Tonight at 10 pm ET on HBO, it’s a world title doubleheader in the light heavyweight division, with Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol making defenses in Atlantic City.
In the main event, Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KO) faces top contender Eleider Alvarez (23-0, 11 KO). It’s the first serious challenge Kovalev has faced since his back-to-back losses to Andre Ward in 2016-17, though he’s won two straight since then. Alvarez is getting his first world title shot, after spending a long time as Adonis Stevenson’s WBC mandatory.
In the co-feature, Bivol (13-0, 11 KO) takes on veteran Isaac Chilemba (25-5-2, 10 KO) in another 12-round bout. Bivol will be defending the WBA “world” title, but more importantly if he wins as expected, it’s anticipated that he’ll face the Kovalev-Alvarez winner in a big fight either late this year or in early 2019.
Wil Esco will be on the round-by-round call tonight. Join us!
RESULTS
ELEIDER ALVAREZ def. SERGEY KOVALEV by TKO (2:45 of Round 7)
DMITRY BIVOL def. ISAAC CHILEMBA by UD (120-108, 120-108, 116-112)
ROUND BY ROUND
SERGEY KOVALEV vs ELEIDER ALVAREZ
Round 1: Kovalev comes out fast with a big feint, trying to intimidate Alvarez. Alvarez tries a right hand to the body that doesn’t land clean. Now Kovalev lands a right hand to the body that backs Alvarez up. Hard right hand to the body lands for Alvarez, Alvarez returns the favor! Kovalev jabs downstairs, upstairs, downstairs and then Alvarez interrupts with a jab to the body of his own. More jabs to the body come from Kovalev and then the fighters get into a clinch with Alvarez tapping the back of Kovalev’s head. Close round but I just feel like Kovalev was a little more in control of the action. Kovalev 10-9.
Round 2: Kovalev tries to lands a lead left hook but can’t find the target. Kovalev goes back to his long jab with better success. Now Alvarez lands a jab upstairs. One-two lands for Alvarez! Alvarez is finding contact now! Kovalev backs Alvarez to the ropes strafes him with a hook. Now Alvarez lands a nice left hook to the body in a short combination. Much better work from Alvarez in this round. Check hook lands for Alvarez with his back on the ropes. Alvarez ties up Kovalev and nearly tackles him over the top rope! Wow. Alvarez wins the round 10-9, 19-19.
Round 3: Alvarez tries to shot hooks to the body on the inside. Kovalev ties to come straight forward and land some power and gets in a good combination. Kovalev leads with hooks to the boy and head but Alvarez sneaks in a sharp jab that snaps Kovalev’s head back. Kovalev throws to the body and is outworking Alvarez in this round. Alvarez continues to look for counter opportunities and is having some success sneaking in hard shots off of Kovalev’s forward momentum. I think Kovalev still edges it with activity. Kovalev 10-9.
Round 4: Alvarez’s game plan is to lay back and ambush Kovalev with sharp counter punches but it’s allowing Kovalev to throw a lot of punches. Kovalev lets go a flurry that Alvarez wasn’t prepared for! Alvarez is stunned! Kovalev is letting go both hands and tagging Alvarez with hard shots! Kovalev lands a hook to the body and then the head. Alvarez might’ve survived a dangerous moment right here because he was under serious pressure! Right hand lands for Alvarez at the bell. Kovalev 10-9, 39-37.
Round 5: Alvarez starts with a jab to the body. Alvarez throws a quick flurry to the body of Kovalev. Both fighters posture for a good 30 seconds straight and then trade two punches. Kovalev presses forward with a jab that falls short. Alvarez throws two hooks but Kovalev gets in one himself. Kovalev lands a good right hand. Kovalev 10-9.
Round 6: Kovalev comes out and tries to get Alvarez back along the ropes. Alvarez lands a good jab as he gets back to center ring. Kovalev gets in a shot back and Alvarez is bleeding under his left eye. Alvarez still takes an opportunity to touch Kovalev’s body. Right hand lands for Kovalev. Right hand to the body now lands for Kovalev. Two more shots sting Alvarez just before the bell. Kovalev 10-9, 59-55.
Round 7: Replay shows Alvarez’s cut came from an accidental head clash. Both fighters exchange but neither lands too well. Now Kovalev gets in an overhand right. Alvarez tries a huge right hook that misses but he looks like he’s made a decision to try for a knockout. Alvarez is comeing forward now and is walking onto some of Kovalev’s straight shots. Big shot from Alvarez floors Kovalev!! Kovalev looks shocked! Kovalev beats the count and Alavarez is going on the attack! Alvarez is hitting Kovalev with good shots and drops him again with a left hook! Kovalev is up but he’s hurt!!! Overhand right from Alvarez puts Kovalev down again! It’s over! ALVAREZ TKO-7!
DMITRY BIVOL vs ISAAC CHILEMBA
Round 1: Bivol takes center ring and postures as if he’s the boss. Bivol strikes Chilemba with several hard shots which puts Chilemba under pressure early. Bivol is feinting with Chilemba along the ropes, knowing he just has to line up his power punches. Now Bivol lets go a combination that crashes on Chilemba’s body and head. Chilemba just loojs like he’s under duress with his body language. Chilemba tries to rip to the body and gets in a shot with his left hand. Bivol steps back foward and tries a lead left uppercut that just misses. Bivol controlled the action easily. Bivol 10-9.
Round 2: Chilemba comes out measuring with his jab defensively, but Bivols gets in a counter shot, steps over, and strikes Chilemba some more with all out assault! Chilemba is taking some real hard shots early in this fight. Chilemba tries to flick a jab to break Bivol’s attention and break up his momentum but Bivol gets in a hard left uppercut to the body. The fight turns back to more of a boxing match for the final 30 seconds and Bivol is still in control. Bivol 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Both fighters trade jabs but Bivol’s lands first. Chilemba throws another one trying to stall Bivol’s offense. Bivol measures, touches Chilemba a couple of times but the fighters get tangled up, forcing a break. Bivol throws a hard jab that lands to the body and then the fighters exchange, both barely missing. Bivol leads with two lefts to the body, pushing Chilemba back to the ropes. The fighters mix it up but Bivol is getting in the better punches. Bivol, 10-9.
Round 4: Bivol comes out pressuring but not over-committing, keeping his bounce knowing that Chilemba is looking to land a big counter. Bivol measures a big lead left hook to the head! Chilemba backing up and really defensive. Looks to me like he’s already made a decision to try to survive this fight more than win it. Bivol lands another lead left hook but Chilemba partially blocks it. Bivol 10-9, 40-36.
Round 5: Bivol doing more of the same, pressuring Chilemba at center ring but still fighting in patient style, not looking to force it too much offensively. The fighters trade jabs but Bivol follows it up but throwing three more in rapid succession. Another Jab lands for Bivol. Chilemba is taking Bivol’s punches pretty well, to be honest. He hasn’t looked really hurt at any point thus far and Bivol has landed some good shots. Bivol still in control. Bivol, 10-9.
Round 6: Chilemba’s trainer, Roy Jones Jr., tells his fighter that now is the time to start picking it up and fighting a little more. Bivol comes out and lands a jab and an overhand right, pushing Chilemba to the opposite side of the ring. Both fighters trade combinations but neither land much clean. Big right cross lands for Bivol who is now dialing-in on the distance he wants. Bivol 10-9, 60-54.
Round 7: Bivol lands a sneaky right hand counter, then another one as Chilemba tries to throw a couple to the body. Chilemba is trying to mix it up a little more, probably knowing he’s down on points in the fight, but he’s willing to do so. Now Chilemba is coming forward and throwing some shots but Bivol just skates from side to side using his lateral footwork to evade any danger. Jab lands for Bivol. Chilemba tries a right hook but Bivol catches it rather easily. Bivol 10-9.
Round 8: Chilemba tries a hook that gets blocked. Bivol lands a jab to the body. Another hard jab lands for Bivol, then another one shortly after. Bivol is just too well-rounded and refined for someone like Chilemba. The crowd starts to boo a little now as this fight settles into a long range jab fest that gets a little dull. Bivol, 10-9, 80-72.
Round 9: Chilemba comes out with some probing jabs that find all air. Bivol lands a left hook but fails to follow it up with anything significant. Bivol lands a jab and then a follow up right. Bivol seems to be content to just fight so reasonably that he’s not looking to force a stoppage, but Bivol is still winning the rounds. Bivol, 10-9.
Round 10: Chilemba tries a jab and right hand but can’t find the mark. Now Bivol tries to respond with a combination and at least makes body contact. Jab lands for Bivol. Bivol is keeping his distance but both manage to momentarily get into a dust up but not much damage done on either side. Jab, left hook lands for Bivol. Bivol 10-9, 100-90.
Round 11: Chilemba tries to lead with something but takes a counter jab in return. Chilemba tries to double up to the body but Bivol steps out of range. Bivol fighting behind his jab an is using a lot of lateral movement these past few rounds. The action has really slowed down in this fight and I suspect t’s because Bivol made a decision a couple rounds ago to coast this one out. Bivol is winning rounds but it hasn’t really been all that impressive. Bivol 10-9.
Round 12: Chilemba comes forward and thows somes shots to the body and head but they don’t really land. Bivol jabs. Bivol has stopped coming forward like he was early in this fight and he hasn’t really take a big shot to dissuade him. Either way, Bivol is outboxing Chilemba because even when he goes on an offensive lull his defense keeps him from taking any punishment himself. Bivol 10-9. I’ve got it a shutout for Bivol, 120-108.
Two of boxing’s top Light Heavyweights look to defend their titles and set the stage for a unification bout tonight (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018) as Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol face Eleider Alvarez and Isaac Chilemba, respectively, inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
MMAmania will deliver LIVE coverage of “Kovalev vs. Alvarez” below, starting with the HBO Boxing broadcast at 10 p.m. ET.
Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KO) is working towards once again becoming the most feared 175er in the sport after rough losses to Andre Ward. Though he picked up decent wins over Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Igor Mikhalkin, Alvarez (23-0, 11 KO) is easily his stiffest test since the Ward debacle and should give “The Krusher” a genuine fight.
Bivol (13-0, 11 KO) has emerged as the future of the division at 27 years old, most recently dominating and stopping the ever-dangerous Sullivan Barrera. Chilemba (25-2-2, 10 KO) is tough as nails, but came up short in consecutive bouts against Alvarez, Kovalev, and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
“KOVALEV VS. ALVAREZ QUICK RESULTS:
Sergey Kovalev vs. Eleider Alvarez — Alvarez def. Kovalev by TKO at 2:45 of Round Seven
Dmitry Bivol vs. Isaac Chilemba — Bivol def. Chilemba by unanimous decision (120-108 x2, 116-112)
“KOVALEV VS. ALVAREZ PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES:
Sergey Kovalev vs. Eleider Alvarez
Round one: Alvarez looking for the body early. Kovalev sticks a right downstairs. One minute in. Both land rights downstairs, then Alvarez digs a hook to the body. Jabs from Kovalev in the corner. One minute to go. Clinch, Alvarez warned for rabbit punches. Alvarez body shot. 10-9 Alvarez.
Round two: Kovalev looking a little busier now, pumping the jab. Alvarez with a right cross, snaps Kovalev’s head back with a jab. Good 1-2. Hard right hand in close. One minute in. Body shots from Alvarez. One minute to go. Clinch. Counter right from Kovalev, Alvarez pivots off with a left hook. Good hook by Kovalev. Clinch. Alvarez hauls Kovalev to the ropes and nearly pushes him over them. 10-9, 20-18 Alvarez.
Round three: Alvarez starting to open up, taunts Kovalev. Kovalev bangs the body, eats jabs. Another body shot. One minute in. More good jabs from Alvarez, Kovalev tries to sneak a right hand around the guard. Kovalev starting to find the mark with body shots. Nice jab by Alvarez. One minute to go. Clinch. Kovalev stalking forward. Both land jabs. Kovalev with a right downstairs. Close round. 10-9 Kovalev, 29-28 Alvarez.
Round four: Alvarez warned for a low blow early on. Hard body shots. Kovalev backs him to the ropes, can’t get through the guard. One minute in. Hard right hand appears to sting Alvarez. Kovalev putting together punches, Alvarez right there with him. Hard right cross. BIG left hand knocks Alvarez back. One minute to go. Kovalev with a hard body shot, left hands upstairs. Right hands to the body. Left hook, swatting right hands. 10-9 Kovalev, 38-38.
Round five: Alvarez looking a little less jab-happy, lands a good combination to the body. Right cross by Kovalev. One minute in. 1-2-1 comes back at him. Right cross catches Alvarez mid-combo. Clinch. One minute to go. Heavy left hook from Kovalev, who follows up to the body. Right hands connect for him. 10-9, 48-47 Kovalev.
Round six: Kovalev still marking forward. Jab exchange. Left hook from Kovalev, another left sneaks through. Right hand around the guard. Kovalev upping the volume, banging the body. Clinch. 1-2 from Kovalev in the corner. Short right hand appears to wobble Alvarez for a moment. One minute to go. Kovalev with a low-high combo. 10-9, 58-56 Kovalev.
Round seven: Alvarez goes to the body, warned for straying low. Nice body work from Alvarez. Kovalev lands a right to the body. Clean overhand right from Alvarez a minute in. Kovalev lands three hard head shots in return. Kovalev to the body. Big right straight and down goes Kovalev! He beats the count but his body language isn’t great. Alvarez banging to the body. Stiff jabs upstairs, then a monster left hook that takes out Kovalev’s legs. He’s clearly done, but the ref lets him continue, only for him to get smashed back to the mat with a right hand for the finish.
Final result: Alvarez def. Kovalev by TKO
Dmitry Bivol vs. Isaac Chilemba
Round one: Bivol moving forward early. Both men jabbing. Lead hook lands for Bivol, who opens up with a heavy combination on the ropes. Bivol digs a right hand to the body. One minute in. Chilemba firing his jab. Stiffer jab by Bivol and a left hook soon afterwards. Lead hook lands for him. Low-high 1-2 from Bivol with a minute to go, then a thudding left hook downstairs. Chilemba with a right hook to the body. Left hook connects. Left uppercut by Bivol. 10-9 Bivol.
Round two: Chilemba trying to keep Bivol at range with his jab, but a left hook knocks him back. Bivol on the attack. Chilemba comes back with a left hook. Three-piece by Bivol and a chopping right a minute in. Chilemba lands a hook around the guard, but it’s all Bivol so far. Bivol with a left hook upstairs, then another as Chilemba straightens up. One minute to go. They trade in the center after a stiff Bivol jab. Right hand by Bivol. Left hook catches Chilemba leaning. 10-9, 20-18 Bivol.
Round three: Chilemba’s jab looks alright, but that’s all he’s got so far. Bivol landing his own jab with regularity as well. Bivol backs him to the ropes, clinch. Chilemba tries a hook, eats two in return. One minute to go. Chilemba lands an uppercut that’s met by a left hook. Bivol with more left hooks. 3-2 lands. Bivol landing hard shots on the ropes, Chilemba roars back with an overhand right. 10-9, 30-27 Bivol.
Round four: Chilemba just has nothing to offer right now. Bivol is holding his own in the jabbing battle and he’s roughing Chilemba up every time they fully engage. Long left hook from Bivol a minute in. Chilemba jabs the body, eats two in return. Chilemba to the body. One minute to go. Harder jab by Bivol. Good left hook on a fading-back Chilemba. 10-9, 40-36 Bivol.
Round five: Chilemba keeping up the jab, lands a right to the body. More jabs from Bivol. One minute. Jab battle continues. Bivol continues to get the better of it whenever they trade power punches. Chilemba starting to find the mark downstairs. 10-9, 50-45 Bivol.
Round six: These descriptions are getting less thorough because we’re in a groove at this point. Chilemba can only keep up with Bivol when they’re both jabbing, an Bivol is visibly affecting Chilemba every time one of his bigger punches connect. Chilemba is admittedly landing some decent body shots, but it’s Bivol outlanding him by a fair margin. One minute to go. Left hook by Bivol, 1-2-3 after taking a body shot. Another 1-2-3. Clinch. 10-9, 60-54 Bivol.
Round seven: More jabs, right hand form Bivol. Combinations piling up for the Russian, Chilemba throwing with him. One minute in. Things slow back down. Chilemba on the front foot now. Both land jabs. Jabs from Bivol as Chilemba targets the body. One minute to go. Now Bivol opening up once again, targeting the head with combinations. 10-9, 70-63 Bivol.
