Sergey Kovalev (boxer)
| Sergey Kovalev Сергей Ковалёв |
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|---|---|
Kovalev in 2014
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Sergey Alexandrovich Kovalev |
| Nickname(s) | Krusher |
| Rated at | Light heavyweight |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Reach | 183 cm (72 in) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Born |
2 April 1983 Kopeysk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 32 |
| Wins | 30 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 1 |
Sergey Alexandrovich Kovalev (Russian: Сергей Александрович Ковалёв; born 2 April 1983) is a Russian professional boxer. He is a former unified light heavyweight world champion, having held the WBO title from 2013 to 2016, and the WBA (Undisputed) and IBF titles from 2014 to 2016. The Ring magazine named him their Fighter of the Year in 2014, and in July 2016 he was ranked as the world's best light heavyweight by The Ring and BoxRec; both of which also ranked him as the world's third best boxer, pound for pound. Kovalev is well known for his formidable punching power.
Kovalev started boxing in 1994 at age 11, and made his amateur debut in 1997 in the Russian Boxing Junior Championship, where he won the gold medal in the middleweight juniors division. One year later he competed with the seniors and reached the final, and a year after that, he won the final fight. For Team Russia, he competed in the European Championships.
In 2004, Kovalev for the first time took part in the Russian Senior Championship, and in his first season, he reached the final and also won the golden medal in the team event. The next year was the most successful in his career as an amateur in winning two titles: the first as champion of Russia and the second as champion among servicemen. In the 2006 championship for servicemen, he won the silver, and a year later, he took bronze in the Russian Championship and gold in the World Military Games in India.
In 2008, Kovalev took part in his final national competition and again made the final; after that, he decided to turn professional. As he once admitted, he had to leave the national team because of the extremely tense competition between him and more successful boxers such as Artur Beterbiev. He finished his amateur career with a record of 195-18.
Kovalev started his career with a first-round KO of Daniel Chavez at Greenboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. He won his first nine fights with first- or second-round knockout. He faced more serious competition against Darnell Boone in October 2010, when he had to fight all eight rounds, and was dropped en route to a split decision win.
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