LOS ANGELES (Jan. 19) – The 50th birthday celebration for future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins will have even more fireworks with the addition of Philadelphia favorites Raymond “Tito” Serrano and Avery Sparrow, plus several other exciting undercard bouts featuring East Coast talent on Golden Boy Live! at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Tuesday, January 20, airing on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes.

In a six-round welterweight bout between Pennsylvanian fighters, Philadelphia’s Raymond “Tito” Serrano (19-2, 9 KOs) takes on Allentown’s Jerome Rodriguez (6-1-3, 2 KOs). The 25-year-old Serrano bounced back from losses to Emmanuel Taylor and Karim Mayfield with a fourth-round stoppage of Wilfredo Acuna last November, and he wants to keep the momentum going in 2015.

A four-round swing bout will see local Philadelphia favorite Avery Sparrow (3-0, 1 KO) meet up with Pennsauken, N.J.’s Pedro Andres (1-1). The 21-year-old Sparrow is a former amateur standout coming off a four-round win over Jesus Lule on November 25.

Manassas, Va’s Robert Sweeney (3-1) will kick off his 2015 year with a six-round junior middleweight bout against Camden, N.J.’s Gilbert Alex Sanchez (4-6-1, 2 KOs), and in the four-round junior lightweight opener, Pennsauken, N.J.’s Carlos Rosario (1-1) squares off with Snow Hill, N.C’s Timothy McNair (0-2).

This special Golden Boy Live! installment celebrates the “The Alien’s” landmark moment with a main event 10-round featherweight bout that puts Philadelphia’s Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter (18-3, 9 KOs) against WBC International Silver Super Featherweight champion, Nicaragua’s Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (21-3, 15 KOs). In the co-main event, Newark, N.J.’s Michael “The Artist” Perez (21-1, 10 KOs) meets Venezuela’s former world champion Miguel “Aguacerito” Acosta (29-7-2, 23 KOs) of Venezuela in a 10-round junior welterweight matchup, and unbeaten lightweight Lamont Roach Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs) of Washington, D.C. puts his perfect record on the line in the six-round televised opener against Baltimore’s Herbert Quartey (8-10, 7 KOs).

Tickets for the event are priced at $75 for ringside, $50 for general reserved and $35 for reserved corner and are on sale now. Tickets are available by calling (215) 364-9000, online at www.wanatix.com or at 2300 Arena, 2300 S. Swanson St., Philadelphia, PA 19148.

Hunter vs. Alvarado, a 10-round featherweight bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Joe Hand Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Swanson_comm,@FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes, @JoeHandPromo and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes, www.facebook.com/JoeHandPromotions
and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @JoeHandPromo

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 17) – Golden Boy Promotions alongside Eye of the Tiger Management held an intimate roundtable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, to discuss the recent signing of David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) to Golden Boy Promotions. The impressive middleweight contender Lemieux, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner Bernard Hopkins, President of Eye of the Tiger Management Camille Estephan, and Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez were all in attendance.

The hard-hitting Montreal native’s next bout was confirmed to be broadcasted on HBO and Lemieux expressed his interest in fighting the best in the middleweight division. Below is what the Montreal native, his promoters and his management had to say:

DAVID LEMIEUX, Middleweight Contender

“I have put in the work. What you saw in Brooklyn was only 50 percent of what I can do and I feel like I can be a lot better. I want to show that in my next fight.

“I fear no man, I want to go after the top of the food chain. Oscar and Bernard came up fighting the best and I am of the same mind.

“Canelo is a younger, hungrier fighter. He is explosive. He is a tough fighter and it would be a good match up.

“Everyone is on the list. I want to fight the best.

“The reason I started so young was because I was a trouble maker. I was fighting in the streets. My neighbor was a boxer and he told me to come fight real fighters. I got my ass kicked a few times but I fell in love with it.

“We want to make a good run at 160 and then think about moving up in weight.

“I have always liked power punchers and I respect others’ styles and other champions, but I never mimic them.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions

“We are exploring every option. We can go to Montreal, we can go back to New York City, we can come to Las Vegas; that’s the beauty of David. He can fight anywhere and people will come out to watch him.

“He’s still growing. We haven’t seen his full potential which is very exciting. He has explosiveness and power.

“We will be working hand and hand with Eye of the Tiger Management. We are partners and we want the best fights, the best deals. We will be working together in the best interest for David.

“A future fight with Canelo is possible. Canelo wants to fight the best. Lemieux wants to fight the best. For now we want to focus on 160-pounds weight class and on Cotto, Andy lee and Golovkin.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner

“We got this guy [Lemieux], he is tough. I know Gabriel Rosado and he handled him easily. I know what I am looking at. I have an eye for talent and he has it.

“We are going to continue and show you that we will put on the best fights and give the fans quality. I’m in it to make the best fights. The ratings speak for themselves. The fans speak for themselves. Judge us by the quality of the matches you see and don’t get caught up in the ‘feelings’ of it.

“I want to put a call out to everyone, that is how Oscar was brought up, that is how I was brought up, fighting the best.

“Three things about David: one, he signed with Golden Boy Promotions; two, he has talent in many ways, not only is he a fan favorite he is a good defensive fighter; three, he has good looks.

“I am seeing now the molding of another legacy, his legacy. But at the end of the day he has an opportunity in the middle weight division, I am glad to be here with a middleweight who I feel already has a lot of respect.

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN, President of Eye of the Tiger Management

“Canelo is on the list. Cotto is on the list. Golovkin is on the list. Andy Lee is on the list. Everyone is on the list.

“I definitely think he is the most popular boxer, the numbers prove it. He has a lot of potential and the sky is the limit.

“I got a call yesterday from someone in the boxing world about how exciting it is to be working with Golden Boy and he said ‘David is like a sunshine that beams on the world of boxing’ and it is very heartwarming. It’s heartwarming to sit down with Oscar, Bernard and Eric, whom I have gotten to know very well since the Rosado fight. This is great group of people and I think that we can build something together that will make a huge impact in the boxing world.

“David is the one guy, that as soon as I saw him the first time in the gym, the first sit-up he did and the last sit-up he did were exactly the same, he doesn’t cheat. He has the ultimate confidence because he doesn’t cheat himself and I have the ultimate respect for him. I am very proud of him as a person.

ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions

“After the Rosado fight, Lemieux was impressive and we began talks with Camille. People love David and it made sense. David has an exciting style.

“We are looking at HBO, the ratings against Rosado were some of the best all year. They are very excited about David.”
###

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.eottm.com on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @EOTMVD, @lemieuxboxing, become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/EyeoftheTigerManagement or follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya and @DavidLemieuxBoxing.

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 30) – On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Golden Boy Promotions will celebrate Bernard Hopkins’ 50th birthday with a night of boxing fit for a legend. This special Golden Boy Live! installment is set to give fans something to celebrate along with the “The Alien’s” landmark moment. The night of fights will air on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes live from the 2300 Arena in Bernard’s hometown of Philadelphia.

In the main event, Philly’s own Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter (19-3, 10 KOs) faces highly regarded Nicaraguan junior lightweight contender Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (21-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the super lightweight co-main 10-round event, rising junior welterweight star Michael “The Artist” Perez of Newark, New Jersey looks to extend his current unbeaten streak to eight fights, he will face a to be announced opponent. Plus, Opening the televised action is Washington, D.C.’s undefeated fighter Lamont Roach Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round junior lightweight battle against an opponent yet to be named.

“I’m so excited that Golden Boy has decided to honor my birthday in this way,” said Hopkins. “The best present that they can give me is to bring a great night of fights to my hometown and give Philly boxing fans something to celebrate.”

