Sergey Kovalev vs. Isaac Chilemba: The Krusher Dominates

By Peter Silkov

Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1, 26koes) retained his WBO, WBA, and IBF, world light-heavyweight championship against Isaac Chilemba (24-4-2, 10koes) today, July 11, at the DIVS Palace of Sports, in Ekaterinburg, Russia.  It was one of ‘The Krusher’s’ more awkward defences against an opponent who spent most of the fight on the retreat.  Chilemba is an elusive counter puncher, who can slip, spoil, and generally frustrate his opponents, and he did just this against the champion for the most part of 12 rounds.  Yet, Chilemba did little offensive work of his own against the always-pressing Kovalev.

The fight followed the same pattern for most of its 12 rounds, with Kovalev the aggressor against the defensive minded challenger.  For the most part, Kovalev showed great patience against an adversary who was constantly looking to avoid any heavy fistic engagements.  Chilemba’s strategy seemed clear, to try and catch Sergey on the counter. Although he landed at times with his fast hands, Chilemba’s counters were too infrequent to make a dent on the champion.

While the champion was always the aggressor, he was taking his time early on, and some of the early rounds were close, as the fight resembled a technical chess match.  This changed however in the 7th round when Kovalev went up a gear and floored Chilemba heavily.  To his credit, the challenger lasted the round, despite being under a heavy assault by ‘The Krusher.’

From then on, Kovalev was pretty dominant, and he had Chilemba hurt again in the 8th and 10 rounds. Chilemba is strong and durable and seemed determined to hang onto his record of never having been stopped during his career.  In the 12th and final round Kovalev seemed to be doing his best to score a stoppage, but Chilemba fought back, and the two engaged in the best exchanges of the fight in the closing minutes.

Kovalev won by a unanimous point’s verdict, with scores of 117-110, 116-111, and 118-109.  The Boxing Glove had ‘The Krusher’ winning by 10 rounds to 2, with Chilemba sneaking the 4th and 6th rounds with his crafty counter-punches.

This was a memorable night for Sergey in many ways as it was his first appearance in a Russian ring since 2011, when he was involved the tragic fight with Roman Simakov that resulted in Simakov’s death.  In what was a brave move by Kovalev, he chose to reappear in front of his home fans in the very same arena where he had fought Simakov 4 and a half years ago.

There were times during his fight with Chilemba when Sergey seemed to be a little distracted and even nervous, and if these emotions were connected to his memories of Simakov, it would hardly be surprising.  In his post fight interview Kovalev paid tribute to the memory of Simakov.  At that moment he seemed suddenly to be the most relaxed he had been all night, perhaps he felt that at last a burden had been lifted from him, at least a little bit.

‘The Krusher’ will now face the highly regarded Andre Ward in November.  At first glance, Chilemba may be seen to have exposed some flaws in the champion, by frustrating him at times and forcing him to go the distance.  Ward will have to be much more positive than Chilemba was today if he is to beat Kovalev. It is that need to be positive, which will mean that Kovalev will have more opportunities to land his bombs, and even a defensive master such as Ward will give Kovalev more opportunities to land his bombs than Isaac Chilemba did.

In the end, the 12-round that Kovalev traveled today against Chilemba are just what he needed in the run up to his show down with ‘The Son of God.’

Watch the fight:

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Sergey Kovalev Vs. Isaac Chilemba: No Easy Night for The Krusher

By Peter Silkov

Today is a time when most boxing fans are feeling more than a little cynical about the state of their sport with its never ending politics, which seems determined to deprive them of seeing the best contests being made between the best fighters, even when the fighters in question wish to make the fights.  Then, we have some boxers today who seemingly do not want to make the kind of matches that the fans want, and do not want to meet their most dangerous rivals.  Yet, there are exceptions to this. Take for instance the WBA, WBO and IBF World light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (29-0-1, 26koes.) Here we have a world champion who is lined up in November to defend his titles against Andre Ward, considered by many to be one of boxing’s finest fighters, pound-for-pound, in the world.  It is a clash that many are hoping will be the biggest fight of 2016; a year that has so far been painfully lacking a ’superfight’ of any kind.