Round eight: We’re at that awkward stage of a fight where it’s clear neither man can easily rock the other and the skill gap is too big to make it compelling. Chilemba is still game, still in there. Jab exchange. One minute in. Left hook by Bivol. Nice jab from Chilemba. Trading jabs in the center with a minute to go. Crowd’s getting antsy as well. Snapping jab from Bivol, who tries a 1-2-3. 10-9, 80-72 Bivol.
Round nine: I had to get up at 7:00 on a Saturday this morning and this isn’t helping. No real sense of urgency from Bivol, although he does land a left hook. One minute in. Chilemba with a combo on the ropes. This is a sparring session right now. 1-3 from Bivol. More jabs. Counter 1-2-3 from Bivol and a straight right to the body. 10-9, 90-81 Bivol.
Round ten: Chilemba finds the mark with an early 1-2. Bivol with a 1-2 on the counter. Right hand by Chilemba, who tries to open up and gets repeatedly picked off in the center. Left hook, 1-2-3 from Bivol. Chilemba answers a combo with a right to the body. 1-2 from Bivol. Low-high he goes. 10-9, 100-90 Bivol.
Round eleven: More heavy jabs by Bivol. He doesn’t seem overly concerned with getting a flashy finish, content with picking Chilemba apart. Now he lands a combo in the center of the ring. It’s hard to get invested in this fight. Hard hook by Bivol. 10-9, 110-99 Bivol.
Round twelve: Last round and neither fighter appears determined to finish strong. Good right to the body by Chilemba. Both land hard right hands in the center. Left hook from Bivol. One minute to go. Nothing terribly interesting near the end. 10-9, 120-108 Bivol.
Final result: Bivol def. Chilemba by unanimous decision
The current and next generations of Light Heavyweight destroyers show their stuff in Atlantic City, N.J., later this evening (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018) when Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol defend their respective titles against Eleider Alvarez and Isaac Chilemba.
MMAmania will deliver LIVE coverage of ‘Kovalev vs. Alvarez,’ starting with the HBO Boxing broadcast at 10 p.m. ET later this evening.
The HBO Boxing main event, pitting the venerable “Krusher” against the undefeated Alvarez, is by far the more competitive match up of the two, so let’s open this thing up and take a look at the nuts and bolts.
Name: Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev
Age: 35
Record: 32-2-1, 28 KO
Last Five Fights: Igor Mikhalkin (TKO-7), Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (TKO-2), Andre Ward (TKO-8 Loss), Andre Ward (SD Loss), Isaac Chilemba (UD)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Jean Pascal x2, Bernard Hopkins, Nathan Cleverly, Gabriel Campillo
VS.
Name: Eleider “Storm” Alvarez
Age: 34
Record: 23-0, 11 KO
Last Five Fights: Jean Pascal (MD), Lucian Bute (KO-5), Norbert Dabrowski (UD), Robert Berridge (UD), Isaac Chilemba (MD)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Edison Miranda, Isidro Ranoni Prieto
THE FIGHT
Alvarez has been due for a title shot since 2015, when he beat Chilemba to become the mandatory challenger for Adonis Stevenson’s WBC belt. “Superman” instead elected to give Alvarez step-side money multiple times and fight whoever he wanted, and after the WBC allowed Badou Jack to jump the line and ordered Alvarez to face surging Oleksandr Gvozdyk, “Storm” decided he’d had enough of the sunk cost fallacy and went after Kovalev.
As good as Alvarez is, he’s generally slightly less entertaining than the summary of how he got here. He’s got a good jab, good combinations, and can work the body when he needs to, but none of his recent fights have been memorable aside from when he decided to let loose against Bute.
That’s more than a little problematic against Kovalev, who despite the gaudy knockout rate is a rock-solid technician. Alvarez can’t go jab-for-jab with him because the Russian’s jab is as hard as the average fighter’s power punch and Kovalev’s volume generally ensures that enough of those shots will land to put anyone away.
The only clear avenue to victory against Kovalev, which Andre Ward demonstrated, is to stay in his face and punish the body. Alvarez, unfortunately, has not shown that level of infighting craft or aggression against anyone but the fading Bute. He’s not going to outbox Kovalev and if he can’t bully him, then it’s just a matter of time until “Krusher” lands clean. I figure we’ll get to around the halfway point of the fight before Alvarez finally succumbs to the power.
Prediction: Kovalev via seventh-round technical knockout