Hopkins, fresh from his hard-fought 12-round title fight with Sergey Kovalev on November 8, turns 50 on January 15. “The Alien” will attend the event held in his honor and will be featured on the television broadcast.
Hunter vs. Alvarado, a 10-round featherweight bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Joe HandPromotions and sponsored by Corona Extra, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event are priced at $75 for ringside, $50 for general reserved and $35 for reserved corner. Tickets are available by calling (215) 364-9000, online at www.wanatix.com or at 2300 Arena, 2300 S. Swanson St., Philadelphia, PA 19148.

Hard-nosed Philly native Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter (19-3, 10 KOs) is a popular local hero who is ready to make his name on the national and international scene. Unbeaten in four of his last five fights, the 28-year-old won the USBA title last March with a win over Yenifel Vicente and in his most recent outing, he stopped 11-1 prospect Daniel Ramirez in six rounds.

Managua, Nicaragua’s Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (21-3, 14 KOs) has won four of his last five bouts, most recently bouncing back from an upset loss to Rocky Juarez by defeating Juan Pablo Sanchez for the WBC International title in October. Eager to get back into the title race in 2015, the 25-year-old wants to deliver the kind of performances that guarantee a shot at the 130-pound crown.

Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, Michael “The Artist” Perez (21-1, 10 KOs) is excited to take the trip to Philadelphia for what is close enough to be called a home game. With a record of 6-0-1 in his last seven bouts, the 24-year-old is coming off of two successful defenses of his WBA Fedelatin Title in 2014 when he defeated Jorge Romero and Jared Robinson. Currently ranked sixth in the world by the WBA, Perez wants to make a statement in his first fight of 2015 that he’s ready for a shot at the world championship.

Undefeated newcomer, Lamont Roach Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs) is quickly becoming an exciting fighter to watch in the sport. Hailing from Washington D.C., Roach Jr., scored a knockdown and dominated a four-round decision over Puerto Rico’s Alexander Charneco in his Dec 6 bout.

An all-star undercard also includes Avery Sparrow (3-0, 1 KO, Philadelphia), Ismael Garcia (7-0-1, 3 KOs, Vineland, NJ) and Raymond Serrano (19-2, 9 KOs, Philadelphia)

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, www.JoeHandPromotions.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Swanson_comm, @FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes, @JoeHandPromo and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes, www.facebook.com/JoeHandPromotions
and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @JoeHandPromo

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 24) – On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Golden Boy Promotions will celebrate Bernard Hopkins’ 50th birthday with a night of boxing fit for a legend. This special Golden Boy Live!installment is set to give fans something to celebrate along with the “The Alien’s” landmark moment. The night of fights will air on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes live from the 2300 Arena in Bernard’s hometown of Philadelphia.

In the main event, Philly’s own Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter (19-3, 10 KOs) faces highly regarded Nicaraguan junior lightweight contender Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (21-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout. In the super lightweight co-main 10-round event, rising junior welterweight star Michael “The Artist” Perez of Newark, New Jersey looks to extend his current unbeaten streak to eight fights, he will face a to be announced opponent. Plus, Opening the televised action is Washington, D.C.’s undefeated fighter Lamont Roach Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round junior lightweight battle against an opponent yet to be named.

“I’m so excited that Golden Boy has decided to honor my birthday in this way,” said Hopkins. “The best present that they can give me is to bring a great night of fights to my hometown and give Philly boxing fans something to celebrate.”

Hopkins, fresh from his hard-fought 12-round title fight with Sergey Kovalev on November 8, turns 50 on January 15. “The Alien” will attend the event held in his honor and will be featured on the television broadcast.

Hunter vs. Alvarado, a 10-round featherweight bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Joe HandPromotions and sponsored by Corona Extra, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event are priced at $75 for ringside, $50 for general reserved and $35 for reserved corner. Tickets are available by calling (215) 364-9000, online at www.wanatix.com or at 2300 Arena, 2300 S. Swanson St., Philadelphia, PA 19148.

Hard-nosed Philly native Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter (19-3, 10 KOs) is a popular local hero who is ready to make his name on the national and international scene. Unbeaten in four of his last five fights, the 28-year-old won the USBA title last March with a win over Yenifel Vicente and in his most recent outing, he stopped 11-1 prospect Daniel Ramirez in six rounds.

Managua, Nicaragua’s Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (21-3, 14 KOs) has won four of his last five bouts, most recently bouncing back from an upset loss to Rocky Juarez by defeating Juan Pablo Sanchez for the WBC International title in October. Eager to get back into the title race in 2015, the 25-year-old wants to deliver the kind of performances that guarantee a shot at the 130-pound crown.

Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, Michael “The Artist” Perez (21-1, 10 KOs) is excited to take the trip to Philadelphia for what is close enough to be called a home game. With a record of 6-0-1 in his last seven bouts, the 24-year-old is coming off of two successful defenses of his WBA Fedelatin Title in 2014 when he defeated Jorge Romero and Jared Robinson. Currently ranked sixth in the world by the WBA, Perez wants to make a statement in his first fight of 2015 that he’s ready for a shot at the world championship.

Undefeated newcomer, Lamont Roach Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs) is quickly becoming an exciting fighter to watch in the sport. Hailing from Washington D.C., Roach Jr., scored a knockdown and dominated a four-round decision over Puerto Rico’s Alexander Charneco in his Dec 6 bout.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Swanson_comm,@FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes, @JoeHandPromo and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes, www.facebook.com/JoeHandPromotions
and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @JoeHandPromo

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev – WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Hello everyone thank you so much for everything. I already changed diapers. I already lost track of how many diapers, maybe 15 or so. It is easy because I have experience with my nephews. My older sister has two babies so I have done this a lot. Beating Hopkins is a little bit more dangerous than changing diapers but he peed on my hand when I changed him. It is most important to be here with my family.

“My counsel for Bernard is that he needs to stop his career. He is already not young man and he lost to Kovalev not because of his age. He feels great, he feels good, he feels he is in good shape, and he feels young in his body. He can get a lot of wins against a lot of good fighters including [Adonis] Stevenson and other top ten fighters. It is not my job right now. It is his job. He is feeling very good. I think he needs to stop and give the opportunity to younger boxers to be fighting on the top stage.

[on a fight against Stevenson] “I don’t know how to answer. I am ready for everyone if it is the right fight. It is interesting fight for everyone. This is the job for my promoter and my manager. I don’t think about next fight, right now I want to spend time with my family. I am going to fly to Russia for a couple weeks to be with my parents.

[on light heavyweight division] “I making my weight. Five years ago it is was much easier and now it is a little bit harder to make 175 but it is right weight for my body. My body needs more attention. It is good for me for boxing. I can show how good I am. No for super middleweight it is not possible. It will be too much for my body. Cruiserweight is a big weight for me. I am walking 190 and cruiserweight is 200. I would be fighting against fighters much bigger than me. If it were 4-5 rounds it might be ok but 12 rounds will be much harder. I haven’t cleaned up this division yet. I have goal to get WBC title.

“Yes I would like to get WBC title. I don’t know what will be in the future. Right now it is job of my promoter and manager. For me it doesn’t matter I just need to get one more title.

“I made a lot of mistakes in this fight. I don’t open my mistakes to everyone in public. I know what they are and I will work on them in the gym for my next fight. First of all, Bernard is a professor of boxing. I had to be ready for this fight mentally. It was a lot of pressure on me and for my family. I had a lot of pressure for everything. It was more difficult.

[on dealing with the pressure] “I felt responsible for everything that happened in the fight. I am responsible in my fight and that push me.

[on trying for the knockout] “I was going into the ring for boxing. I was going to get victory from my boxing. I did not have a goal to knockout my opponent. If you try to knockout opponent you won’t do it because your opponent will see your hard punch. When I dropped Bernard first round I was not surprised. I was glad that it was the result of my workout in the gym. It is the result of my strategy. That I showed 12 rounds of boxing. I show the world how I can box. It was not fair that if I will knock him out he has a big experience and big respect from me and everyone in the boxing world. I am very happy that this fight went all 12 rounds.

