The Kia Forum Saturday - How "The Krusher" Kovalev Got to Cruiserweight
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 May 2022
Los Angeles, May 11, 2022 -- Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev (34-4, 29 KOs), living in Long Beach, CA, will fight Tervel Pulev in his cruiserweight debut on Saturday, May 14 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA and will be streamed live on Triller and Fite.tv.
Tickets, starting at $31.00, are on sale and may be purchased through TrillerFightClub.com, TheLAForum.com, and Ticketmaster.com at http://www.ticketmaster.com/trillerverz5
The Krusher says “My motivation to keep going? First is money (laughing) and money is energy. Second is my son. I want to become world champion once again so he can see that ‘don’t ever give up.’ Right now, it is all for my kids. I tell them and show them to follow your dreams and your dreams will come true. If I ended my boxing career right now, I would feel uncomfortable for the rest of my life.
“Since I lost my title to Canelo, I am not on the top. Since I changed to cruiserweight it has changed everything, most importantly I don’t have to worry about losing the weight. Actually, the last two years fighting at light heavyweight, and making 175, was miserable for me.”
2019 “was a crazy year” for Kovalev. In February, Sergey won back the title from Eleider Alvarez. Then the WBO ordered a mandatory defense against Anthony Yarde that was first scheduled June in Russia. He arrived in Russia one month before the fight and “was right on weight at 182.” The fight was soon cancelled the first week of June and rescheduled for August 24 “so I went back home to US and during those three weeks we celebrated my wife’s birthday and all the sudden I got back to 200 pounds,” which is his regular walk-around weight. Training camp for the new date began June 20 and on July 20 he returned to Russia. “The day after the Yarde win, I got the offer to fight Canelo, and two weeks later returned to training camp. Some fighters fight for their legacy, I fight to fight. I have never turned down a fight.
“The night of the Canelo fight, we are at the door to begin the ring walk and a fella with a headset came to us and said, ‘we are not ready, we have to wait for the other fights (the UFC card) to finish.’ We waited for another hour. An hour! I went to the corner after round seven and I said to Buddy ,”Buddy, I am spent, totally,” and he said “I see.”
“Now I feel fresh. Making 175 was killing me. I was at the point either quit or move up in weight. Now I can eat everything at any time.”
“This is a new step in my boxing career. I plan to fight a couple more years. No more than three years. I am not sure how many fights it will take to get a title. But if I win a title next year – then I will stop. How long will it take to get a title shot? It could be a two or three year wait, but we will see. I can fight into my 40’s no problem. I just had two years off. I am fresh.”
But on the other hand, after May 14, if Jake Paul wants to fight, I will be ready, and I will knock him out.”
Sergey is being trained by Buddy McGirt and his strength and conditioning coach is Teddy Cruz. They are the duo that reinvented Arturo Gatti.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
“I’M ONLY GETTING BETTER”: CONFIDENT PAT McCORMACK PLOTS HUGE HOMECOMING WIN OVER MIGUEL PARRA TO SPARK WORLD TITLE CHARGE
Thu, 28 Aug 2025Heart of a Lion: 'Lucky Boy' Reymark Alicaba Earns Praise Despite Loss by Points in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 28 Aug 2025Dante Kirkman Looks to be the First Fighter to Stop Dylan Carlson
Thu, 28 Aug 2025Shawn Darling Inducted into New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame
Thu, 28 Aug 2025Arca wins 13th Mindanao Open chessfest
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 28 Aug 2025Carzano rules FIDE-Rated Open Rapid Chess Tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 28 Aug 2025Pythons-Primo wins 5 golds, 3 silvers, 2 bronzes in Kadayawan judo
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 28 Aug 2025Crawford to Be Stripped of WBA Title Once He Climb the Ring to Fight Canelo
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 27 Aug 2025Sebastian Juarez Remains Undefeated with Captivating 4th Round TKO Over Louis Hernandez
Wed, 27 Aug 2025Jajaira Gonzalez Prepared to Meet the Moment at 2025 World Boxing Championships
Wed, 27 Aug 20252 Division & Former Unified World Champion Juan Francisco Estrada Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
Wed, 27 Aug 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 25 AUGUST 2025
By Eric Armit, Tue, 26 Aug 2025Magpily rules PH National Women's Elimination - Luzon Leg
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 26 Aug 2025Carlos De Leon Shines with 2nd Round TKO, Remains Undefeated on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 14
Tue, 26 Aug 2025GM Daniel Quizon Wins 4th Edition Eduardo B. Basilonia Touchmove Open Invitational Rapid Chess Tournament; pockets P100,000
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 26 Aug 2025