Australia: As all eyes are on Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs) and the possibility of a unification fight with Bernard “Alien” Hopkins later this year, Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) sees everyone in the boxing community forgetting about the undefeated southpaw from Australia who is challenging Kovalev for his WBO Light Heavyweight World Title August 2 at Revel in Atlantic City, NJ.
Fans and the media alike are mesmerized by Kovalev’s ability to knockout the majority of his opponents, but Caparello has the ability to go the distance and that could prove troublesome for Krusher, who has never gone more than 8 rounds (and has only done that once in his career: against Darnell Boone on Oct. 9, 2010). Blake is no stranger to lasting deep into the later rounds of a fight, with 14 of his 20 career professional bouts going the distance. He has four complete 12-round fights and five complete 10-round fights. According to Lou DiBella, Blake’s promoter, “Blake is very confident in his ability. He is a gifted boxer and very athletic. For Blake to be successful in this fight, he will need to use his boxing ability and not stand in front of Sergey. He will need to get Sergey’s respect and then look to take him into the later rounds. It is an interesting match-up and I believe it’s going to be a heck of a fight.”
“Il Capo”
Photo Courtesy of: DiBella Entertainment
Ed Diller
With all the hype surrounding a possible unification fight between Kovalev and Hopkins, Caparello is hoping Sergey is also looking past him. He does not feel any additional pressure about returning to the United States for only the second time in his career or about fighting on HBO. He said, “There’s no pressure for me. All the hype is about Sergey, so the pressure is on him. I don’t read into anything too much. I’m focused on my job and that is to win the WBO title.” Many fighters are unwilling to get in the ring with “Krusher” – not Caparello. When asked about whether or not he hesitated about accepting the fight he said, “I accepted immediately. We pushed hard for this fight. We love challenging ourselves.”
DiBella feels this fight is a win-win for Caparello, “There is a great advantage to fighting Kovalev: if you manage to hang in there with him, you are going to earn the respect of fans. There are a lot of guys who are afraid of Kovalev, but Blake isn’t. Blake is going to go out there and do his best to win. This is the fight he always wanted.” DiBella also provided this assessment of his fighter, “I knew Blake was a natural. His instincts are excellent. He does a lot of things right. I expect a great performance whether he wins or loses.”
#
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 on Saturday, 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 Dark beginning 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 at 6:30 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.