As is the way with modern boxing, it wasn’t an easy fight to make at the beginning. Certainly Ward took some coaxing before he agreed to sign on the dotted line and part of the deal was that Ward would fit in a number of ’warm up’ fights before meeting Kovalev.  Finally the deal has been made, and on November 19, Kovalev will defend his world titles against Andre Ward at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, about 18 months after negotiations for the fight first began.

For Kovalev it is a huge fight.  Although he is the champion, he is meeting a fighter who is regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer of his generation. A victory for Kovalev will take him a step closer to genuine ’greatness’ himself. This is the kind of clash, which the great champions of the past thrived on.  

The only problem for Kovalev is the wait until the fight with Ward.  With such an important career-defining fight coming up, most champions would be content to wait it out, and not risk anything in any kind of ’warm up’ or ’keep busy’ fight in the mean time.  Many champions today are content to have one or two fights a year, especially if those fights are ‘big‘ fights.  But, Kovalev is a throwback to the champions of the past, both in his fighting style, attitude in the ring, a desire to be a busy fighter, and an active champion. 

Instead of waiting it out, and simply relaxing for a few months before facing Ward this winter, Kovalev has opted to fight. Rather than just take a keep busy non-title fight or a soft tough voluntary defence, ‘The Krusher’ will be defending his world title belts against a tough and tricky opponent who will be doing his very best to spoil ‘The Krusher’s’ future plans. 

On Monday, July 11, Kovalev will defend his titles against Isaac Chilemba (24-3-2, 10koes) at the DIVS, Arena, Ekaterinburg, and Russia. Rather than being simple ‘keeps busy’ fight, this is a real live defence for Kovalev.

Chilemba is a skilful and crafty counter puncher; capable of making anyone look bad, and giving the very best at his weight a tricky night.  The South African turned professional in 2005, but throughout his career, has often found it hard to get fights due to his difficult and slippery style.

In 2013 he fought Britain’s Tony Bellew twice, and was very unlucky to only get a draw in the first fight, and lost a close decision in their second fight.  Since these fights, Chilemba has won 4 out of 5 contests, with his only defeat coming in his last fight on November 28, 2015, when he lost on points to unbeaten, Eleider Alvarez, which was seen by many as yet another robbery against Chilemba.

Chilemba has never been stopped in his career, and has speed, technique, and the ability to frustrate.  One thing that Chilemba does lack is a knockout punch, but he has the skills and ring guile to make this an interesting fight, and perhaps a dangerous one if Sergey turns up with his mind partly upon the Ward fight.  Many champions of the past have been tripped up in such a way, when looking past their most immediate fight, to another fight in the future. 

It’s not too difficult to see why Kovalev would choose to take on a fighter like Chilemba, just before he faces Ward.  While no one would claim that Chilemba is on the same kind of level as Ward, he does nevertheless have a similarly elusive and awkward counter punching style that is akin to Ward’s.  In this way, Chilemba will make an excellent prelude for how Kovalev will deal with Ward’s counter punching skills.

Kovalev has already dealt with one master counter puncher, in the form of ‘The Alien’ Bernard Hopkins, whom he beat on points, in what was close to being a shut out match in November 2014.  He is likely to fight Chilemba the same way as he fought Hopkins, with constant pressure, but not just from power punches, but with heavy use of his jab and underrated technical skills.

Like Hopkins did, Chilemba (and Andre Ward in the near future) will find out that Sergey Kovalev is not simply a dynamite punching slugger, he is also a very technically astute boxer when he needs to be. He has an excellent jab, and patience, which should help him avoid falling into the kind of traps that a counter punter like him relies upon.

