Frisco, Texas: When current WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion, Eleider Alvarez, steps in the ring to face Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev in their much-anticipated rematch on February 2 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas live on ESPN+ (https://plus.espn.com), it will Kovalev’s fifteenth consecutive world championship fight. As the challenger, Kovalev will seek to utilize his extensive championship experience to avenge his title loss in his ESPN+ debut and take back his title. Alvarez looks to prove his upset over Kovalev in their last fight was just the beginning of a championship run. Below is the scouting report for this exciting event:
Category
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Eleider “Storm” Alvarez
Age
35
34
Record
32-3-1 (28 KOs)
24-0-0 (12 KOs)
Strength
Coming into his 15th consecutive championship bout, The Krusher has more elite level experience than any of the current light heavyweight titleholders. He also possesses significant knockout power in both hands.
The Storm has quick hands, possesses a sharp and accurate jab and is a great counter-puncher. He is patient in the ring. He waits for his opponents to make a mistake, which showed in the first Kovalev bout.
Weakness
Sergey needs to preserve his energy for the later rounds, if he cannot score a knockout early in the fight. He will need to be prepared to go into deep waters with the champion.
Alvarez is an accurate puncher, but he needs to turn up the volume on his punch output. Although he earned the stoppage win in the first bout, he was down on all three scorecards going into the seventh round.
Experience
The championship experience of the former champion is his main strength. He has fought nothing but the best opposition available throughout his career and has comeback after adversity.
The champion gained vast experience in capturing the title from The Krusher. He overcame some big shots and was down on the scorecards before he turned the tables on Kovalev.
Power
The Russian’s power is still the most dangerous component heading into this fight.
Although he is not known for being a puncher, he did land the perfect knockdown punch in their first encounter.
Speed
The challenger has good speed and even quicker combinations.
The champion has quick hands and is an even quicker counter-puncher.
Endurance
He has been a full 12-rounds just three times in his lengthy career against top-notch competition including Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward.
Eleider has been a full 12-rounds on three occasions as well, including two former Kovalev foes, Isaac Chilemba and Jean Pascal.
Accuracy
One of Kovalev’s secret weapons has always been his jab. When he fully commits to it, the rest of his offensive weapons are even more effective.
Patience has been one of the champion’s most prominent strengths. He picks his shots wisely and does not waste any punches.
Defense
Kovalev has always been an offensive-minded fighter. His best defense is his jab and he will have to keep it busy to avoid a repeat of what happened in the first fight.
Contrary to his opponent, Alvarez focuses much more on defense. He moves his head well and shows great composure while waiting for his opponents to make a mistake.
Chin
Kovalev has always been known to have a strong chin. He’s only been stopped twice as a professional.
Alvarez has a proven chin; he has withstood shots from some of the division’s heaviest hitters.
Style
Kovalev has always had a fan-friendly style. He likes to come forward and press the action from start to finish. He is an aggressive, in-your-face fighter that utilizes an aggressive jab and legitimate power shots during the fight.
Eleider is a counter-puncher with quick hands and a solid jab. He is patient in waiting for his opponents to make a mistake and capitalizes once they do. He has also shown that he is not afraid to stand toe-to-toe with anyone.
Crowd Support
Although he has never competed in the state of Texas, he has been one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world for several years. He is expected to have significant crowd support.
This will be just his third appearance on U.S. soil and his debut in the state of Texas. He is not expected to have a vast amount of crowd support.
Intangibles
It has never been in Kovalev’s nature to take tune-up bouts, whether it be following a win or coming off a loss. He exercised his right to an immediate rematch and got right back into the gym to correct what went wrong in the first fight.
Alvarez waited a long time for his shot at the title and seized the opportunity against Kovalev. He fully understands that if he wants to fully dethrone Kovalev for good, then he needs to defeat the Russian one more time for his name to be discussed as one of the elites in the light heavyweight division.
The Match-Up
1. Will Kovalev be able to keep his stamina for the later rounds?
2. Will Alvarez go in there looking for one shot and get caught by Sergey?
3. Will Kovalev be able to stick to the game plan with his new corner?
4. Will Alvarez be able to take Sergey’s power the second time around?
Main Events’ matchmaker, Jolene Mizzone commented, “Who doesn’t love a rematch in a fight that was an upset win? This is what boxing is all about! Kudos to both fighters to sticking to promises and contracts and moving forward with it so quickly.”
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About The Star
The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco and Frisco ISD, The Star features Ford Center, a 12,000-seat stadium that hosts Frisco ISD football games and other events; Cowboys Fit, a 60,000 square-foot gym developed in partnership with leading fitness developer, Mark Mastrov; and Cowboys Club, a members-only club where the country club meets the NFL; The Omni Frisco Hotel, a 16-floor, 300-room luxury hotel; Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, a 300,000 square-foot center of excellence for sports medicine; as well as a variety of shopping, dining and nightlife options throughout The Star District. For more information on The Star, visit www.TheStarInFrisco.com.
