“He showed the champion character and won”: what they said after the successful defense of the title by Kovalev

On August 24, 2019 Sergey Kovalev won his 34th victory in a professional ring. The Russian successfully defended his WBO light heavyweight world boxing title, defeating Briton Anthony Yard. The dramatic fight lasted 11 rounds and ended with a knockout.

The fight was not the easiest for Kovalev. In the first half of the meeting, the Russian looked very confident, but then Yard seized the initiative and was very close to sending his vis-a-vis to the floor. Only thanks to incredible efforts, Sergei managed to withstand and subsequently break the resistance of Anthony.

“I am very glad that the audience liked it, a little tired. This was the second preparation for this battle, so I swam a bit, but purely in experience I managed to catch the spirit of the battle and still pick up the victory. I did not expect an easy fight. I imagined that it would be protracted ... There was a moment where I lost a little thread, but managed to get together. Due to his experience, he didn’t let him score himself, ”Sport-Express quotes Kovalev.

After the fight in the ring, a ceremony was held, during which Kovalev received the title of Honored Master of Sports. At the same time, the boxer himself dedicated his victory to compatriot and colleague Maxim Dadashev, who died in the United States.

It is noteworthy that the mentor of the Russian Buddy McGirt also worked with Dadashev. It was the American specialist who was present in the corner of the young athlete in a fight with Subriel Matias, after which Maxim was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

After the death of Dadashev, many reproached the coach for not stopping the fight in time and not saving the life of his ward. Apparently, this put pressure on McGirt himself, who was close to “throwing a towel” during the battle between Kovalev and Yard.

“Sergey spoke well against a young and hungry opponent. Yes, he made some mistakes. As for the eighth round, it was exciting. And I told Kovalev during the break that I would stop the fight if this continues in the next three minutes. But he took everything under control and brought the fight to victory, ”RIA Novosti quoted McGirt as saying.

Over the past months, a possible battle has been discussed between Sergei Kovalev and Saul Alvarez. The Russian himself admitted that he could agree to a meeting with Canelo, but decided to first resolve all issues with Yard. However, now he noted that he is free and ready to face off with the highest paid boxer on the planet.

“If Alvarez also shows a desire, then I am for. They also played this game very cunningly, pinned me in training camps, and then made an offer, which is very difficult to refuse. But I promised Chelyabinsk that I would be here. Fight in your hometown is unbelievably cool. I want to open my school here, ”the reigning world champion admitted.

Information about the negotiations was confirmed in the Russian team. So, according to the source, the battle between Kovalev and Alvarez may take place in the fall.

“The fight can take place in November in Las Vegas. Let's see how Sergey will recover, ”TASS quoted a source in the athlete’s team.

At the end of the bout, the Briton also shared his thoughts. Yard praised his performance in Chelyabinsk and said that he could not show all his strengths.

“In general, I am satisfied. It is a pity that it was not possible to complete everything that I planned. Unfortunately, I could not stand in the end. But it's nothing, I'm fine, ”Yard said.

The battle turned out to be extremely competitive, as a result of which there were rumors about a possible organization of revenge. However, Yard promoter said that this prospect is currently not being considered.

“Anthony is a real warrior, he created problems for Kovalev. For Yard, such a fight is a great experience, he has proved himself here. Revenge at the moment does not make sense, but in the future - why not, ”said Frank Warren.

Many famous athletes were quick to congratulate Kovalev on his next victory.

“Bravo, Sergey! Your jab, patience and desire to win did their job. Opponent and his ambitions are thrown on the flooring of the Chelyabinsk ring. A blow to the liver to those who have disbelieved in you. Boxing benefited from such a spectacle. Children will go to boxing schools with even greater zeal. And all this is good! No, it's just wonderful, ”wrote former world champion Nikolai Valuev on Instagram.

Admired by the performance of Kovalev and hockey player of Moscow CSKA Nikita Nesterov. A video of congratulations was published on the official page of the Gagarin Cup winner on Twitter.

“Seryoga, congratulations on your defense of the world title. Krasava, land, keep up the good work. Good luck! ”Nesterov addressed.

In turn, the ex-world boxing champion in the first heavyweight champion Grigory Drozd drew parallels between the battle with Yard and the first fight with Elader Alvarez, in which Kovalev lost by knockout.

“If we talk about the eighth round, then Sergey has already been in such situations. Recall his first meeting with Alvarez, but now he has survived. Although he missed the hard shots - the whole room froze. But he showed a champion character and won. In my opinion, it’s difficult to come up with a better scenario for a home fight. Kovalev is a real hero today ... he made a real celebration for Russia, for Chelyabinsk, ”said Drozd.

The famous actor and director Nikita Mikhalkov called the fight between Kovalev and Yard “wonderful”, and the head of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Daryl Peeples said that he once again saw the strong qualities of the Russian.

“Kovalev has done what he always does. He showed character in difficult moments and brought the fight to victory, like a real champion. Sergey demonstrated boxing skills, ”concluded People.

At the same time, the former opponent of Kovalev, the American Andre Ward, expressed the opinion that Yard was close to having his opponent go to canvas.

“Anthony Yard did not have two or three hits to stop Kovalev. Yard knows how to fight, he just needs to make changes to the training program. He is worthy of respect. Kovalev proved that he was capable of something else, but now he needs to grab onto the offer from Canelo. At this stage, every fight will be difficult for him, ”said Ward.