Kovalev To Hopkins: “Any Time, Any Place!”

Good stuff coming from Main Events, from promoter Kathy Duva and her guy Sergey Kovalev, who is not going to quit signaling his desire to fight the top dogs in and around his weight class.

Bernard Hopkins recently made noise about his willingness to fight Sergey Kovalev, and so Duva and Kovalev are taking the ball Hopkins tossed, and running with it.

I find it interesting to hear from Hopkins something you just about never do…him considering the possibility that he could lose, and even that he could be knocked out.

Check out the release which Main Events sent out today, Tuesday, and note that it appears Duva went into “out up or shut up mode” after Hopkins said he’d be willing to fight Krusher, and reached out to B-Hop’s people, only to be told that the state of transition at Golden Boy is keeping Hopkins from negotiating his next step.

It is clear that Duva isn’t backing down from her recent flurrying of speaking truth to power, and agitating, in contentious fashion if neccessary, to get top-notch fights for her 175 pound banger. Makes sense, as Kovalev wants the stiffest tests, and is risking a momentum stall with back to back fights against sub-marquee names, in Cedric Agnew, and now Blake Caparello.

Readers, check out this release, and then weigh in with your analysis of the situation.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL: As Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs) prepares to defend his WBO Light Heavyweight World Title against Blake “Il Capo” Caparello on August 2nd on HBO Boxing After Dark from Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, the media is buzzing about the possibility of a unification fight between Krusher and IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs).

“Krusher”

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

In a recent interview with BoxingScene.com, Hopkins called out Kovalev saying, “I got two titles and a legacy. What’s Kovalev got? A punch and a WBO title – let’s do it.” He added, “The perception is, is that Kovalev is a killer and [Adonis] Stevenson doesn’t want to fight him, he wants to fight an old man. If that’s the case, I’ll knock off Kovalev first, because I believe that I can beat him. I believe that he’s a tough fight, but I believe that I can beat him. It’s a fight where if I make a mistake I can get knocked out. And yeah Bernard Hopkins can get knocked out too, and so can Kovalev and so can Stevenson, who’s been knocked out once in his career.”

Hopkins, of course, is referring to the planned title unification fight on HBO between WBO Champion Kovalev and WBC Champion Adonis Stevenson, which was scuttled when Stevenson and his Promoter chose to take a path avoiding Kovalev. That decision is now the subject of ongoing litigation.

Kovalev

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

Kovalev was predictably peeved when Stevenson called off their planned fight. He would especially relish the opportunity to face the legendary Hopkins before Stevenson gets the chance, though he remains circumspect. Kovalev said, “All I want to do is fight the best. I wanted to fight Stevenson but he ran away. I would get in the ring with Bernard Hopkins right now! Any time, any place! But who knows? Maybe he’s just trying to get more money from Showtime? So, I am focused on preparing for my fight on HBO on August 2nd and after we’ll see if Hopkins will really get in the ring with me.”

Kovalev vs. Agnew

Photo Credits: Rich Graessle/Main Events

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva added, “After reading Bernard’s comments to BoxingScene.com, I immediately reached out to all of the parties potentially involved on the Hopkins side to try to make the fight happen. But what I heard from all of them is ‘I don’t know,’ including when I asked who would represent Bernard in negotiations. If Bernard Hopkins truly wants to fight Sergey Kovalev, I know we can make a deal. Like Sergey, we will focus on our preparations for his title fight against Blake Caparello on August 2nd, while Hopkins sorts out his promotional situation.”

About Kovalev vs. Caparello:The WBO Light Heavyweight World Championship between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, (24-0-1, 22 KOs) and Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) is onSaturday, August 2nd at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic, City, NJ. The fight will be telecast as part of a split-site triple-header on HBO Boxing After Darkbeginning at 9:45 PM ET/PT. The event is presented by Main Events in association with DiBella Entertainment. Tickets prices are $55, $80, $160 and $250. They are available at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. Doors open at6:30 PM and the HBO Boxing After Dark special triple header split site telecast begins at 9:45 PM.

About Revel

Revel Casino Hotel is Atlantic City’s newest and most spacious casino resort and convention destination. Located on Atlantic City’s world-famous boardwalk, the ocean front hotel is designed to offer endless views of the Atlantic at every turn. The casino resort offers 130,000 square feet of world class gaming, with 2,400 slots, 130 table games, electronic tables and players’ lounges, along with the high-limit table game Ultra Lounge. A member of the American Express Gold Hotel Collection, Revel features 1,399 ocean view rooms. Guests can enjoy indoor and outdoor pools, cabanas, gardens, lounges, a 32,000-square-foot spa, 13 restaurants that offer a range of fine dining to deliciously affordable menu options, a collection of boutiques, nightclubs, a dayclub, and live entertainment at The Social and showroom headliners at Ovation Hall. While taking in all the casino has to offer, guests can earn points as they play, dine, shop and relax with the Revel Card loyalty program. For additional information and updates, and for complete details and rules of all promotions, customers can visit the Revel Card desk or visit www.revelcasino.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/revel and follow @revelresorts on Twitter and @revelcasino on Instagram.

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV