Kovalev: I didn’t recover from my last fight

“I was tired after round six, because I had my last fight very close to this one, but it’s okay, it’s a new experience for me,” said Sergey Kovalev after his eleventh round KO loss to Canelo Alvarez. “Canelo is really a great champion. A little bit right now, I didn’t recover from my last fight. But it’s okay. Thanks for the fight Canelo, I have big respect for him. He made history.”

Kovalev’s previous fight was six weeks ago on August 24, a tough eleven round KO over Anthony Yarde.

Explaining his lack of power punches, Kovalev stated, “To open my body less, I had to use more jabs, more safe.”

It doesn’t sound like retirement is in Krusher’s plans anytime soon. “I’ll be back,” he promised. “I’ll be back much stronger. I know that I can be a unified champion, let’s make a unification fight. But nobody wants to fight me in my division. This guy is more fresh, he came into my division more fresh. He has more stamina, but it’s okay, it’s a good experience for me.”

If Kovalev takes a six month break, he’ll be 37 when he returns to the ring.

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  • A suspect chin is not a good thing to have, especially once it’s been exposed. The Crusher should consider retirement, he actually seems to have mellowed and I hope he has a happy life.

    • key point is the punishment he took against Yarde. he was out on his feet in the 8th, and then 9 weeks later he’ in again against top opposition.
      he needed a 6 month break, not 9 weeks

    • He’s a racist woman beating clown and is also accused of sexual assault but you want him to have a happy life? Never bring up any other fighters problems

  • I refuse to buy the excuse he didnt recover from his last fight, Ruiz Jr beat Joshua on June 1st his fight prior to getting the call was on April 20th

    • Just asking Diego, You don’t see the affects of a hard 11 round fight with a fresh hungry fighter 8 years his jr that really pushed his aging and battle weary body, speaking about Kovalev. Andy fought a gate keeper 7 years his senior and made him quit after 5 rounds. Kovalev was never a defensive master, he was a seek and destroyer, and that type of fighter will accumulate more wear to their bodies. Andy is 7 years younger and a more complete boxer with less pugilistic miles on the odometer. You are correct in naming it an excuse, I just find it more of a reason with merit.

      • If Sergy was going to use this as an excuse he could have asked for a later date nobody forced him to sign the contract and take the fight.

      • I was surprised Kovalev was willing to turn it around so quickly after his war with Yarde. It is a valid excuse, but I really don’t think it affected the outcome . A fighter can go again the following week if he didn’t take a lot of punishment, but Kovalevs case, he did, and I think that fight took a lot out of him

    • The difference is Ruiz dominated his fight prior to Joshua and didn’t take any damage while Kovalev took a lot of damage against Yarde. I’m not saying he would’ve won with a longer break between Yarde fight and Canelo fight but the Ruiz comparison is not fair for reasons I mentioned.

    • You refuse to buy because you are a Latino Diego. Kovalev is old his body needed time to recover. He was schooling canelo before he gassed.

        • thanks sergey kovalev,my bet won and i thank you for the $$$$ i
          made good job

      • Schooling…in what way hit the gloves…in the ring was cat and mouse and cat catch mouse in 11round.

    • Yes but Kov v yard was life and death. There is obviously a big difference

    • Yes, but certainly Ortiz’s fight with Ustinov (I think that was the fighter) was not as tough as Kovalev’s fight with Yarde. So he does have a point. I would have to look at how far back the match that Cannelo had with Jacobs, but that was certainly not as difficult.

  • Kovalev may not want to retire but Canelo just cashed in his big time player chips. Kovalev is officially now a gatekeeper.

    • His only way up wld be to fight Bivol and dominate to set up a fight with beterbiev. Then he could possibly be back up in the ranks. But i doubt he cld dominate either one of them.Hes 36 and jus got paid.. he should take his new fortune and retire. Best and safest bet while he still has a big name. Im still proud of u Kov! U were an amazing champ!

      • I’d like to see him fight Beterbiev first. That guy is undefeated, and someone who would push a slugfest. He hits like sledgehammer, can take a punch and I believe that would be more entertaining. I think Bivol would outbox him by using his height and reach. He’s a far superior defensive fighter to Kov and Beterbiev.

  • So we can conclude that SK knowing this before the fight he still went thru with it knowing he couldn’t perform at his best thereby fooling the public and grabbing his 12 mil.The scorecards reflect that CA was going to win no matter what if the fight went the distance because no way was CA winning this fight going into the eleventh round in fact no even close.He threw punches sporadically and missed alot. SK showed no signs of facial damage.The fight was boring and long wait to start it was embarrassing for fight this big.Someone answer this question then,if he knew he didn’t have the stamina to last the whole fight why didn’t he try to sit down on his punches early in the fight and try and get CA out of there.What kind of fighter says he didn’t want to get hit if he thrw a punch with bad intentions.SK cheated the fans and if he thinks he has any market value fighting the way he did with no chin he is dreaming.No one mentions CA was losing to a guy who wasn’t really fighting before he gassed out?

    • I don’t see Kovalev saying “I knew I didn’t recover from my last figh” but rather making emphasis that he felt that as the fight was progressing, more in every round after the 6th

  • THe Krusher kept holding back and threw only a few power shots…very suspecious to me… CAnelo deserves the WIN.. Maybe Ward will come out of retirement, WIll CAnelo go to heavyweight ? Not too funny to ask since Tyson ws shorter than Canelo… This guy is on top of the world right now in this sport.. another fight with Mayweather ?? Who knows ?

    • Jonn, all online stats have Tyson at least 1″ taller than Alvarez, 5′ 9″ vs 5′ 10″. Even adding 25-30 lbs of muscle would put Canelo 40lbs lighter than the extremely harder hitting HW champs. There is no current “John Ruiz” type HW champion to out box for a 5th division championship, just saying.

    • I think Canelo was pushing it going to Light Heavy. He may even be able to bang as a Cruiser, but I don’t see him competing as a Heavy. Of course height isn’t the only factor in determining ones fitness to compete as a heavyweight; Although short, Tyson was a natural heavyweight. His body was built differently. There’s a 6′-6″ guy in the Welterweight division now who clearly does not have the body type to compete at heavyweight. I would have said the same thing though about Guillermo Jones, who began his career as a 6′-4″ Welterweight and went up and up in weight, won the Cruiserweight title, and was most recently fighting at heavyweight…but I digress-I highly doubt Canelo will go up to the heavies! Who’s he gonna fight- Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua?

  • This is EXACTLY why fishnets wanted Canelo to take this fight. Everyone knew it. Canelo wasn’t winning the fight either, I don’t care what the scorecards say. This fight was a sham.

  • Kovalev looked very clumsy and gun shy in this fight. He is claiming that didn’t recover from his last fight. I don’t buy that, that is a poor excuse trying to hide what is very obvious: he is done. I believe Yarde took from him the little leftover he had in the tank
    Retirement is the most appropriate decision IMO

  • Headline should read, I made a very fine recovery, I took half of the FED with me. 🙂 i’m now better than I once was, and now better than I’ll ever be. In the meantime this new soft spoken man has become a spokesperson for Fishnet gear.

  • Kovalev wasn’t the same since his two losses against Ward.
    A 2015 Kovale would have demolished Alvarez.

  • Don’t make excuses Kovalev, you got greedy and bent over backwards for their demands over greed and money. Money is the root of all evil and you wanted the money more. Canelo got paid 35 million and you got paid 3 million. Take the money and retire for good now…

  • not recovered?? Thats a poor excuse. In the golden age of this thing we call a sport, that’s debatable, the great and not so great fought twice a month. Robinson fought a brutal fight with LaMotta and they had a rematch 3 weeks later and in a another brutal battle. Poor excuse

    • Yah you’re right James. And even he had a fight in between I think. But don’t forget you are talking about a very young version of the best fighter ever existed

  • Tough loss for Krusher wars take a lot out of you that’s why 2 fights a year is the elite level competition now a days. Plus having trouble making weight is a handicap worse not being able to rehydrate to max potential to be the bigger man to use weight as a advantage or at least what I think stamina not being drained.. Learning lesson CA remembers that from when he fought money may and Oscar remembers that when he fought pac-man rehydration clauses

  • Give up, Kovalev, you fought like a powder flake. The other light heavyweight champs would blast you out in 1 or 2 rounds.

  • I watched the fight very carefully and Kovalev was toying around with Gingerboy for the first 5 rounds! ….There is absolutely no way Kovalev was going to lose the fight unless the outcome was predetermined. All he had to do was clinch, keep pumping that jab, and move like he did for 10 rounds…..its almost like he had to trade and allow himself to fight differently to satisfy fishnet and company. . .boxing is not like in the old days….too much money.

  • Definitely not enough time to recover this battered body and brain. Canelo and his team know what they’re doing – looking for low hanging fruit. I thought Arum is the worst scum in boxing, but DeLaHoya might be even worse

  • It was a close fight up until the KO. I think Kovalev is finished at the highest level, I also think that Canelo will never fight at Light Heavy again.

  • con hello would never even think about ward, ward would clown him it would be worse than what floyd did to him. he never even mentioned ward or any light heavies until he seen how shot SK was. he wont even mention the top guys at middle weight or super middles. he will get schooled possibly knocked out against charlo or benavides. he wants to fight amir khan or rocky whatever his name is balboa? hes a bumb and even had to have a hydration clause against a war tested battle worn SK. same when he fought jacobs thats not a real champ. thats some pussy shit if you ask me.

  • Who knows what the truth is …and what rarely do we ever get the real stuff however there is something very real bout him not been fully recovered after last fight Yarde is a thunder puncher. Plus when Canelo offers you a fight as the biggest draw you take it on his terms. As well as everyone can see this not Krusher the former most destructive LH champ.

  • Punch stats from compubox Yarde’s 132 landed punches were the most by a Kov opponent of his fights in 21 of his fights tracked by compubox and in round 8 Yarde landed 34 punches to wear down his opponent. So make of that what we will.

  • “previous fight was six weeks ago”

    I didn’ t realize it was so recent. Anyways he still should’ve won.

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