Kovalev should be able to win this fight by using his underrated technical skills alongside his much-vaunted punching power.  He may well become the first man to stop the strong-chinned Chilemba, which in itself will be an impressive performance. 
Failing a stoppage or a knockout victory from Kovalev, a point’s win would be a workmanlike win for ’The Krusher’ and may well be what he needs before taking on Andre Ward.

Yet Monday’s defence is important for Kovalev for yet another reason, beyond his opponent Chilemba.  It marks the first time that Kovalev will be fighting in his homeland of Russia since December 5, 2011.   And his last appearance in a Russian ring is a day that will be forever embedded upon Kovalev’s mind. His opponent that day, Roman Simakov, fell into a coma after being stopped in the 7th round, and died of his injuries three days later.

It is one of those fights that you watch and wonder why no one in Simakov’s corner, the referee, or the ring doctor, thought to stop the fight earlier.  Kovalev, though noticeably cruder than he is now, was winning the fight from the beginning, and constantly landing his heavy shots to Simakov’s largely unprotected head.  Simakov was viewed as a rising prospect, with a record of (19-1-1.) He had no answer to Kovalev’s overwhelming power and strength, except his own strength and courage that allowed him to continue to take punches that he shouldn’t have been allowed to keep taking. He was finally rendered helpless in the 7th round and the fight was finally stopped.  By then it was already too late.

In a perverse twist, the aftermath of Simakov’s death found Kovalev being blamed for the tragedy, rather than Simakov's own corner or the doctor or referee, all of whom could have stopped the fight sooner.

Usually when tragedies like this strike in boxing you hear about the families of the fighter who has passed away not wishing to lay any blame upon his opponent.  Unfortunately in this case, Simakov’s Father not only blamed Sergey for his son’s death, but also sought to have charges brought against him.  Even after an official investigation, in which Kovalev and his team cooperated fully, including submitting the gloves, which Sergey wore on the night of the fight, Simakov’s family is still understood to be bitter and angry with Kovalev.

Until now, Kovalev has never talked publicly about this tragedy that, for a time, made him question his future in the sport.  Eventually Kovalev came to the realization that he had to carry on following his path of being a boxer, after having devoted his life to since the age of 11 to boxing.  But, the tragedy remains a dark scar that he will always carry.

Perhaps after blocking this tragedy away for the past 4 and a half years, Sergey Kovalev has come to the decision that it is something that he now needs to come face to face with again.  When he returns to a Russian boxing ring on Monday against Isaac Chilemba, it will be the same ring and in the same DIVS Arena, where he fought Roman Simakov on that tragic night in December 2011.

Fighters are a tough breed and Sergey Kovalev is among the toughest of them.  He is a throw back to the fighters of the past who had the hunger that can only be understood by someone who has grown up in the harsh reality of real poverty.

When he returns to the DIVS arena this Monday, Sergey Kovalev will not simply be looking to defend his world titles successfully against Isaac Chilemba, or keeping busy before his much anticipated November showdown with Andre Ward, he will be hoping to make peace with the past.

Roman Simakov’s parents are believed to still live very near to the DIVS arena, and Sergey has spoken about his wish to see them, something that did not happen in the acrimonious aftermath of Simakov’s death.

Asked what he would say to Simakov’s family if he does come face to face with them, Sergey said “I don’t know,” With his voice betraying the strength of emotions that he is usually able to keep at bay. “I won’t [ask] them to come to the arena, because it’s not a good memory. I’m not going to do that. But I’d like to see them. I don’t know what I can say to them. Just hello, and I’m sorry.”

Sergey Kovalev Interview about upcoming fight:

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Roy Jones Jr. Knocked Out By Enzo Maccarinelli as Russian Dream Crumbles

Photo: (VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

By Peter Silkov

Former pound-for-pound number 1 in the world, Roy Jones Jr., saw his much heralded debut in a Russian ring turn into a nightmare tonight at the VTB Arena, in Moscow.  Jones Jr’s. dream of breathing new life into his career disintegrated with every passing minute of the bout, as he was out-muscled and out-sped, by opponent Enzo Maccarinelli, before being savagely knocked out in the 4th round.

