Sergey Kovalev Bio, Career Record & Fighter Profile
Sergey Kovalev is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport to watch. His outstanding punching power has earned him the nickname “Krusher”. He currently holds the WBO light heavyweight belt. He also holds one of the best knockout ratios in boxing with 21 knockouts in 23 wins.
- Sergey Kovalev’s record is 23 (21) – 0 (as of March 2014)
- See all the latest Sergey Kovalev news & updates
Amateur Career:
Kovalev had an elongated amateur career where he won the silver medal at the Russian Junior Championships as a Light Welterweight in 2000 and the silver again as a Middleweight in 2001. In 2005, he won the gold at the Military Championships at Light Heavyweight. As an amateur, he fought 215, winning 193 times. He was never knocked down in his amateur career.
Early Career:
In 2009, Kovalev began his professional career, collecting his first win via TKO against Daniel Chavez. In 2011, Kovalev faced a fellow Russian in Roman Simakov, a fight that lasted longer than most fights with Kovalev do. In the 7th round, the fight was stopped on a technical knockout, but the subsequent effects after the fight were devastating. Simakov went into a coma following the bout, and died in the hospital three days later. Kovalev felt extremely bad about the passing of Simakov, as he visited his parents and gave the prize money from his next fight to the family.
A notable fight that gained the Russian his first major recognition was when he beat Gabriel Campillo by way of a 3rd round knockout. Campillo was a proven veteran, who was supposed to provide a challenge. That wasn’t the case at all, as Kovalev blew right past him. The win established Kovalev as a rising threat and a must-watch fighter.
Emergence in the Sport:
Coming off a dominant victory in the Campillo fight, Kovalev took on Cornelius White in another quick, devastating performance. He was set to rest by the 3rd round, in a bout where Kovalev’s power was clearly too much.
Next up was Kovalev’s biggest fight to date, when he took on Nathan Cleverly. While Cleverly entered the bout as an unbeaten fighter, and the defending champion, most fans predicted that Kovalev’s power and indomitable aggression would be too much. Indeed, it was. As in all of Kovalev’s fights, he came out swinging, looking for the early knockout, and that is precisely what happened. By the fourth round, he wore down Cleverly and finished him by way of technical knockout.
Kovalev’s most recent fight was against Ismayl Sillakh, a fight where he displayed his brute force of power. Sillakh was knocked out cold by the second round, as Krusher was victorious by brutal knockout yet again.
What’s next for Sergey Kovalev?
Kovalev is becoming one of the most feared boxers in the sport with the utter annihilation he has orchestrated over all of his previous opponents. There are some interesting matchups that can be made in the light heavyweight division, with Kovalev’s emergence coinciding with a renaissance of sorts at 175 pounds. But true boxing fans only want to see one boxing match with Sergey Kovalev, and that involves Adonis Stevenson. Kovalev’s next fight is against Cedric Agnew, but hopefully we see a Kovalev vs. Stevenson fight before too long.
