjib “The IronDjib” Mohammedi
Age
32
30
Record
27-0-1 (24 KOs)
37-3-0 (23 KOs)
Strength
Kovalev has knockout power in both hands; he has the ability to end a fight with any punch he throws. He also showed the world that he has a good chin after taking some big shots in his successful title defense against Jean Pascal in March.
Nadjib is an aggressive fighter with good hand speed and great endurance; he is always in tremendous shape and treats every fight like there is a title on the line.
He throws punches from all angles and can pose a threat to any top light heavyweight contender.
Weakness
Sergey has been knocked down before but not hurt, he tends to leave openings in his guard which could pose a problem in this bout as Nadjib has finished his last 11 of 13 opponents.
Mohammedi has a tendency to get sloppy at times, in previous fights he had a tendency to throw wide looping punches that could potentially get him into big trouble considering the power that Kovalev brings to the table.
Experience
Kovalev has fewer pro fights than Nadjib, but the past two years he’s faced and defeated three former titleholders in Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal and Nathan Cleverly.
Nadjib has more pro fights under his belt than Kovalev. He has fought for world titles before.
Power
Kovalev will have the clear advantage here as he is best known for his vicious knockout power in either hand. He throws nasty body shots.
Nadjib does not pack one-punch power in either hand. He is known more for the volume of punches he throws.
Speed
Kovalev has average speed that picks up once he sees he has his opponent on the ropes and he goes for the finish.
Mohammedi has quick hands and quick feet as well. He is a small light heavyweight; he moves around the ring well and is very agile.
Endurance
Sergey has shown the ability to maintain a steady pace that allows him to conserve energy while still looking sharp in the later rounds. However, he has only fought 12 rounds once in his career when he defeated the former titleholder Bernard Hopkins.
Mohammedi may have a slight edge here, as he has been 12 rounds on three separate occasions, and 10 rounds three times as well.
Accuracy
Kovalev shows great accuracy with his one-punch knockouts; he also throws very accurate and powerful shots to the body that have ended fights in the past.
Nadjib’s accuracy is evident when his opponents stand and trade shots with him; he has an accurate jab plus an overhand right that tends to follow.
Defense
Sergey’s best defense may just be his offense. His power has become a complete game-changer in the past, forcing opponents to rethink their game plan.
Mohammedi is light on his feet and moves around the ring well, making it difficult for anyone to hit him. However, he enjoys standing and trading with his opponents which could ultimately get him into trouble against The Krusher.
Chin
In his last fight Kovalev showed that his chin is more than durable, he took some big shots against a heavy hitter in Jean Pascal and managed to stay on his feet and earn the stoppage win.
Nadjib’s chin may be in question here; he has been stopped twice in his career and has never been in the ring with a puncher as devastating as Kovalev.
Style
Sergey is an offensive-minded fighter who likes to walk his opponents down then go for the finish.
Mohammedi is a boxer who shows signs of being a volume puncher while utilizing great counter-punching.
Crowd Support
Sergey’s popularity has greatly increased since major wins over Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal. He is now competing in the fight capital of the world, so Kovalev will likely have majority of the crowd support here.
Nadjib may be at a disadvantage here as he is not well known just yet. However, Nadjib is a gamer and treats every fight like it’s a title fight, which is a mentality and style that may win him some crowd support throughout this fight.
Intangibles
Kovalev’s previous two bouts were by far the toughest of his career. He defeated Bernard Hopkins in November of 2014, and just four months later he earned a stoppage win over former world champion Jean Pascal. Now, rather than take some extra time to recover and enjoy these wins, he returns to the ring after another quick four-month turnaround and takes on Mohammedi, who has not lost a fight in almost five years.
Nadjib has waited patiently for over a year to capitalize on his number one contender position. After earning his position in June of 2014, Nadjib decided to stay active and risk his number one ranking. He competed on Kovalev’s two previous undercards against durable opponents, against both of which he scored stoppage wins. Those risks have paid off and Nadjib will finally get his shot against the world’s best light heavyweight.
The Match-Up
Will Nadjib’s awkward style and boxing skills frustrate Kovalev?
Will Nadjib still be light on his feet in the ring once he feels Sergey’s power?
Will Sergey be able to keep focused like he did in his last two fights against Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal?
Will being an underdog and fighting on a big stage for this fight help or hurt Nadjib?
Nadjib is training with Kovalev’s former trainer, Abel Sanchez, will this give him some advantage? Will Abel have any secret insight into Kovalev’s game?

Jolene Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker and the current NABF Matchmaker of the Year, said about this fight, “Any fight in the light heavyweight division is an important right now. In this fight, you have Sergey Kovalev who will fight ANYONE in the division and you have Nadjib Mohammedi who has earned his spot and has been preparing for this fight for over a year. Both of these fighters are hungry; one wants to keep his belts and the other wants them from him. Also there is one guy who has that one punch knockout power and the other who has that awkward style so the question is what style will come out on top?”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

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By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Imagine trying to demolish what you once designed. It sounds awkward and it probably is if you’re an architect suddenly hired to bring down a building you constructed.

But boxing isn’t architecture. It’s about changing roles and changing sides. One day, you’re drawing up the blueprint. The next day, you’re swinging the wrecking ball.

So it is for Abel Sanchez, who finds himself in the opposite corner Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in an attempt to bring down a feared fighter he helped create.

Sergey Kovalev was just another Russian in 2010 when Sanchez became his trainer.

Then, Sanchez didn’t exactly foresee himself in Nadjib Mohammedi’s corner as the mastermind in an attempted plot to derail Kovalev’s swift emergence as a potential successor to the pound-for-pound throne soon to be vacated by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

He was only certain that Kovalev would become a star.

“I told him, I told him he would be where he is right now,’’ Sanchez said Thursday after a news conference for the light-heavyweight bout (HB0, 10 p.m. ET/PT).

For eight fights between October, 2010 and December, 2011, Sanchez trained Kovalev. Kovalev won all eight by stoppage. Only in hindsight is it evident that Kovalev was then beginning to discover an identity now summed by his nickname, Krusher. He’s been the real wrecking ball. Everybody, even Bernard Hopkins, has been crushed by lethal power complemented by unshakable poise.

Sanchez knew he had a future champion in his gym. But he also knew he had to make tough choice. Middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin was there, too.

“Sometimes, we make choices that maybe we are forced to make,’’ Sanchez said.

What happened after that decision, however, is a matter of some debate. It also appears to be at the heart of a simmering rivalry.

Stories about sparring sessions between Golovkin and Kovalev began to circulate. Sanchez told the media that GGG once knocked down Kovalev. He also was quoted as saying that he thought Golovkin had a higher ring IQ than Kovalev.

The comments had to get back to Kovalev, who is getting to know English as well as he knows his way around the ring. Translation: Very little escapes him.

When asked about Sanchez during an international conference call, Kovalev said:

“Who is this Abel? I don’t know any Abel.’’

Kovalev didn’t have to say anything more. It’s clear he intends to show that Sanchez made the wrong choice in 2011.

“I want to show in this fight just who I really am,’’ said Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs), who sounds as if he is motivated by what he believes was a sub-par performance in an eighth-round round stoppage of Jean Pascal in March.

Betting odds indicate that Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs), a Frenchman of Algerian descent, has no chance no matter what motivates Kovalev or who is in his corner

Mohammedi is a 33-to-1 underdog, according to odds posted on a sheet at the Mandalay Sports book late Thursday. The line is surprisingly lopsided, so much so that Mohammedi has nothing to lose. If it goes the distance, he probably earns another good payday.

“When I’m told we have no chance, that means we have every chance,’’ Mohammedi co-manager Vince Caruso said.

Best guess: Mohammedi’s best chance rests in what Sanchez knows about Kovalev. Sanchez was giving no hints Thursday as to what Mohammedi’s game plan might be. No surprise there. Instead, he praised Kovalev for the progress he’s made under trainer John David Jackson.

“He evolved,’’ Sanchez said. “He’s a world champion now. I think guys, when they become world champions, get better anyway. They have something to protect. They have something they don’t want to lose. They work harder.

“He’s a much better fighter because of all of those things and because he’s got a very good coach in John David.’’

A personal rivalry is an expected element, said Sanchez, who has been working corners long enough to know that emotion can turn an ordinary fight into great one.

“He has a very competitive nature,’’ Sanchez said. “He knows that one day he might fight another one of my guys. He might fight Golovkin, if it ever gets to that point.

“It’s professional competitiveness that sometimes gets mistaken for animosity. During the news conference, he looked over at me and I winked at him. He kind of acknowledged me.

“But you know what? It’s not personal. This is business, just business.’’

A business full of unexpected corners.

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev – WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Thank you to WBO. This was my first belt and mean a lot to me. Thank you for this ring.”

“Thank you for everybody that came here today. Thank you Kathy Duva my promoter, Egis Klimas my manager and Nadjib Mohammedi. I want to show this Saturday who I am. I would like to still be champion as long time as possible. I did not get all my goals in my career yet. My amateur career I didn’t give me a lot of opportunities. I was hurt in amateur career and I had to try not to closed doors. Some of my dreams in the boxing and my goals not finished. For my dreams, my goals this Saturday is the next step in my career.”

“Welcome to Mandalay Bay and thanks HBO. I want to give you good show. We will know who is the best. Thank you HBO who built my career. I love boxing and boxing in America and HBO is the best.”

“I cannot say who is the best. I try to be better with everyday, fight and build my career as I would like.”

Nadjib Mohammedi
Photo Credits:
David Spagnolo/Main Events

Nadjib “IronDjib” Mohammedi – IBF Number One Contender

“I am very excited and happy. Thank you Sergey Kovalev, Main Events and HBO. I have hard work in my training camp for this fight. I am very happy. I promise Saturday a good fight. I am ready. Thank you very much.”

Kathy Duva
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Kathy Duva – CEO of Main Events

“Welcome to the beautiful Mandalay Bay. This Saturday’s HBO World Championship Boxing event will feature the light heavyweight champion of the world against Nadjib Mohammedi, the IBF mandatory challenger.”

“There has been a lot of discussion lately about where the best fighters fight. The place that has developed every major fighter in the last 30 years is HBO and that is why Sergey Kovalev is an HBO Fighter.”

“This event is going to be promoted with a group of great promoters. Krusher Promotions, Sergey’s promotional company, will be our new partner going forward. Our sponsor is Myagkov Vodka. It is so nice to be back here at Mandalay Bay. We have had a long relationship with Mandalay Bay going back to Fernando Vargas. It is in my view my favorite place in Las Vegas to come. It is associated with the great people at MGM International and my good friend Richard Sturm.”

“Our first time in Nevada was in 1981 when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Thomas Hearns. This is my first time working with the current commission here in Nevada. We are forging a good relationship with them. I want to thank Cisco Aguilar and Bob Bennett.”

Kovalev and Mohammedi
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

“The first time Sergey Kovalev fought in Las Vegas it was on an undercard. Those fighters work just as hard as everyone else. We have a great undercard for this Saturday’s event and it is always fun to watch the undercard fighters because you never know if one of them could be the next Sergey Kovalev.”

“The opening bout on HBO World Championship Boxing telecast will feature Jean Pascal, the former light heavyweight champion of the world, against the undefeated Cuban Yuniesky Gonzalez. Pascal is truly a warrior in the best sense of the word. His promoter is InterBox and he also has his own promotional company, Jean Pascal Promotions.”

“Sergey Kovalev has quickly gone from unknown to superstar in a short period of time but you never forget your first. We have a little surprise for Sergey. Paco from the WBO is here and he has a little surprise for Sergey.”

“We got to know Nadjib Mohammedi a year ago when he fought Anatoliy Dudchenko on one of our shows. He came in as the under dog and came away as the mandatory challenger.”

“I thank God every day for the day I met Egis Klimas and he brought me Sergey Kovalev. He has a great team around him. Sergey Kovalev’s trainer is a former world champion. I have known John David Jackson for a long time and he is one of the best trainers in the world.”

“Bernard Hopkins said to me that Sergey is getting better with every fight. He is powerfully fast and shockingly dominating. He is the kind of guy that people want to see. Hopkins warned Sergey not to get complacent. I think a mark of a great fighter is no matter what you do you are never satisfied and that is the best way to describe Sergey.”

Peter Nelson
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Peter Nelson – Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports

“Thank you. I want to thank all the media for coming out today this is a great turnout. I want to thank Main Events for putting together a tremendous event. They always make the best events. I want to thank Mandalay Bay and Richard Sturm for hosting us. Sergey Kovalev is one of the marquee fighters of our generation. He has a tough challenge ahead of him with Nadjib Mohammedi. I want to thank Joe DiGuardia for helping to make the fight with Jean Pascal and Yuniesky Gonzalez. We had a fight earlier this year with Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev and it was a big success. We are happy to have Pascal back on HBO. The telecast time is 10:00 PM ET/PT.”

Bob Bennett – Nevada Athletic Commission

“On behalf of the Nevada Athletic Commission, we are pleased and privileged to bring you this fight. We would like to thank Main Events, HBO, Richard Sturm and Mandalay Bay and last, but not least, we really want to thank the fighters because without them none of us would be here.”

Richard Sturm – President of Entertainment and Sports for MGM Resorts International

“Welcome everyone. I want to thank the media, the fighters and the fans for being here today. We are excited to partner with Kathy Duva and Main Events for a championship fight on HBO. Fighting for only the second time in Las Vegas Sergey Kovalev will make his Mandalay Bay debut against Nadjib Mohammedi, the IBF #1 contender. The event will be an international one and the world will get to see these two great fighters represent their home countries. Thank you Main Events, Bob Bennett, HBO and thank you all for being here. We look forward to seeing you all Saturday night.”

Kovalev Receives His Championship Ring from Valcarcel of the WBO
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Paco Valcarcel – World Boxing Organization

“Sergey Kovalev was a sensation. Sergey, we have something for you. He is a great human being. He is a great fighter, outstanding. You going to have a lot of excitement in this fight. We have a real diamond ring for him. This is something we give to our champions.”

John David Jackson and Egis Klimas
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Egis Klimas – Sergey Kovalev’s Manager

“Good afternoon. First I want to thank Don Turner who gave me my first steps in boxing. He is the man who introduced me to this sport. He noticed Sergey and told me I had to sign him. Coming back to Vegas brings back a lot of good memories because this is where Sergey won his first belt. He won the NABA Light Heavyweight Title. We were celebrating here and he grabbed his belt, put a shirt over it and brought it downstairs. He said he wanted to give it to me. He gave it to me and said it was our title together. I still have it at my house, he never took it back.”

“I want to thank HBO and Nadjib Mohammedi for taking this fight, Mandalay Bay and media for coming for this good event. We are looking for one of the best fights in the light heavyweight division. When Sergey came to United States in 2009 the light heavyweight division was dead and nobody was talking about it. I strongly believe the division is burning today and that is because of Sergey. There is not a match in this division that happens without mentioning his name.”

John David Jackson – Sergey Kovalev’s Trainer

“I am not going to talk too much. I am going to let Sergey do the talking in the ring Saturday night. But I was a WBO champion during my career and where is my ring, Paco? (laughing)”

“Enjoy the fight Saturday. It is will be a good fight.”