Roy Jones Jr. has recently moved to Russia and taken on Russian citizenship, and has found himself feted and fussed over by the Russian fans in a way that he has not been treated in America for at least the last decade. Perhaps it was a new beginning.

Instead, the new beginning came to a violent end.

From the start of the fight, things looked ominous for Jones Jr., who will be 47 years old in 5 weeks time. Maccarinelli looked the sharper fighter from the start, and also seemed to have the edge in strength over Jones Jr. The two exchanged punches early on, but it was the Welshman’s shots that carried more force. While Jones was trying to work off the jab, Maccarinelli was firing to the head and body, and landing with worrying regularity. The fact that Enzo’s hand speed was troubling Jones Jr. was a clear early sign that this was not going to be a happy night for Jones. After Maccarinelli won the first 2 rounds by virtue of his crisper more accurate punching, Jones came back to edge the 3rd round with some flashes of his old brilliance.  Yet, just when it looked as if Jones Jr. was working his way into the fight, he suddenly looked very old in the 4th round. Enzo came out more forcefully in the 4th, firing his punches with real venom, and after driving Jones Jr. to the ropes, he landed a brutal uppercut, which send Jones Jr. down face first onto the canvas. Surprisingly, Jones Jr. beat the count. He rose with an embarrassed smile, but the smile soon faded when Enzo was upon him again, driving him back to the ropes with a two-fisted barrage, then a vicious uppercut, and right hook to the head that saw Jones Jr. drop forward onto the canvas again, where he landed with a sickening thud. Happily this time, there was no count and the medics rushed to Jones’ aid with impressive quickness. This was a bad knockout which ever way you looked at it, but for a soon-to-be 47 year old, with a long line of amateur and professional contests behind him, a knockout like this can be fatal.

There is a limit to how much the human body can withstand.  At his best, Jones Jr. was an all-time great with talent to burn. He had the kind of speed and elusiveness that you usually don’t see in the ring. But, that was a long time ago, and with his reflexes and speed robbed from him by age, Roy Jones Jr. is no longer able to dodge the punches that he once would elude with an almost embarrassing ease.  Part of Jones Jr.’s problem is he still tries to fight the way he did in his prime, but he just can’t.  

Against Maccarinelli tonight, Jones Jr. at times looked almost defenseless, against a man who at 35, is hardly in the first flush of his career either. 

Maccarinelli declared before his fight that Jones Jr. was his idol in years gone by. The affable Welshman’s celebrations were muted after the fight, as he seemed genuinely upset at what he had done to Jones Jr., but Maccarinelli just did his job, and deserves credit for performing so well after his own recent career setbacks and inactivity.  Jones Jr. came into this match on a 8-fight winning streak, but Enzo was the first fighter he had faced in a long time who held a dangerous punch.

Once Jones Jr. would have out-sped Maccarinelli with ease, but the fact that it was Maccarinelli, not Jones Jr. who was the faster and sharper fighter tonight, shows beyond doubt that it really is over for Roy Jones Jr. 

Perhaps Enzo Maccarinelli did Roy Jones Jr. a favour today by knocking him out so brutally and embarrassingly in front of his new Russian fans. Hopefully he has shown Jones Jr. that his place in the ring now is that of a trainer, not a boxer.

Let’s hope so.

 Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes towww.theboxingglove.com


Watch full fight:

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury: Weekend Prediction & Preview

By IDran James

Tomorrow night there will be a number of big fights taking place. The biggest of them all will be the World heavyweight title fight between Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 54 KOs) and Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) in Germany. At one point it looked as if the match was in jeopardy due to a dispute over gloves, but now everything seems to have been sorted out and agreed, and the fight will finally go ahead. Fury will be watched by a large contingent of British fans that have made their way over to Germany to support him, but has Tyson got a chance of springing an upset?