[going past 8 rounds for the first time] “I felt very great. I did last 12 rounds. I wanted to beat Hopkins more effective. I punch him a couple times when I tried to give him knockdown but he has great and hard head. Very hard head. He was still on his legs. He didn’t drop on the floor and I was surprised. ”

John David Jackson – Kovalev’s Trainer

[on possible trainer of the year honor] “It will be great if I can get it but I can live without. If I get it will be a feather in my cap. I love boxing; it is my life. I am grateful for the fighters that I work with for getting me this level. Thanks to Sergey and to Egis for believing in me. Thanks Kathy for giving her blessing and for believing in me. To get it would be phenomenal.

[on Hopkins’ comments at press conference] “After the second Roy Jones’ fight I told him to retire. That was the last talk we had together. He couldn’t get into Sergey’s head so he tried to get into my head. He didn’t need to worry about me he needed to worry about Sergey. He knew that I know him very well and I was getting in his head better than anyone.

[on the game plan] “The way he wore Bernard down that was the game plan. He dissected him going to the body, the shoulder and the chest. Break Bernard down systematically was the plan.

“The more pressure Sergey brought the more he wore Bernard down. He is an old man in a young man’s sport. Sergey made him fight at a pace he didn’t want to fight at. He underestimated him. Sergey is a superior boxer. He showed the world that on Saturday night. He out-boxed a supposed master boxer. Bernard underestimated his abilities and that hurt him.

[working on next] “For me no one can fight him on the inside in the future he may meet someone who has a good inside game and he will need to work on that. That is the only thing he would need to work on.

[on getting into Bernard’s Head] “I kept reminding Sergey that Bernard is old. I told him where to hit him. It is common sense. He is an old man. You fight an old man by treating him like an old man.

“Sergey is very intelligent. He works on things on his own as well as with me. He works on all aspects to make sure he is a complete fighter. Sometimes he will retreat and make the opponent come to him. He will be here as long as he wants to be here. Anyone that sells him short is in for a rude awakening.

“Sergey’s timing is phenomenal. I asked Sergey to slow down and just keep boxing. If the knockout comes great, if not he was going to win the fight either way. The way he won was more satisfying anyway. He shut him out 12-0.

“I told Bernard to retire. He has had a great career and why cheapen it by hanging on too long. He said his comments at the press conference were for promotion. He can’t get in my head because he wasn’t fighting me. He was going after me because he couldn’t get into Sergey’s head. He was looking for a kink in the armor. He was apologetic afterwards. We are friends. This is business. He can’t be mad at me. He didn’t believe me when I said Sergey was a hell of a fighter. We are still friends. We probably won’t hang out but that’s okay.”

Kathy Duva – CEO of Main Events

“Thanks to everyone for joining us. This has been an auspicious month for Sergey Kovalev. He became a father, a unified champion and then got to meet his son for the first time. I am so proud of him. I am so proud of John David Jackson and Egis Klimas too. I am calling them the dream team now. They put together this great plan and Sergey executed it perfectly.

“He is going to fight again in March but it is too early to say who his opponent might be. I am going to sit down with Egis and then once we make the decision we will let you all know.

[on Stevenson] “At this point I just don’t know. It is too soon to say. Obviously [Nadjib] Mohammedi is in the picture at some point because he is the mandatory. All I see are stories that say they want to fight Sergey in 2015. They know how to reach me. No one has called me. It is still 2014 and no one has made any overtures towards any fights.

[on fighting in another weight class] “No one has talked to us about any fight at any other weight either. I have learned to never say never but it would not be any time soon. It is not really worth talking about. He wants to own the division. He wants to keep the belts he has and that means he will have to do the mandatories. He has to take care of them.

[on ratings for the fight against Hopkins] “We are very pleased with the numbers especially considering the late start due to football. It is about giving the fans a great show.