“I think Sergey Kovalev is in the top five fighters pound-for-pound and he can become #1.”

Vince Caruso
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Vince Caruso – Nadjib Mohammedi’s Co-Manager

“I want to thank everyone here. I want to thank Mandalay Bay. It is a great place for a fight. I want to thank Peter Nelson from HBO; he is a good guy. I support everything he is doing at HBO. I want to thank Main Events and Krusher Promotions. I think you are the best. Sergey thank you for this opportunity.”

“Nadjib Mohammedi, a lot of people didn’t know who we were not too long ago. After Saturday he will be known everywhere. I can make two guarantees: He will weigh 175 pounds tomorrow on the scale and he will have the best game plan possible. That is because of Abel Sanchez, who I believe he is the best trainer in the business. When Nadjib’s trainer couldn’t make it into the country back in November, I had the chance to call Abel to step in. It is like putting sugar in the Duncan Hines.”

“I have been around a lot of fighters and I know heart when I see heart, and determination when I see determination. I know all the intangibles fall on Sergey Kovalev’s side of the table but I am going to ride this guy [Nadjib] all the way to the championship. We love the IBF and thank them for this opportunity. Nadjib Mohammedi is Saturday’s challenger but he will be Sunday’s champion.”

“I would also like to thank all the media here today. I didn’t hear one negative word spoken about Nadjib. Not one media person in this building did that and I thank you.”

Nadjib Mohammedi, Abel Sanchez and Jon Ali
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jon Ali – Nadjib Mohammedi’s Co-Manager

“I am glad to be here with my brother, Nadjib Mohammedi. I am very proud of him. Back in France he came a long way to get here. Saturday night will change his life forever.”

Abel Sanchez – Nadjib Mohammedi’s Trainer

“I want to thank Mandalay Bay, Peter with HBO, Sergey Kovalev and Egis Klimas for this opportunity. Nadjib earned this right by moving up the ladder to become the #1 contender. I believe we are fighting the best light heavyweight in the world. We know we are fighting a very tough guy. I hope everyone enjoys the fight.”

Jean Pascal
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Jean Pascal – Former Light Heavyweight Champion

“Hi everybody. There is no place like home. I have been fighting at home my whole career. I am glad to be in Vegas, it is my first time fighting here. Every fighter on my level wants to fight at least one time in Vegas. This is my chance to make a statement on Saturday night. I know am still among the best in the world and best in my division. I know Yuniesky Gonzalez is hungry and he wants to make a statement. I want to give you guys a great show on Saturday night.”

“My philosophy is the best must fight the best. I believe I am still among the best in the world. I am the best light heavyweight in the world but I had a bad night on March 14.”

Yuniesky Gonzalez

“Good afternoon. Thank you to Jean Pascal team, HBO and Joe DiGuardia and Kathy Duva of Main Events for this opportunity. Gracias. We are going to see high quality boxing from Yuniesky Gonzalez Saturday night.”

Pascal and Gonzalez
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Pierre Duc – InterBox Promotions

“Good afternoon. InterBox has been one of the lead promoters in Canada for a long time but this is our first time in Vegas, so this is a great thrill for us. Thank you to HBO, Kathy Duva and Main Events for having us here. Following Jean Pascal’s fight with Sergey Kovalev one of Pascal’s requests was to step back into the ring as soon as possible. We are so happy to make this happen for him. You are going to see a very exciting fight on HBO. Jean Pascal is a former light heavyweight champion. Kathy Duva described him as a warrior. This is going to be a long and very difficult fight for both fighters.”

Greg Leon – Jean Pascal Promotions

“Good afternoon I want to thank HBO, Peter Nelson, Main Events and Interbox for being such great people to work with. For Jean Pascal this fight is about him making a statement in his Las Vegas debut. He is going to let his fists doing the talking on Saturday night.”

Marc Ramsay – Jean Pascal’s Trainer

“Thank you for being with us today. After the fight with Sergey Kovalev, Jean Pascal requested a fight right away on HBO with the best opponent available. With the style of both fighters we are going to have a great fight. We had a great training camp and it should be a great fight Saturday night.”

Joe DiGuardia – Star Boxing, Gonzalez’s Promoter

“Thank you. It is great to be back here at Mandalay Bay where I have also had some great fights and my best success stories. I want to thank Kathy Duva and Main Events from having us, Peter Nelson and HBO for giving this opportunity to Yuniesky Gonzalez. Jean Pascal is a great champion. Sergey Kovalev is one of the greatest of our time. Yuniesky Gonzalez is pleased to have this opportunity. Yuniesky Gonzalez is an exciting fighter. I guarantee you will see an exciting fight with Yuniesky Gonzalez and Jean Pascal. Yuniesky Gonzalez has been clawing his way to get this opportunity and he will take advantage of it.”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

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Las Vegas, NV: Saturday’s fight between WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) of Chelyabinsk, Russia and IBF Mandatory Challenger Nadjib “IronDjib” Mohammedi (38-3-0, 23 KOs) of Aix-en-Provence, France is just one of top-notch fights scheduled to take place at Mandalay Bay.

In addition to the Kovalev-Mohammedi fight, the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast will feature a light heavyweight battle between former light heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) of Laval, Quebec, Canada and undefeated Cuban sensation Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Pascal suffered his first career knockout at the hands of Kovalev in front of his home crowd in Montreal back in March and he is eager for a rematch. However, first he will have to get past Gonzalez and his dangerous 75% knockout-to-win percentage.

Barrera and Lacy
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Highlighting the non-televised undercard will be another undefeated Cuban sensation, Sullivan Barrera (15-0, 10 KOs). Barrera was originally scheduled to face Vasily “The Professor” Lepikhin but Lepikhin suffered an injury during training camp so Hakim Zoulikha (21-7, 10 KOs) of Villeurbanne, France has stepped into his place at the last minute. Sullivan is slowly making a name for himself as a force in the division. His knockout-to-win ratio is 67% and he knocked out veteran Jeff Lacy in the fourth round in his last fight back in January. However, he will have no easy task with Zoulikha. The veteran from France has over 25 career professional fights.

Undefeated super featherweight Joel Diaz (18-0, 14 KOs) of Palmdale, California will face Alejandro Rodriguez (24-17-1, 14 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico for six rounds. Diaz has knocked out his last two opponents and has a stellar 78% (14 of 18) knockout-to-win ratio. Rodriguez has already fought in five bouts in 2015 (3-2, 2 KOs).

Cassius Chaney
Photo Credits:
Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment

Heavyweights Cassius Chaney of (2-0, 1 KO) New London, Connecticut and Edward Ramirez (1-2, 1 KO) of Yuma, Arizona are scheduled for four rounds of action. This will be Chaney’s first professional appearance outside of his home state of Connecticut and his third professional fight in just four short months. Ramirez is looking to redeem himself after suffering two straight losses, both knockouts, in 2014. The California native will also make his Las Vegas debut on Saturday night.

Middleweights Daniel Henry (2-4-3) of Austin, Texas and Jas Phipps (5-5-2, 2 KOs) of Kileen, Texas will face each other for four rounds. Henry has suffered three straight losses and the Texas native is looking to make up for the first round TKO he suffered at the hands of Caleb Plant earlier this year in his last appearance in Las Vegas. Phipps won his first five fights of his professional career. In his last fight he battled Steed Woodall to a majority draw.

Finally, Rodney Hernandez (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Modesto, California will face Brice Ritani-Coe of San Pedro, California (4-3-1, 3 KOs) for six rounds of heavyweight action. Hernandez is making his first appearance in Las Vegas since 2012 and is currently riding a two fight win streak. Ritani-Coe snapped a three-fight losing streak in his last outing in June of 2014. This will be his second fight in Nevada but his first in boxing’s mecca.

