The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of February 1
Sergey Kovalev came, saw and destroyed Jean Pascal for a second time Saturday night to retain his unified light heavyweight championship in a grudge match smeared by bad feelings and accusations of racism.
The Krusher remained undefeated and atop the light heavyweight mountain (at least so far as public perception is concerned), clearing the way for a possibly huge showdown with a fellow pound-for-pound entrant late in the year.
We ask whether Kovalev, through his punching power and plain nasty demeanor in the ring, has established himself as the most dangerous man in the sport.
We'll also look at the possibility of Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez meeting later in the year, whether Andre Ward will finally return to the ring and if Luis Ortiz has become the heavyweight division's boogeyman.
These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week.
Is Sergey Kovalev Boxing's Most Dangerous Man?
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Kovalev is a terrifying human being inside a boxing ring.
Absolutely terrifying.
His destruction of Pascal Saturday night was so thorough, complete and calculated that you couldn't help but get a little squeamish at times. The specter of serious injury or even death hovers just above all professional prizefights, and the beating that Kovalev unleashed had the look of one that—had it gone on much longer—could have ended tragically.
And he enjoyed it.
Kovalev admitted to HBO's Max Kellerman in the ring after the fight that he was prolonging the carnage in order to punish his opponent, who repeatedly accused him of being racist during the promotion for the fight.
Freddie Roach, who was training Pascal for the first time, had the good sense to realize that his fighter was taking the type of shots that do severe damage but don't force you to go down and called a halt. That decision probably could have/should have been made a couple of rounds earlier, but at least the corner did the right thing before things truly went off the rails.
Kovalev proved once again why he's the most dangerous man in the sport.
Some guys fight for money, fame and fortune.
Kovalev fights for all that stuff too but also because he likes the hunt. He enjoys inflicting pain.
That makes him a bad dude inside the ring.
Who Should Kovalev Fight Next?
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Take your pick.
Kovalev once again called out lineal and WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson during his post-fight comments, referring to him as a chicken and making clucking sounds.
Stevenson and his entourage stormed the ring to confront Kovalev, and after exchanging some terse words, the two sides were separated.
Yawn.
Stevenson had his chance—multiple, in fact—but the allure of the Dmitry Sukhotskys and Tommy Karpencys was too great to pass up.
Kovalev vs. Stevenson seems to have little chance of happening, with the latest series of negotiations falling apart last week, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. It's yet another unfortunate casualty of boxing's business climate that puts bragging rights and egos over the best interests of the sport and its fans.
Andre Ward was ringside for Saturday night's action, and the now-former super middleweight world champion (he's moved up to 175 pounds) and elite pound-for-pound fighter is slated for a ring return in March. His contract with HBO calls for a matchup with The Krusher later in the year.
That's an interesting fight for a variety of reasons.
Ward is a special talent—there's no denying that—but one wonders if his frequent inactivity and underactivity over a prolonged period of time will dull any of the skill that made him such an elite operator in the ring.
Kovalev seems to get better with each successive performance. He boxed well against Pascal, using his jab to the body to slow down his man and wound him for the eventual kill.
But could he do that to Ward?
We'd sure like to get them in the ring and find out.
Could Cotto vs. Marquez Really Happen?
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The idea of Cotto—most recently campaigning at middleweight-ish—and Marquez—out of the ring for closing on two years—squaring off in the ring seemed a bit far-fetched when it was briefly floated earlier in January, but it appears the story has some legs.
Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Deportes reported Thursday that the Mexican legend, who won world championships in four weight classes and owns a stunning knockout victory over Manny Pacquiao, wants to stage two fights in 2016 before calling an end to his long and successful career.
Marquez would like to get some ring action in May, bidding a fighting farewell to his native Mexico with a stadium fight, before lacing up the gloves one final time in September.
Cotto last was seen losing a decision and his middleweight championship to Canelo Alvarez in November and, should he elect to continue on with his career, would certainly drop back down in weight to a division where he's more comfortable.
One would probably assume that means 147 pounds, if a clash with Marquez, who has never weighed more than 144.5 pounds for a fight and spent much of his career below 140, has any possibility of coming together.
It's obviously early in the game, but the two sides will reportedly at least discuss the idea in the coming days, which seems to make this fight much more plausible than it first appeared.
Whether or not it's a good idea, however, might be a wholly different question.
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Will Andre Ward Finally Get Back in the Ring?
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Ward has become one of the biggest disappointments in boxing over the past few years.
He's gifted with massive amounts of natural talent, has the ability to think five or six steps ahead of his opponent like a chess master toying with an amateur and has pure boxing skills that could easily make him the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
But something always seems to be missing.
Drive, perhaps.
Ward lost a significant amount of time battling injuries and then shelved himself for nearly two years to fight his now-late promoter in court rather than build his own star in the ring.
He signed on with Roc Nation Sports, becoming one of the boxing faces of the company, but it still seems as though the process of getting him in the ring has been like pulling teeth.
Ward withdrew from a scheduled high-profile bout on the Cotto vs. Canelo undercard with a knee injury and will now return on March 26 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. His opponent will be the undefeated Cuban, and walk in the park for nobody, Sullivan Barrera.
Barrera is a decorated amateur based in Miami, and he should give a good account of himself in a fight that he's been chasing all over Twitter for the past few weeks. People forget how good Ward was when he was winning the Super Six and dominating at 168 pounds, but that's mostly his fault.
All of this is meant as a way to hype a future showdown between Ward and reigning unified light heavyweight champion Kovalev, which should, hopefully, take place later in the year.
Has Luis Ortiz Become the Heavyweight Boogeyman?
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It seems like nobody wants to fight Ortiz, who established himself beyond question as one of the heavyweight division's top contenders with a stomping of Bryant Jennings a week before Christmas last year, even if the chance comes with a high-profile slot on HBO.
Ortiz is set to headline a Boxing After Dark card from Washington, D.C. on March 5, but to say it was hard for him to find a suitable opponent would be an understatement.
ESPN's Dan Rafael tweeted Saturday afternoon that Ortiz had reached a deal to face lightly regarded Ukrainian heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko (38-2, 24 KO) in a fight that will keep the hulking Cuban busy.
Rafael also reported earlier in the week that several heavyweights were offered the fight and turned down the opportunity.
Those include Top Rank's heavyweight prospect Andy Ruiz (26-0, 17 KO), Boxcino heavyweight tournament winner Andrey Fedosov (28-3, 23 KO), Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KO) and Alexander Ustinov (33-1, 24 KO), who has been mandated by the WBA to face Ortiz as part of its plan to clean up its many titles via tournaments.
Per Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene, Ustinov rejected the fight due to the short notice and a need to ensure an adequate amount of time for training. Fedosov offered the same reasoning.
All of this makes us at least wonder if Ortiz is going to keep having these problems. He's a big-time puncher with some big-time buzz, but are fighters going to avoid him like he has the plague?
Can he secure significant fights?
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