“John David Jackson choreographed the fight and Sergey executed the plan perfectly. Egis should be manager of the year. He finds all these great fighters. Sergey should be fighter of the year for the way he beat Hopkins and John David should be trainer of the year.

“I want to congratulate Sergey and his wife Natalia for their beautiful son Aleksandr and we will let you know as soon as we know what is next for Sergey.”

Egis Klimas – Sergey Kovalev’s Manager

“We are interested in WBC title. We will fight whoever will be holding that title. That is who we will be aiming for. If someone had told me earlier this year that Sergey would fight Bernard Hopkins and earn two more titles I would have asked them what are they were smoking. Things change every day. We are working towards becoming undisputed champion.

[on a fight with Golovkin] “Let’s not talk about the crazy stuff. Why should we go after Golovkin? I cannot see two different weight classes. I don’t see that fight happening because it is a different weight class. Of course we are looking for the big fights but in our weight class.”

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By Norm Frauenheim-

Sergey Kovalev’s victory over Bernard Hopkins was one thing. His dominance was something else. After awhile, the benefit of hindsight will make Kovalev’s win look predictable. Nobody ever whips the clock, although Hopkins did it longer than anyone ever has. The shutout on the scorecards, however, was a stunning testament to a Kovalev skill set that had been unappreciated as much as it had been unexpected. It meant something else, too.

If there was ever a time and place to say that the ex-Soviet fighter has arrived, it was there, Saturday night in Atlantic City, with Kovalev’s thorough and patient triumph over an acknowledged master. There was an underlying assumption that the clever Hopkins would force Kovalev into an adjustment that would result in a critical mistake. There was a lot of talk about how Kovalev had never been beyond eight rounds. Translation: In the end, he would fight like a Russian. Didn’t happen, mostly because that stereotype no longer exists. For years, Soviet fighters were said to be tough, well-conditioned and powerful. But they were robotic and unable to think on their feet.

Like the Berlin Wall, that stereotype has fallen onto history’s scrapheap, gone for good. By going a full 12 rounds against Hopkins, Kovalev scored a symbolic stoppage of an assumption that might still linger had he knocked out a man just two months shy of his 50th birthday.

Kovalev proved himself to be more than a power puncher. He went the distance for a thorough, light-heavyweight victory over one the smartest guys ever in the ring. Fighters from the old Soviet Union aren’t thinkers? Think again.

Wladimir Klitschko has long been a thinking man’s fighter. For some reason, however, his smarts never captured
the U.S. imagination, perhaps because all of America’s best heavyweights are middle-linebackers and defensive ends these days. But Kovalev’s victory over Hopkins might awaken new found respect for Klitschko, who hopes to extend his eight-and-half-year-long heavyweight reign Saturday against Kubrat Pulev in Germany.

In the days since beating Hopkins, Kovalev has begun to show up in the pound-for-pound debate. P4P is an overrated exercise, to be sure. But it’s noteworthy this week, simply because of who else is already in many of the mythical ratings. In the ESPN edition, Kovalev is a new addition at No. 9. He’s one of three fighters from the old Soviet empire among the top 10. Middleweight Gennady Golovkin, of Kazakhstan, is No. 6. Klitschko, of the Ukraine is No. 8. Three fighters from old the Soviet bloc amount to more than from any other region in the world on a list hat includes two Americans, Floyd Mayweather Jr. at No. 1 and Timothy Bradley at No. 4.

There’s a theory that fighters from the discarded Soviet system are emerging because they now are forced to be creative. Dmitriy Salita, today a promoter and a former welterweight from the Ukraine, once told me that under the Soviet style every step in a fighter’s plan was marked down, rehearsed and memorized. Even the footwork was programmed, Salita said. But with the end of Soviet control, fighters, like entrepreneurs, had to hustle, which meant thinking for themselves. Hence, we have a Kovalev, a Golovkin, a Klistchko and others who one day might be included in the pound-for-pound debate. Featherweight Vasyl Lomachenko is a good possibility.