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

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Light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev, who has been on the fast track collecting title belts the past two years, makes his Las Vegas debut when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: SERGEY KOVALEV VS. NADJIB MOHAMMEDI AND JEAN PASCAL VS. YUNIESKY GONZALEZ is seen SATURDAY, JULY 25 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Bernard Hopkins and Harold Lederman will call the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: July 26 (9:15 a.m.) and 27 (midnight)

HBO2 playdates: July 26 (4:30 p.m.) and 28 (11:30 p.m.)

In the main event, undefeated Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) of Kopeysk, Russia, now living and training in Los Angeles, defends his crown against intriguing mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) from France in a 12-round bout. The fast-rising, hard-hitting Kovalev has taken the 175-pound division by storm with a sizzling knockout ratio and a willingness to battle top-tier fighters, even when his opponent has a decided home crowd advantage. In the past two years, he’s decisively beaten Nathan Cleverly, Cedric Agnew, ring legend Bernard Hopkins and Canadian superstar Jean Pascal. One of the sport’s top attractions, thanks to his fan-friendly style, Kovalev enjoyed a banner year in 2014, earning Fighter of the Year honors from a host of boxing news organizations. This bout marks his seventh HBO appearance.

In his U.S. debut last November, Mohammedi scored a stunning first-round knockout of Demetrius Walker on the undercard of Kovalev-Hopkins. He will train for his HBO debut against Kovalev at Big Bear Lake in California.

The opening bout features former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) of Quebec, Canada, and undefeated Cuban-born Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs) from Miami, Florida in a 175-pound contest scheduled for ten rounds. Pascal, who previously lost by TKO to Kovalev, wants another shot at the light heavyweight title, and defeating Gonzalez should bring him that opportunity. This fight marks Pascal’s first bout outside his home country since 2008 and his fifth HBO appearance.

Gonzalez, who had a successful amateur career in Cuba, aims to disrupt Pascal’s plans with his knockout power, which has stopped his last three opponents before the end of the third round. He’ll be making his HBO debut.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Las Vegas, NV: On July 25, 2015 former light heavyweight world champion, Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) will take on undefeated prospect Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs) as the co-feature to the HBO World Championship Boxing telecast of the Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi fight live from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pascal is fresh off his first loss in almost four years and is looking to take on the undefeated Cuban prospect. Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:

Category
Jean Pascal
Yuniesky Gonzalez
Age
32
30
Record
29-3-1 (17 KOs)
16-0-0 (12 KOs)
Strength
Pascal possesses good speed and power in both hands; he also has a solid chin and a ton of experience. He has been competing against the division’s top fighters since 2008, which is a list that includes Bernard Hopkins twice and the division’s top light heavyweight, Sergey Kovalev.
Gonzalez has good power and has the ability to distribute punishment throughout his fights. He overwhelms his opponents before finishing them off. He is a very good inside fighter and fights with great confidence too.
Weakness
Pascal has a tendency to tire out late in fights if he does not conserve his energy properly in the earlier rounds. He also tends to get sloppy, which could cause his defense to open up a bit.
Gonzalez lacks adequate experience and has not fought top-level opposition yet. This fight against Pascal will be a major step up in competition and could be a game-changer in his young career.
Experience
Jean will have the advantage here. He has been a part of eight major title fights and holds victories over both Chad Dawson and Lucian Bute. He also currently has more than two-times as many professional bouts (32) as Gonzalez (16).
Gonzalez will be at a disadvantage. He has yet to face any top level opposition, nor has he had even half the amount of professional bouts as Pascal.

Power
Pascal has good power in both hands, especially when he puts his punches together. He has a right hand that can be a game-changer in any fight if he lands it flush.
Yuniesky possesses good power in both hands; he has a left hook that can change the direction of any fight if landed clean.
Speed
Pascal is quick, which becomes more evident in his flurries of punches, which are usually put together when he has his opponent against the ropes and he goes for the finish.
Yuniesky has good hand speed that is put on full display when he finds a weakness in his opponent. He fights very well on the inside, where his punches are fast, short, and crisp.
Endurance
Pascal will have an advantage here as he has gone 12 rounds on eight separate occasions.
Gonzalez’s endurance is still in question, he has yet to go a full 12 rounds and has only gone ten rounds once in his career (in 2012).
Accuracy
Pascal may be at a slight disadvantage in terms of accuracy, he tends to get sloppy at times when unloading flurries of punches.
Gonzalez may have a slight advantage as his accuracy becomes more evident when fighting on the inside. Then he uses his accurate body work in hopes of setting up his left hook upstairs.
Defense
Pascal likes to dictate the pace of the fight, which can mean standing in the center and trading blows. This is a tactic that allows him to take shots and leave openings in his defense that he should avoid.
Yuniesky’s offense might be his best defense. He likes to come forward and walk his opponents down, looking to break them down and finish the fight.
Chin
Pascal has a solid chin and has been in wars with some heavy-handed punchers. However, he was stopped for the first time in his career in his most recent outing against the division’s heaviest hitter, Sergey Kovalev.
Gonzalez’s chin is still yet to be seen; he has finished nine of his 16 fights by the third round. If this fight gets into the later rounds, then his chin may become an issue.
Style
Jean is an aggressive fighter who will not hesitate to stand and trade with anyone if given the opportunity.
Yuniesky is an offensive fighter who likes to move forward at all times; he tries to finish all of his opponents – and finish them early.
Crowd Support
Pascal is a popular name in the sport of boxing, so he will probably have most of the support from the fans in attendance.
Although Yuniesky is an undefeated power puncher, he is still a bit unknown to the boxing world. However, his in-your-face style could win over some of the crowd as he fights Pascal with a very similar and exciting style.
Intangibles
After coming off a tough and hard-fought defeat against the division’s best fighter, Sergey Kovalev, Pascal opted to make a quick turnaround and get right back in the ring. Instead of a tune-up bout, he will test his skills against a young, undefeated power puncher in Yunieski Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has taken a very quiet road to becoming the IBF’s #15 light heavyweight contender. Rather than test his skills against someone deeper in the ranks, he will face a former light heavyweight titleholder, and current top ten ranked light heavyweight, Jean Pascal.
The Match-Up
Is this too big of a stage for Gonzalez to handle in his toughest test to date?
Will Pascal be able to take Gonzalez’s power and speed?
This is the fight where Gonzalez can make a big statement in the light heavyweight division, will he?
Will Pascal be scared to get hit after his last fight with Kovalev?

According to Main Events’ matchmaker Jolene Mizzone who was recently named the NABF Matchmaker of the Year, “If Gonzalez pulls the upset with Pascal he would enter one of the top divisions in boxing as new blood, which would make it very interesting for the entire division. I think any light heavyweight fight that is made is very important in boxing right now because it is a hot division that needs some hungry up-and-coming guys.”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yuniesky Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi
Hey Harold!: Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

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Today WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev met with local media and members of the Russian ex-pat community in Las Vegas at the Green Dacha Grill. He also engaged in an arm wrestling demonstration with fellow Russian Kirill Yakovlev and posed for photos with fans. Below are photos from today’s event:

Click Here for Photos – Credit Jim Laurie/Main Events

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

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Las Vegas – July 20,2015 – WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) from Russia receives a proclamation from Clark County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow at McCarran Airport Monday July 20,2015 proclaiming Monday as “Sergey Kovalev Day on the Las Vegas Strip and throughout Clark County.”

Kovalev, the undefeated WBO/WBA/IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion makes his long-awaited debut in Southern Nevada on the HBO-televised card promoted by Main Events Saturday, July 25, at Mandalay Bay. Kovalev faces No. 1-ranked contender Nadjib Mohammedi in the 12-round championship bout.

