Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs) has vowed to avenge his defeat as he faces Eleider Alvarez (24-0-0, 12 KOs) once again on February 2, in Frisco, Texas.
Last August, Alvarez won the WBO light heavyweight title as he passed the knockout to Kovalev in the seventh round. The bout was tight and thrilling, until Alvarez shocked Kovalev with a right hand.
The Russian then joined the canvas for the first time and he never fully recovered his senses. After two more falls in the same round, the fight was stopped.
“The last fight, Alvarez was lucky. Of course he was lucky. I lost my concentration just for a few seconds – a lack of attention just for a second. Then I could not find my focus after the knockdown,” Kovalev said.
“Maybe I was not ready enough. I do not want to give this as an excuse but this Saturday, I will prove that I am better than Alvarez. And this is my goal to take back my belts. It’s my goal now and it’s a big motivation for me.” Kovalev added.
Meanwhile, Kovalev was not happy with his training camp, which he took part in before the first fight, and this prompted him to retain coach Buddy McGirt.
“I did not have enough gas in the tank, and I ran out of power. You saw my condition. I was lazy and it was like something was wrong with my body,” Kovalev said.
“Trying to prove something by wanting to do more than I needed was the biggest mistake I made in my boxing career. Always want to do more than necessary.
Eleider Alvarez stops Sergey Kovalev in the seventh round. (Source:www.sportingnews.com)
“Right now, Buddy taught me a lot … how to save energy for the fight and I listen to 100% of his recommendations and I follow his instructions. I love this training camp but we will see Saturday what aspect of boxing will be in the game.
“Right now, before the fight I’m following a diet. This time, I want to be better in everything – in my life, in a boxing gym with my new team.
“I’m happy to work with my fitness trainer, Teddy Cruz, and my boxing coach Buddy McGirt. They really make me a good team and they are very good people. We have developed good chemistry together and I really like the team,” Kovalev added.
