“I was in really bad shape against Canelo. My tank was empty,” says former three-time light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs), who is preparing to debut in the first heavyweight division.
The Russian claims that cutting weight cost him defeat from Saul Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) in November 2019. In his first fight after a long break, Crusher will face Tervel Pulev (16-0, 13 KOs), younger brother Kubrat, in Inglewood on 14 May.
“After the victory over Anthony Yarde, I immediately received an offer to fight Canelo. I said, "Sure, but I need 2-3 weeks off." I said that either I would agree to the November 2nd deadline or they would find someone else. I am a fighter, so I agreed,” said Kovalev.
“It was very hard for me to make the light heavyweight limit again in such a short amount of time. In normal life, I weigh about 92 kilograms. When I entered the ring my tank was empty and I couldn't hit hard. After the seventh round, I told Buddy McGirt in the corner that I was tired. Everyone saw what happened next. Can you imagine what this fight would be like if I was full of energy? Everything would be different, I would be more aggressive and active, and that's how I boxed with a left straight. The light heavyweight limit was tiring for me, so I decided to rise up and end my career as a champion in a new weight category, ”added Kovalev.