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits
Sergey Kovalev’s Greatest Hits

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By Norm Frauenheim-

Sergey Kovalev is new to English. It’s a second language for the light-heavyweight who grew up speaking Russian.
Occasionally he’ll ask manager Egis Klimas to translate. Sometimes, a phrase or cliché will confuse him. But don’t let that fool you. He’s learning English grammar and some of its common slurs as thoroughly as he once learned his way around a ring. Kovalev is already more fluent in English than Vladimir Putin.

A new language is an acquired skill, mastered by work and study. By now, it is evident Kovalev isn’t afraid of either. But there’s more to this process than just diligence. Like his dangerous complement of heavy hands and unnerving poise, he possesses an instinctive ability to communicate. No matter the language or how it’s delivered, his words connect like his punches.

No translation was necessary during an hour-long conference call this week for his title defense against Nadjib Mohammedi on July 25 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay in an HBO-televised bout. There was no BS. Amend that. Subtract the bull and leave the remaining four letters for Kovalev’s ongoing description of Adonis Stevenson, who has the WBC-version of the title.

Stevenson is a piece of bleep, Kovalev — sounding very American — said of the Canadian, who he says continues to duck him.

About everything else, however, he was simple and direct in a way increasingly foreign in a business so prone to euphemistic double-speak.

“A lot of fighters are making business, but not making boxing,’’ said Kovalev, an emerging pound-for-pound contender and a prohibitive favorite over Mohammedi, Frenchman of Algerian descent. “On my left hand, I can count who are the real fighters in boxing: Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Keith Thurman and I don’t remember more. Maybe me.’’

During a tiresome few weeks full of guessing about what Floyd Mayweather Jr. will or won’t do on Sept. 12, Kovalev’s pointed comment stood in contrast — as stark as it was a relief.

There have been mounting reports that Mayweather might fight Andre Berto in the sixth and final bout on his Showtime contract. Speculation is that it’ll be offered on free-TV, Showtime’s CBS flagship, instead of pay-per-view. According to some of the reports, a Mayweather bout on free-TV will be sold as a remedy to public anger still there from many in a record audience who spent $100 for the dull PPV telecast of Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao.

Berto a remedy? Please. Berto is 3-3 over his last six bouts. If that’s a remedy, give me shot a hemlock, Mayweather against anybody other than Thurman or Amir Khan only threatens to further alienate fans. They already believe they were played for suckers throughout the Mayweather-Pacquiao hype.

Before Berto’s name emerged, Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe dismissed Thurman as a possibility. Ellerbe said Thurman wasn’t at Mayweather’s level. Berto isn’t at Thurman’s level. Who knows if Berto and Mayweather will fight? But if they do, it is just one more reason to suspect another shakedown is in the works, perhaps for Mayweather’s free-agent finale in a 50th bout.

In Kovalev, at least, there’s a sense he’s building his career patiently, all in a big-money attempt to fight Andre Ward. Kovalev-Ward looms as a fight that could be everything Mayweather-Pacquiao wasn’t. Early talk about it indicates real interest instead of the cynicism so prevalent in the wake of the Mayweather-Pacquiao money grab on May 2.

“We have been talking to Andrew Ward’s people all week,’’ said Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva, who expects the fight sometime next year. “We all agree the fight is going to happen.’’
In any language, that sounds good.

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

On coming off big fights against Pascal and Hopkins but now facing a lesser known fighter:
“For me, any fight means a lot because it is the next step. Who I am and how I do my job means a lot. He is the #1 IBF contender. He deserves this fight. I very excited that I have three titles and I have the opportunity to defend it against Mohammedi. He deserves this fight. He is #1. He is very motivated. When a boxer is motivated or any man is motivated it makes him very dangerous.”

On training in Oxnard:
“Oxnard is different place compared to my last training camp. I am very happy here and everything is comfortable. Everything is good. Big Bear training camp is conditioning and physical training camp. Now training camp in Oxnard is boxing camp with sparring and heavy bags. For the boxing, I feel very comfortable here. My sparring partners help me. I feel good.”

On his last fight against Pascal:
“I had some problems in my training camp for Pascal. I made some mistakes. I started to make my weight very late. I was very happy after Hopkins fight. It was a lot of things. I celebrated New Year and Christmas in Russia. Christmas is biggest holiday in Russia. I got a lot of overfull. It made for me big trouble to make the weight for the fight. I didn’t have a good sparring partner for the fight. It was a lot of things. Right now everything is clean and going very well.”

On the possibility of a Pascal Rematch:
“I don’t want to speak about Pascal because he does not deserve to get attention. He lost my respect for him even before the fight. I cannot respect even his team. He is piece of shit. Same as Stevenson. I think all fighters make terrible fighters in Canada. I don’t respect and I want to kick his ass again and much, much bigger this time. If it will happen rematch, he will sleep in four rounds because he is a piece of shit.”

On the added pressure of headlining a fight in Las Vegas:
“No for me it doesn’t matter where I am fighting. I don’t have any problems. I feel very comfortable and happy that my fight is in Las Vegas. I wait a long time for my fight. I wanted LA or Las Vegas and it will happen July 25. I am very happy and excited because I wanted to give to my fans who long time waited to watch my fight live and now it will happen. Las Vegas is biggest place for the fight and Las Vegas is terrific place a lot of people from everywhere come to Las Vegas to get more fun. July 25 they will be very happy and very fun day.”

On Nadjib working with Abel Sanchez, Kovalev’s former trainer:
“Who is this Abel? I don’t know any Abel.”

On Adonis Stevenson:
“He is a piece of shit.”

On where he stands among all current boxers:
“I don’t think about this at all. I don’t care where I am. It is most important what I have, not where I am.”

On his opponent, Nadjib Mohammedi:
“I can say that I will kick his ass.”

On the added pressure to impress:
“I want to be better and want to be improved for every fight because a boxer can never to be perfect. 100% everything is good, no. Every boxer wants to be better, better, better. My goal in my preparations is to get better and remove all my mistakes from last fight. To show to people I can not only to punch, I can do boxing. I am disappointed people couldn’t see in my first 14 or 15 fights. I can do boxing. I just started to get good opponents when I signed contract with Kathy Duva. Very big respect with Kathy Duva and her team that they got attention on my boxing. I am very happy that I signed contract Main Events and right now my career is going up. It will continue be going up because we are together right now. We are a team – Egis Klimas, Kathy Duva, Main Events and Krusher Promotions. We are going up. We give to boxing fans good boxing fight because right now it is very seldom in real fights. Because a lot of fighters are making business but not making boxing. I can count on my left hand who are the real fighters in boxing: Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Keith Thurman and I don’t remember more. And maybe me. I don’t want to push me that I am the best, but if people are thinking it I am very happy. I wake every morning and get running and working hard. I happy that people are thinking that I am good boxer.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events

“We are very pleased to be working with HBO and Mandalay Bay where we have had such a great history here at Main Events. Sergey Kovalev is a throwback fighter who wants to take on every challenge. He has fought the #2 and #3 guys in his division in Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal. Now he is fighting his mandatory against Nadjib Mohammedi. It will be a great fight. It always is when Sergey gets in the ring.”

On why fans just want to see Sergey Kovalev fight no matter who he is fighting:
“It is the same thing that makes fans wants to watch Mike Tyson or Gennady Golovkin. Fans want to see knockouts. This is a blood sport. Sergey brings all of that. Sergey is a bad, bad man. He’s got that edge and that danger to him. My barometer has always been when I get excited myself to watch a fighter after the thousands of fights I have seen. I still get excited when Sergey fights. Every fighter when he becomes accomplished enough will have to get themselves up for absolutely everybody. He needs to prove this too. He is still on the way up, but he is a lot further along the way. He has had two difficult and challenging fights and there is a natural tendency to taper off in that situation. He needs to stay focused on Nadjib.”

On Mohammedi’s hunger:
“He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He has had a year to focus on nothing else but this fight. Sergey has had to face two huge challenges. He also had a child and moved across the country. Nadjib has had nothing to do except focus on this fight. He is working with Abel Sanchez, who used to work with Sergey, and they don’t like each other very much.”

On Sullivan Barrera and Isaac Chilemba fighting on the undercard:
“Jolene [Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker] was still working to find opponents for them. I believe they are still on the card. Jolene is the best and she will figure it out. If Chilemba can’t fight on this card, he will be ordered to fight as mandatory for the WBC title soon.”

On the current status of ticket sales for this fight:
“There has been a tendency in boxing lately to give all the tickets away. Tickets are in no way sold out. It will take a lot of time before the damage to this market can be undone. We are hoping for a big walk up. I have no thoughts at all on the show down the street. Giving tickets away on the same night that people are charging for a fight down this street is another example of anti-competitive behavior. Our prices are reasonable, tickets start at $25. Sergey is well worth the price of admission and you get what you pay for.”

On why Main Events signed Mohammedi:
“When we met Nadjib, he fought on one of our NBC cards against Anatoliy Dudchenko and became the #1 challenger. As Sergey’s promoter I became interested in him. We struck a good relationship with him and his team. It made sense for us to work with him. When he came here for his fight on the Hopkins’ undercard, his trainer couldn’t make it so he ended up working with Abel [Sanchez]. He decided to wait very patiently for Sergey’s other fights. He is exciting and aggressive and that is what we like to see.”

On the odds for this fight:
“We don’t set the odds. The odds don’t reflect the competitiveness of the fight but certain people’s willingness to bet on the fight.”

On the possibility of a rematch with Pascal:
“I think Sergey just made it a lot more interesting with his comments about Pascal. From a business perspective, it is a great fight. We are keeping Pascal close. He is fighting in the co-feature but first Pascal has to defeat Gonzalez.”

On the possibility of a fight against Andre Ward:
“We have been talking to Andrew Ward’s people all week. We all agree the fight is going to happen; it is just a matter of when. Sergey’s schedule for his next few fights is planned. That fight should happen by the end of next year. Sergey wants to fight the best. The best fighting the best is what people want to see. We want to complete that deal in the foreseeable future.”

On the other potential opponents for Kovalev in the light heavyweight division:
“There are plenty of opponents. There are always new fighters coming along. The landscape of boxing changed six months ago and I am willing to bet that in another six months it will change again. I think between the fighters in the light heavyweight division and guys at 168 that are going to moving up there will be no shortage of opponents for Sergey. When you have that kind of star power in the division, they are going to draw together like magnets. Sergey has a contract with HBO and his career is mapped out for the next three years.”

On Nadjib Mohammedi:
“He has had an education with Abel that he didn’t have before. He came in as the opponent and he showed up on his own and did the job. You have to respect a guy that can do that. He has had a year to focus on this while Sergey has been focused on 1,000 other things over that same year.”

On Mohammedi working with Abel Sanchez:
“He fought on the undercard of the Hopkins-Kovalev fight and worked with Abel on that fight as well. He has been in the gym with other tremendous other fighters. I give Nadjib a lot of credit.”

On Sergey’s improving English:
“I don’t have to tell him that it is important. He came to me about it. Every time I talk to him it gets better. He finds ways to express himself. That is just part of the fun of Sergey Kovalev. He is working with a teacher. I had a similar situation with Tomasz Adamek and now he can express himself as well as anybody. The perfectionist part of Sergey will drive him to continually improve. What you don’t see is when he is in a relaxed setting he is much better. You will see more of that as time goes on.”

John David Jackson, Sergey Kovalev’s Trainer

On Nadjib Mohammedi:
“He is unconventional. He has his own style. He’s wild with some of his shots. Getting ready for him isn’t an easy task. We have to prepare correctly. Now that Abel is working with him they may have a formidable fight plan to combat what Sergey is brings to the table. However, once he gets hit we will see what he is made of. We know they are going to prepare the best they can and so are we.”

Egis Klimas, Sergey Kovalev’s Manager

“Welcome to conference call and we are looking forward to the fight.”

Vince Caruso, Nadjib Mohammedi’s Co-Manager

On Nadjib’s ethnicity:
“Nadjib is of Algerian descent but he was raised in France.”

On the odds for this fight:
“HBO told me that they were up to 45-to-1 and that is about as high as Buster Douglas was. I think we are about 100-to-1 shot. We are in with a guy who doesn’t make mistakes. Odds are against us but this will be the last time he will be overlooked.”

On how Mohammedi started boxing:
“His older brother took him to a boxing gym and he fell in love with it. He was 14 years old and was working in the markets. He’s been in love with it ever since.”

On Nadjib’s preparation for this fight:
“This is the first training camp where I know nothing. Nadjib is secluded with Abel. They are going to do it their way. He is up there doing their thing. I am down here dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. I can tell you this, his weight is on target and he is in tip top shape.”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Ko
Oxnard, CA: Yesterday members of the media traveled to Oxnard, California to attend WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev’s open media workout in preparation for his upcoming IBF Mandatory match-up with Nadjib “IronDjib” Mohammedi on HBO World Championship Boxing at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas, Below are select quotes from Kovalev and his manager, Egis Klimas:

John David Jackson and Sergey Kovalev
Photo Credits: Bret Newton/Main Events

SERGEY KOVALEV

On Nadjib Mohammedi
“What do I know about him? Believe me, not much. But I do know he’s very dangerous. He’s fast. He has stamina. He’s not stupid; he’s an intelligent fighter.”

“I’m focused. I don’t care who my opponent is. I will show beautiful boxing (on July 25).”

Disappointed he hasn’t fought Adonis Stevenson yet
“Sure, I want to fight Stevenson. I do want that WBC title. My dream is to get the fourth title. I want to unify the titles. That’s my goal. It’ll be difficult to make (the bout with Stevenson), but I think it’ll happen because of Kathy (Duva).”

Krusher Kovalev
Photo Credits: Bret Newton/Main Events

On his fight against Pascal
“That fight I was terrible. I wasn’t ready. I was only 80 (eighty) percent. I started training late. I had some problems in my camp. There were a lot of things I did wrong.”

A bout against Andre Ward
“I’ll be happy to fight Andre Ward. He’s a dangerous fighter.”

“But I’m ready for anybody. I’m open for any fight.”

Regarding Bernard Hopkins bout
“My toughest fight was against Bernard Hopkins. It was the psychology of it (the bout). I had a pregnant wife and a future boy. I was fighting against a legend. It was a lot of pressure.

“I have a lot of respect for Bernard Hopkins. He’s special. I believe in myself much more (after beating Hopkins).”

Training in general
“When I was younger, I didn’t work as hard as I do now. I’m stronger and have more power now.

“I work harder now. I have more motivation. My family. Being undefeated. I have new goals, new dreams. That pushes me forward.”

His aspirations when he was in Russia before becoming a champion
“People ask if I had hope of becoming a champion. I had hope. Hope was the only thing I had. Hope pushed me.”

Sergey Kovalev
Photo Credits: Bret Newton/Main Events

EGIS KLIMAS

On Kovalev fighting Ward
“It would be a good fight for everyone. But I don’t know if Andre has decided what he wants to do.”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Big Bear Lake, CA: Yesterday members of the media traveled to Big Bear Lake, California to The Summit for Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi’s open media workout in preparation for his upcoming IBF Mandatory match-up with Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Championship live on HBO World Championship Boxing at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also in attendance was Main Events’ stablemate Sullivan Barrera who is fighting on July 25. Below are select quotes from Mohammedi and his trainer, Abel Sanchez:

Nadjib Mohammedi
Photo Credits: Bret Newton/Main Events

NADJIB MOHAMMEDI
Abel Sanchez Having Trained Kovalev for eight bouts:
“It’s not an advantage (for me), because Kovalev is different now. He’s changed a little bit.”

