Sergey Kovalev looks to pull upset against Canelo Alvarez
Light heavyweight boxing champion Sergey Kovalev walked through the lobby Tuesday at the MGM Grand with little fanfare but plenty of bravado before the most significant fight of his 10-year professional career.
“I’m here for my glory, for my story,” Kovalev said. “For my history.”
Just like his opponent Saturday, the one and only Canelo Alvarez.
Kovalev, 36, and Alvarez, 29, made their grand arrivals ahead of their WBO light heavyweight title fight Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Hundreds of fans gathered in the lobby, mostly to celebrate Alvarez, the three-division champion who is perhaps the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter.
But Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 knockouts) said he has something in store for those Alvarez fans.
“I want to disappoint a lot of people Saturday,” the Russian said to a chorus of sarcastic cheers. “Everybody is against me. … but after the fight, ‘Hey, can you sign this?”
More sarcastic cheers. Ho hum.
Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) normally fights at 160 pounds in the middleweight division but is moving up two weight classes to fight Kovalev, a staple at 175 pounds since his pro debut in 2009.
The Mexican superstar said he had been considering the move to light heavyweight for several months — even before his middleweight title unification fight in May against Daniel Jacobs — and is eyeing a fourth world title in four weight classes.
“I believe in my capacity, and I believe that I can win this fight,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “That is why we took this fight. … It’s going to be huge history here.”
Alvarez also is motivated to secure a consensus standing atop the pound-for-pound rankings, some of which slot him beneath unified lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko or welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
He thinks he has the superior resume, losing only to undefeated Floyd Mayweather and beating the likes of Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Daniel Jacobs.
“I’ve done better than they have. I’ve done things better than they have,” Alvarez said. “I’ve felt No. 1 my entire life. That’s why I’ve reached where I’ve reached. … History, your resume, that’s what places you at No. 1. The best of all. There can’t be anything else.”
He can add to it again by beating Kovalev and joining Erik Morales as Mexico’s only four-division champions.
“I respect his steps and his risks,” Kovalev said. “This is boxing. In boxing, only real men can prove to themselves that they are real fighters. And Canelo is. But I stay here, and I want to make my history and my story. … This is my division.”
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Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.