The champion is hugely experienced (he's had more world title fights than Fury has had fights) and very sound technically and physically. If Wladimir has a weakness, it is his chin, he has been stopped 3 times during his career, but has remained unbeaten in the last 11 years. When compared statistically, the only advantages that Tyson has got is his youth, and size. Yet, these could be two aspects that can give him a crucial edge and a little more of a chance. It is also interesting to note that some years ago Tyson was chosen as the possible successor to the Klitschko brothers by, none other than Emanuel Steward, the trainer who turned Wladimir into a near invincible fighting machine.

Realistically, no fighter is truly invincible, especially when they are on the cusp of 40 years of age. Perhaps Fury's biggest motivator is the fact that most people are giving him little chance of winning, that and Fury's own confidence in himself, which despite the pressure of the big fight, seems to have survived undimmed. If Fury can survive the early rounds when Wladimir looks certain to be looking for a knockout, then there is the interesting possibility that Fury may be able to get his jab going and begin utilizing his height and size advantage, which could make things very interesting. Fury is better than he is often given credit for, and if he can produce the fight of his life tomorrow night, then the world of boxing could be in for a surprise. Logic tells us that Fury will not win, and the champion is too experienced and too good, but boxing is not logical, and sometimes a person who is inspired can overcome all logical bounds. This is the beauty of boxing.

The undercard:

Robert Tlatlik    (17-0 ) vs. Said Rahimi (9-2). Light Welterweight. 10 rounds.
Hugie Fury (17-0) vs. Adnan Radovan (16-1). Heavyweight. 10 rounds.
Jono Carrol (8-0) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (13-0). Junior Lightweight. 8 rounds.
Samy Raid Musa (8-0) vs. Jay Spencer (10-0). Super Middleweight. 6 rounds.
Patrick Korte (2-0) vs. Moises Distino (2-0). Heavyweight. 4 round.


Wladimir Klitschko weighed in at 245.8 and Tyson Fury weighed in at 246.9:


Watch

If you would like a full list of the many fights going on this weekend, visit Boxrec’s calendar with the  full listings. http://boxrec.com/calendar?v=d&d=2015-11-28

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Sergey Kovalev vs. Blake Caparello: Kovalev Aiming to Krush Caparello

 

By Peter Silkov

 WBO world light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (24-0-1, 22koes) returns to the ring this Saturday, to defend his title against Australian challenger Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6koes) at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  

This will be Kovalev’s third defence of the title, which he ripped from the head of Nathan Cleverly, in four rounds last July. Sergey Kovalev had entered that match a bit of a mystery man to the general boxing public, but already rumoured to be a puncher of serious note. What transpired that night served to show why Kovalev has been given the nickname of ‘The Krusher.’ The Russian’s performances since winning the title have marked him out as one of the most destructive punchers in the world, pound-for-pound, alongside fellow Eastern European wrecking machine Gennady Golovkin. 

‘The Krusher’ shares a number of parallels with the WBA world middleweight champion Golovkin.  As with Golovkin, although he is primarily known for his powerful punching, Kovalev is also well schooled in the finer points of boxing.  Kovalev sets his opponents up with a good jab and is an excellent body puncher. His punches, like Golovkin’s, are also short and swiftly delivered, with pinpoint accuracy.  ‘The Krusher’ makes every punch count, and despite the brevity of the majority of his fights, performs his destructive work with impressive patience. 

This strong foundation of technique makes Kovalev a much more formidable all- round fighter.  He is not the stereotypical knockout artist who can simply be out-boxed by a fighter with a bit of speed and ring technique.

While Gennady Golovkin is seen as one of the most explosive punchers pound-for- pound in the world, Kovalev’s own punching prowess seems to be, if anything, even more explosive, to a point where it may well be in a class of its own. In his 24 victories, Kovalev has only had to go past the 3rd round five times.

Another thing which Kovalev shares with Golovkin since winning his world title, is a difficulty enticing the other big names of his division, especially the division’s other ’world champions’ to enter the ring with him.  At one point, a showdown with Adonis Stevenson (who holds the WBC and lineal titles) in what would have been a big unification fight, seemed to have been agreed by all parties, only for Stevenson to then turn around and move to rival network Showtime.  As well as generating a lawsuit, which is still in its early stages, this move by Stevenson has denied Kovalev of what would have been a defining fight. The other big name at 175 pounds is the remarkable Bernard Hopkins, who at the tender age of 49 years old, holds the WBA and IBF titles. Unfortunately for ’The Krusher,’ Hopkins has recently seemed far more interested in facing Stevenson in the ring, although some recent comments from ’The Alien’ may be cause for hope. Hopkin’s has said that he may be open to tackling Kovalev before he facing Stevenson. Then again, this statement could be an example of Hopkins’ mind games and a method of coaxing Stevenson to come to a decision in their negotiations.   

With the other ‘world champions’ avoiding him, Kovalev has had to take the challenges from the fighters that are willing to face him. Consequently, Kovalev has had the quality of his opposition questioned (another dilemma of Gennady Golovkin.) While Kovalev’s challengers so far may not include the names of elite level fighters, it’s worth noting that out of his past five opponents, three of them, (including Caparello) have been undefeated, and that the five fighters combined records come to (113-2-1, 78koes.)

The Australian challenger comes into Saturday’s contest unbeaten in 20 fights, with the only ’blot’ on his record being a 10 round draw in his 6th fight.   The challenger is a cagey southpaw, who stands six feet one and a half inches, and is a rangy boxer, who fights mostly off the back foot, and likes to counterpunch his opponents. Caparello’s most notable wins have come in his last two fights, with point’s decisions over Elvir Muriqi and Allan Green.  While long time solid contenders at 175, both fighters are notably past their peaks, at this point in their careers. 

One of Caparello’s biggest problems in facing ’The Krusher’, is that it is a huge leap up in competition for the Australian, and he is unlikely to appreciate just how high a leap it is until he actually feels the first punch land from Kovalev.

Another problem that the challenger has is that he is only a moderate puncher himself, with just 6 stoppage wins in his career so far.

Without a discernable punch to trouble Kovalev, the 27 -year old challenger’s only chance of victory in this fight is to employ his boxing skills, make himself an elusive target, and attempt to outbox the champion. Although Caparello is a good all-round boxer, he is not exceptional in any area.  He looks slower and less mobile than Ismayl Sillah, whom Kovalev made his first defence against last November, and dispatched in 2 rounds, and he does not have the solid defence of the champion’s last challenger Cedric Agnew, who managed to take Kovalev into the 7th round in April.

The biggest thing that Caparello has in his favour is that no one is giving him a chance, and that can sometimes prove dangerous for a defending champion.

However, ‘The Krusher’ has shown himself, up until now, to be an extremely focused and single-minded individual. He would seem unlikely to lose that hunger and intensity now, at the point of his career where he is poised to break into the elite level.

All-in-all, this looks like a straightforward ’keep busy’ defence for ’The Krusher’ with the main question being how long can the challenger survive. 

Kovalev will study his challenger early on, which will probably see him having to hunt down the Australian from behind his jab, and soften him up with his body attack.  The challenger’s apparent toughness and boxing style should see him through the early rounds, but by the 5th or 6th round Kovalev’s attacks would have taken their toll and Caparello will be slowed down enough for ’The Krusher’ to deliver the finisher.

With a possible high profile unification fight with Bernard Hopkins waiting in the near future for him, it is important for Kovalev to look impressive in this defence, and deliver what is becoming one his trademark spectacular knockouts.  The chances are that this is exactly what ’The Krusher’ will do, as he shows once more why he is fast becoming the most feared puncher, pound-for-pound, in boxing today.      






Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com