About fighting in Las Vegas:
“It’s very exciting. It’s a very big stage. I’m happy.”

About being given little chance to win:
“I’m not stupid. I’m not naïve. I’m unknown. That’s no problem. I like quiet. It lets me train, train, train. Training’s not work; it’s my passion.”
“On July 25th I have a surprise. People will say, ‘Oh, my God.'”

On Kovalev:
“He’s a very good champion. But he has two arms and in this division everyone has power. All it takes is one shot.”

Prediction:
“The fight (result) will be a KO. Either him or me. It’s possible I lose because I’m just a man.”

Sullivan Barrera
Photo Credits: Bret Newton/Main Events

ABEL SANCHEZ
“He (Mohammedi) understands that Kovalev is at the top of his game now. He’s an established force.”

“He (Mohammedi) won’t be overlooked by Sergey because he’s (Kovalev) smart.”
“Win, lose or draw he’ll (Mohammedi) give a good account of himself.”

“He (Mohammedi) wants to bring the title back to France, but he knows the task in front of him. He’ll have to take it to Kovalev. He (Mohammedi) won’t beat him by staying back, waiting for something to happen.”

Mohammedi’s brother and mother operate a few pizza restaurants that Mohammedi owns in France. If he wins, will he give away free pizza? “He’ll probably open up some more restaurants,” said Sanchez.

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Tomorrow (Saturday, July 4th) Shefat Isufi (17-2-2) will take on Poland’s Dariusz Sek (22-2-1) for the vacant WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council Light Heavyweight Championship. Isufi won the EPBC cruiserweight title in March and is coming back down to his natural weight of 175 lbs. when he faces the experience Sek who prepared for the fight sparring some rounds with no other than IBF / WBO / WBA Super Champion Sergey Kovalev.

At today’s weigh-in both fighters were just in the limit when Sek tipped the scale at 79.2 kg (174.6 lbs.) while Isufi weighed in at 79.3 kg (174.8 lbs.). Things heated up a little at the stare down when Isufi nearly headbutted his opponent after the Polish warrior came a little too close.

Isufi vs. Sek headlines a card promoted by heavyweight contender Alexander Petkovic (“Petko’s LMS Box Promotion”) who is considering hanging up the gloves to fully focus on his career as a promoter.

In the double-co-feature two of Germany’s hottest prospects enter the ring when the fast rising KO brothers James and Tony Kraft are trying to score their next impressive wins. While they are only aged 19 and 21, James and Tony Kraft are already regional heroes in Bavaria and will most probably fight for Youth titles soon.
The event takes place at famous CIRCUS KRONE in Munich and will be broadcasted live on Sport1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as PolSat in Poland.

Big Bear Lake, CA:
On July 25, 2015, Nadjib “IronDjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) the current IBF #1 contender, will face WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada and live on HBO World Championship Boxing. For the biggest fight of his career, Mohammedi will have world-renowned trainer Abel Sanchez in his corner. Abel is best known for his work with current WBA and WBC Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.

Nadjib Mohammedi
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Sanchez trains fighters out of his own compound in Big Bear Lake, California called The Summit. According to Abel, “The Summit is a training camp where the guys live almost year-round. There is anywhere from 10-12 fighters there at any time. They cook for themselves. They fend for themselves. They live like a family. The fact that there are so many champions training there and so many high-end guys training there motivates everybody to try to excel to that higher level. They live like a family so it’s not a competition; it is more of a motivational thing. There is no off time.”

This will be the second training camp for Mohammedi, 30, at The Summit with Sanchez. He is from Gardanne, Bouches-du-Rhône, France so training with Abel has meant temporarily relocating to the United States for his extended training camps. Abel believes Nadjib has fully committed to life at The Summit and his system, “He has given me everything. He’s not questioning anything. He is allowing me to do what we do here but he is very strong-minded. He understands that we have a difficult fight in front of us, so I am happy that he has given himself to me as far as not questioning anything. That allows me to try to mold him like I want to mold him but change the things that I need to change.”

When asked about this upcoming fight with Kovalev, Sanchez replied, “Sergey has evolved into a very destructive force. Sergey has evolved because John David Jackson is a heck of a coach. Sergey has evolved into that kind of fighter that you are going to have to be at your best to beat. Because of that we have a tough task in front of us, but that is what these guys work for. That is why Nadjib is rated #1 and fought all those fights before to get a chance at the world title. On the 25th we have that.”

IronDJib Mohammedi
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events

With 40 professional career fights under his belt, Mohammedi is a veteran who saw some big fights in his home country, France. However, as Abel explained, veterans can sometimes come with bad habits. Abel elaborated, “His experience so far has been a benefit because, with those previous fights he had in France, he was a big name over there. Therefore, he’s not going to be so awed by the environment of a big fight. He has had some success with big crowds and bigger venues, so hopefully that will transcend over to this fight. We are going to have a lot fans in the stands and we are going to have a lot of people screaming for Sergey. As far as bad habits, you create bad habits just by being successful. I think that if you don’t have somebody pushing you and correcting those things, you tend to do things that are not conducive to being a better fighter. Those things we are addressing and those things we can’t completely change, but we are going to hopefully correct them in time and make him a better fighter.”

According to Nadjib, Abel has been an amazing mentor and father-figure to him over the last several months. He said, “Since I got to Big Bear Lake my life has changed. I already knew what spirit of a team was, but here I found a family. Abel is like a big brother, an uncle, he act almost like a dad with me. He can see every details and he always push me out of the limits. With him and Ben Lira I know that I am ready for this war!”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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By Norm Frauenheim-

CARSON, Calif. – Light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev said he didn’t watch Andre Ward’s comeback victory over Paul Smith and instead concentrated on his July 25 title defense against Nadjib Mohammedi.

“Empty talk right now,’’ Kovalev said Saturday during an hour-long session with reporters before a card featuring Timothy Bradley-Jessie Vargas at StubHub Center.

The internet is on fire with speculation about a Ward-Kovalev fight in the wake of Ward’s ninth-round stoppage of Smith on June 20 in Oakland, Calif.

The unbeaten Ward, a ringside analyst for HBO Saturday night, is still deliberating about whether he’ll move to light-heavy or stay at super-middleweight. He fought Smith at a catch-weight, 172 pounds. The guessing game is that Ward is moving toward a big-money showdown against either Kovalev or middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

Kovalev manager Egis Klimas said he did watch Ward’s comeback, his first bout in about 19 months.

“He’s interesting,’’ Klimas said. “He’s a different kind of fighter. A very good fighter.’’

Klimas also foresees a Ward-Kovalev showdown, which he says would be “the biggest fight for Sergey.’’

Meanwhile, Kovalev, who faces Mohammedi in a mandatory defense at Las Vegas Mandalay Bay, had plenty to say about Adonis Stevenson, who holds the WBC’s version of the light-heavyweight title.

Kovalev, who is training in nearby Big Bear, continued to call Stevenson a piece of excrement.

“Because he’s running from me,’’ Kovalev said.

Las Vegas, Nevada: On July 25, 2015 WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will defend his three world titles for the second time against IBF mandatory opponent Nadjib “Iron Djib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) but the road to success was not an easy one for him and his manager, Egis Klimas, who reflects on the journey.

