Sergey Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi: Live Round-by-Round Results and Highlights

Sergey Kovalev terminated another foe on Saturday night, dropping mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi twice on his way to a third-round knockout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. 

Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KO) had no trouble figuring out the awkward and mobile Mohammedi, who tried his best to remain on his horse and create angles that would make scoring difficult for the Russian champion. 

The first round was a slow, feeling-out affair, but Kovalev carried the balance of the action. 

A huge right hand left Mohammedi on jelly legs in the second, and it was only a matter of a few seconds before he tasted the canvas for the first time in the fight. He was able to survive the round, and a tackle by Kovalev, before succumbing in the third.

Kovalev dropped Mohammedi again late in the frame, leaving his opponent on the mat in serious distress, covering his left eye, which suffered an apparent injury, and prompting referee Kenny Bayless to call a halt to the contest.

In the co-feature, former undisputed light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal escaped with a controversial unanimous decision over previously-unbeaten Yunieski Gonzalez.

All three judges favored Pascal by scores of 96-94.

Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KO) and Gonzalez (16-1, 12 KO) both had their moments in a tremendous back-and-forth war to open the HBO broadcast.

The decision wasn’t popular among the assembled fans inside the arena, but it seemed a fair approximation of the action in the ring. Gonzalez’s power and aggression caused some significant problems for Pascal early, but the former champ rallied late to even a fight with many close rounds.

Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites.