What changed in your training coming to this fight?
Sergey Kovalev: “I did a lot of mistakes in our last fight and right now I try to fix it. I try to be better. It’s a secret about my mistakes and just me and my trainer know about my mistakes. I learned from my first fight. Right now I fix it and try to be creative, do everything exactly correct and try to fight more harder and try to stop Pascal early this time.
“Because I was disappointed in my performance in our last fight against Pascal I want to do this much better, much more clear.
“I felt very comfortable (in last fight). Judge gave to him two rounds, but I didn’t feel I lost these rounds. I just take time, used a lot of jabs and get lot of points with the jab.
“I don’t feel comfortable to make any prediction because it is boxing, anything can happen. It’s not my habit to say, I will, will, will. Because sometimes you say will and something else happens and then you look like a trash talker. You know?
“Pascal is a trash talker. I don’t care what he say because it’s just trash from his mouth. He start speaking trash to (make me) lose my mind and make me nervous; he will pay for this in the ring. Believe me. I am going to make him pay for this.
“It is a more personal fight (because of trash talk).”
Krusher
Photo Credits: Jose Pineiro/Main Events
Do you want to make him retire?
SK: “I want this, we’ll see. But usually all my opponents stop their career or move their division, but last fight I didn’t finish my job.”
Why fight Pascal again when the first fight seemed so easy?
SK: “First of all, Pascal has said bad things to my side. I have a reason for fighting him. I think Pascal has reason to say thank you to Luis Pabon, the referee for the fight. He forgot to say thank you very much that he saved his health and life maybe. Because he was already “drunk”, you know like spaghetti legs.”
Why fight in Canada?
SK: “I love Canada and Canadian fans. Canada reminds me so much of my home town in Russia. Same atmosphere. Lot of details remember me of my home town and I feel very comfortable in Canada. Big support from Canadian fans. And second thing why I fight in Canada, because Pascal doesn’t want to go to America to fight me or in Russia either. He’s fighting only in his hometown. Ok, I’m ready to kick his ass in his hometown.”
Kovalev Answers Media Questions
Photo Credits: Jose Pineiro/Main Events
Do you expect to see something different now that Pascal is training with Freddie Roach?
SK: Yes, it gave me new motivation. Because he could bring something new from Freddie Roach. Should be, but we’ll see. It helped me work more, more, more and be ready for what he will bring.
“I want to say thanks to boxing because boxing helped with a lot of terrible things in my life. Boxing saved my life, saved my health. I have a family, I have a son, beautiful wife. Right now I am happy. I have motivation to get more goals.”
Television Interview with Kovalev
Photo Credits: Jose Pineiro/Main Events
John David Jackson: “He has a great work ethic. He kind of choreographs his fights. It’s funny how he does it. It works for him. I let him do what he wants to do. It makes him feel comfortable. He has a routine where he tries to mimic the fight how [he thinks] it’s gonna go about [sic].”
JDJ: “Time will tell [if he will be an icon.] He needs a couple more fights with top quality opponents. You’ve got Ward and Stevenson, and now this Russian kid Beterbiev, who beat Sergey in the amateurs. These are the types of fight that will take him to the next level and make him the superstar that he truly is.”
JDJ: “We put a game-plan together, but he swears up and down there’s no game-plan. We devise a strategy that works for him.”
JDJ: “His physical training and conditioning prior to coming to the gym enables him to go the rounds that he goes and the pace that he sets.”
JDJ: “Right now, he’s still working, but next week we’ll shut the sparring down and we will be at an even pace, but at a level where he’s still aggressive and heavy come fight night.”
About January 30
The grudge match for the unified light heavyweight world championship between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal, a Vidéotron presentation in collaboration with Mise-O-Jeu, will be televised live in the United States on HBO beginning 9:45pm ET/PT. The HBO telecast will open with a ten-round match-up between Dmitry Mikhaylenko and Karim Mayfield for the vacant USBA Welterweight Title. In Canada the event will be available on pay-per-view TV, please consult with your local cable provider. The card is promoted by Main Events and InterBox in association with German Titov Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions. Tickets are on sale on at www.evenko.ca, at Centre Bell box office and at Club de boxe Champions in Montreal.
About Main Events
Main Events was founded in 1978 by the late Dan Duva and is now run by his widow Kathy Duva. As one of the top promotional companies in the world, Main Events has promoted boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker and many more. Currently, Main Events promotes WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. Main Events is committed to promoting quality fights that boxing fans want to see.
About InterBox
InterBox, founded in Québec in 1997, and acquired by Groupe Sportscene in 2004, is a boxing organization that is recognized and respected throughout the Quebec province and the world. Its goal is to promote professional boxing, locally and internationally, with talented boxers who are supervised by top-notch trainers and have access to a cutting-edge support staff. InterBox regularly promotes and presents first-rate events in cooperation with such major corporate sponsors as Vidéotron, La Cage – Brasserie sportive and Coors Light.
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