Kovalev was introduced to Klimas via a mutual friend, Anatoliy Rubinchikov, and the two met for the first time in Kazakhstan prior to Kovalev’s professional debut. Klimas was travelling to Kazakhstan with his long-time friend and trusted advisor Don Turner, so the two of them met with Sergey together. Turner said he knew instantly that Kovalev was a special fighter, “He was an interesting guy. He was shadow-boxing and he never changed the expression on his face and I thought this guy is for real. So I told Egis that this guy can’t miss.”

After their meeting it was decided that Sergey and his fellow countryman, former IBF Featherweight World Champion Evgeny Gradovich, would go to North Carolina to train at Don Turner’s gym. During that time Turner remembers a quiet Kovalev, “Sergey was quiet. He don’t talk much. He never talked that much. He just trained hard. He trained real hard.”

Don Turner Celebrates Ringside Kovalev’s Victory Over Pascal
Photo Credits: David Spagnolo/Main Events

Turner’s gym is located deep in North Carolina farm country, surrounded by corn and tobacco fields. According to Turner, “My gym is like old-time fighters. You isolate yourself and focus just on boxing. Fighters today don’t want to fight; they want to play. Fighters of 40 or 50 years ago they trained like nine or ten months a year. Today these guys train for six or seven weeks at a time. Sergey and Gradovich were one of only a handful of fighters that didn’t want to leave my camp. Sergey and Gradovich were serious.”

Klimas added, “Sergey and Gradovich were the only ones who lasted at Don’s gym. It is a huge hangar in a field surrounded by fields. The closest town is like ten miles away. Sergey never complained to me once. Now he tells me a lot of stories about that time, but when he was at camp he never complained.”

During this time Klimas paid for Sergey to fight on various cards trying to secure him a promotional deal, but he was unsuccessful. “I spoke with many promoters,” explained Klimas. “I went to Top Rank, Golden Boy, DiBella, Gary Shaw and Sergey was on all of their shows. Nobody could really see him because he was stepping in and knocking guys out in two rounds. Also, I couldn’t get the very good guys to fight him so everyone would just say that he beat another bum. They couldn’t really see what I saw. I saw his training; I saw his work ethic and his attitude. The promoters didn’t see much of him. He would usually fight on the first fight on the card so there was really nobody around to watch and they thought that I was just building a record for him.”

Finally, Klimas was ready to give up and leave the boxing business but the counsel of Don Turner changed his mind. Turner said, “I told him to keep doing and I said, ‘Why don’t you go to Main Events?’ I told him not to quit boxing because he put too much money into it. I said, ‘Man, you at the threshold of making money. Why you gonna quit?’ It is just like everybody that comes to the camp; they be two or three fights away from making money and they want to leave.”

Klimas and Kovalev Goofing Off at Kovalev’s Photo Shoot
Photo Credits:
Rich Graessle/Main Events

“When he was already 18 fights and I knew to go deeper I would have to have a promoter, Don Turner said I should talk to Kathy Duva from Main Events because he knew her very well,” said Klimas. “He said she is a good promoter and he had a good relationship with her back in the day. I went to New York and called her and we decided to meet. She came with Jolene [Mizzone, Main Events’ matchmaker] and we decided to make a deal.” That deal would prove to be the turning point. In his fourth fight with Main Events, he knocked out previously-undefeated champion Nathan Cleverly to secure the WBO Light Heavyweight World Championship. Now, three years later, he is the Unified WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion.

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva continued, “I didn’t know what to expect from Sergey when I met with Egis the first time, but I left that meeting convinced that Egis was a manager we wanted to work with. While Jolene and I were meeting with him, we lost an important fight. Egis went from selling us on Sergey to helping us find a replacement without missing a beat. A few months later, Sergey rematched Darnell Boone on one of our cards and I was sold on Sergey. I’ll be forever grateful that Egis and Sergey came into our lives.”

When asked about his relationship with Egis, a grateful Kovalev added, “I’m very happy I got to meet with Egis. Egis believed in me and I believed in him and our union worked to get high stage of boxing. I wish the best to Egis!”

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Las Vegas, NV: Brand new father, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will experience his first Father’s Day this Sunday, June 21 with his wife Natalia and their seven-month old son, Aleksandr, and to celebrate this momentous occasion he is offering fans for a limited time buy one, get one half off any ticket price category for his upcoming mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Iron Djib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) July 25 at Mandalay Bay.

Sergey & Aleksandr at Training Camp in Big Bear
Photo Courtesy of: The Kovalev Family

Get the best gift for Father’s Day! Fans interested in taking advantage of this great limited time offer for their father, grandfather, stepfather, godfather or father figure should purchase their tickets through TicketMaster.com and use discount code FATHER. This offer is good from now until 11:59 PM PT on Monday, June 20, 2015.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable tax and service fees, are on sale now and are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

New Dad Sergey & Son
Photo Courtesy of: The Kovalev Family

Undercard information will be announced shortly.

*Offer not valid with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. Also not valid on consignment tickets. Only available through TicketMaster.

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Las Vegas, NV: Main Events, InterBox and Jean Pascal Promotions are proud to announce Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) will face Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs) in the ten-round co-feature of the Kovalev-Mohammedi Unified Light Heavyweight World Championship fight on July 25 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Pascal, the former WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion, looks to prove he is still a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division by taking on a young undefeated prospect in Gonzalez. This will be his first fight outside his adopted home country of Canada since 2008 and his third fight in seven months. The 32-year old is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti and currently resides in Laval, Quebec, Canada.

“I’m eager to get back in the ring,” said Pascal. “The years where I have been very active are the ones that I’ve performed the best. Gonzalez is a good fighter and everybody knows I am not content with fighting just a regular fighter. I’m already back in the gym and focusing on July 25.”

Pascal will face a big challenge from his opponent, undefeated Cuban prospect Yunieski Gonzalez. Yunieski has a stellar 75% knockout-to-win ratio and has stopped his last seven opponents in a row dating all the way back to 2012. His previous three fights have not lasted past the third round and two of those were first-round stoppages. The 29-year old is originally from Cuba and now makes his home in Miami, Florida.

“This is the fight I have been waiting for,” said a confident Gonzalez. “I’m not punching at him, I’m punching through him and when I’m done with him he won’t be any good for anyone else.”

Main Events’ CEO, Kathy Duva, is excited to work with Pascal and InterBox again. She said, “Kovalev and Pascal are both true warriors in the sense that they are always willing to face the very best. So putting them on the same card made a lot of sense for us and for the fans who will get to see both of them bring their electricity to the same ring again. With Pascal there is never a dull moment in the ring and, as proof that he never backs away from a challenge, this time he steps up to face a talented, hungry undefeated contender who has the ability to knock out anyone he faces.”

“For his third fight in less than a year for Jean Pascal, this is a great opportunity and challenge for him,” said Jean Bédard, President of InterBox. “Gonzalez had a phenomenal amateur career and his professional career seems to follow the same direction. It’s always a pleasure to work with Kathy Duva and Main Events.”

Greg Leon, CEO of Jean Pascal Promotions, added, “Jean Pascal Promotions is thrilled to be back on HBO for the second time in four months. Yunieski Gonzalez is a talented fighter and a formidable challenge but I have no doubt Jean Pascal will be far too much for him.”

Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing, Gonzalez’s promoter, said “I am thrilled to be on to such a sensational HBO card filled with light heavyweight bangers. We are very high on Yunieski Gonzalez and this is the kind of fight that he needs to propel him to the top of the light heavyweight division.”

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable tax and service fees, are on sale now and are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Undercard information will be announced shortly.

About Kovalev vs. Mohammedi

WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will compete in his first mandatory title defense against Nadjib “Irondjib” Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, July 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature will include a ten-round light heavyweight match-up between Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) and Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs). Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and all MGM Resorts Properties Ticket Offices. The HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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