It takes a team to fight Canelo Alvarez

On Saturday, November 2, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (34-3-1; 29 KOs) puts his WBO light heavyweight title on the line against one of the world’s best fighters in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (52-1-2; 35 KOs), who is moving up two weight divisions – from his middleweight throne – to challenge Kovalev. Canelo is the reigning WBA middleweight champ and the WBA “regular” super middleweight champ.

This fight, streaming on DAZN, could be a make-or-break fight for the 36-year-old Kovalev and also for his promotional company Main Events. The company’s CEO, Kathy Duva, says this dangerous fight can be filed under the category of: So what else is new?

“People wrote us off [before], but we’re not dead yet,” says Duva. Kovalev has come back from two losses to Andre Ward (the first one highly questionable) and the kayo loss to Eleider Alvarez.

As the fight approaches, the Daily News took the temperature of the big three components for this fight: Krusher, Buddy and the Boss Lady.

Krusher
After losing his title to Eleider Alvarez in August 2018, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev invoked his immediate rematch clause. Most naysayers thought this wasn’t a good move. Take some easy fights, make some money and drift away, is what the critics said.

Nope.

The Russian-born Kovalev took the rematch and flipped the script and triumphed with a unanimous decision over Alvarez which inched him closer to even bigger fights. He is now a three-time champ, but there are questions. He faced his mandatory Anthony Yarde in his next bout. Kovalev won the first half of the fight and then ran out of gas before kayoing Yarde with a jab in the 11th round. Yes, with a jab.

Prior to the Alvarez fight, Kovalev knew he had to make changes if he was to become a force in boxing again.

“I won all three of my titles by using my amateur experience” says Kovalev from his training camp in Oxnard, CA. “I used to take a big rest between fights and I lost my technique. I didn’t have nobody to control me. I did everything myself.

“Now I have a great team with great coaches like Buddy (McGirt) and Teddy Cruz (physical trainer),” he points out. Coincidentally, McGirt and Cruz both worked with the late Arturo Gatti.

The fight against the Mexican-born Canelo, who stands five-foot-eight with a 70 and a half inch reach, is as big as it gets.

“They picked the wrong veteran to mess with,” chuckles McGirt. Kovalev stands four inches taller with a two inch reach advantage. “They should have picked someone else.”

“I respect Canelo going up two divisions. He wants to make history,” says Kovalev. It’s a huge goal for him and myself. He wants to get my light heavyweight title. He has nothing to lose. If I lose I have more to lose than Canelo.

“[Beating Canelo is] my biggest win,” he states. “It’s the biggest name after [my win over] Bernard Hopkins.”