In 2014, it mean just one thing:

The collective — no pun intended — face of the fighter from the old Soviet Union should be Fighter of the Year.

Totowa, NJ:Main Events continues to add to an already impressive light heavyweight stable with the signing of Nadjib Mohammedi, the 29-year old from Gardanne, Bouches-du-Rhône, France who earned the #1 position in the IBF earlier this year with his seventh round knockout of Anatoliy “The Gladiator” Dudchenko in his US debut. Mohammedi was announced as the mandatory challenger for IBF belt in July, but then-IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins instead elected to fight a title unification bout against Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, which took place last weekend. Kovalev defeated Hopkins in a wide decision to become the IBF, WBO and WBA Unified Light Heavyweight Champion.

While waiting for his chance at the IBF belt, Mohammedi knocked out Demetrius Walker at 2:16 in the first round on Saturday as part of the Hopkins-Kovalev undercard. With Kovalev’s unanimous decision defeat of Hopkins, Kovalev inherited Mohammedi as his mandatory challenger for the IBF belt.

Mohammedi vs. Walker
Photo Credits: Mike Gladysz/Main Events

“Signing with Main Events was one of my dreams come true,” explained Mohammedi. “I finally have the opportunity to show the world that Nadjib Mohammedi is the best light heavyweight in boxing today. I was unknown before, but now with Kathy and her staff’s work everyone will know my name.” He added, “It is an honor to now be part of an organization that has the top fighters in my division and now everyone will now know the name Nadjib ‘Irondjib’ Mohammedi. The only trajectory is the victory!”

Main Events’ CEO Kathy Duva said, “When Sergey Kovalev won the WBO Light Heavyweight Title from Nathan Cleverly in August of 2013, we began investing heavily in the light heavyweight division. Nadjib is a very welcome addition to our roster and there are big things for him right around the corner in 2015.”

NEW YORK (Nov. 10, 2014) – Undefeated welterweight and newly crowned WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Champion Sadam “World Kid” Ali made a statement Saturday night with a remarkable ninth-round technical knockout victory over Argentine slugger Luis Carlos Abregu. Ali, a hot prospect in the welterweight division, may have broken into the boxing mainstream Saturday night with his dominating performance as the co-featured event on the “Bernard Hopkins vs. Sergey Kovalev” undercard. It was his first fight on HBO World Championship Boxing® and a major step up in competition for the fighter who upped his record to 21-0 with 13 knockouts.

While Ali has much to be proud of as he enjoys his recent victory, he will take time to honor our nation’s military veterans as he participates in the annual New York City Veteran’s Day Parade also known as “America’s Parade.” As a native of Brooklyn and a 2008 U.S. Olympian, Ali is a great addition to the day’s festivities.

He will ride on a float as a guest of Wounded Warrior Project® amidst 1,000 soldiers and 600,000 spectators.

“It’s an honor to be able to pay homage to the great men and women who support our country,” said Ali. “They fight for our freedom and are true champions. I’m thrilled to be included and I hope New Yorkers come to the parade and show their support.”

“We can take for granted the veterans who risk their lives to protect the things that make this country so great and I’m happy to be able to give back,” said Ali.

Ali (21-0, 13 KOs) took a slow and steady approach to his professional career, but since signing with Golden Boy Promotions in 2013, Ali has been fighting in the fast lane and continues to impress including his major win on Saturday night. Other wins include recent bouts over Jay Krupp, Jesus Selig, Michael Clark and Jeremy Bryan, the dynamic Ali heads into 2015 with open options in one of the most divisions in boxing.

For more information follow www.twitter.com/realworldkidali, www.twitter.com/goldenboyboxing, @theworldkidali and @goldenboyboxing on Instagram or go to www.goldenboypromotions.com

By Bart Barry-

The most unexpected thing shared by guys who hit hardest is rarely how hard they hit or the speed of their attack. No, what surprises most about those guys is the nimbleness with which they take a backwards step the first three or four times you try to attack and smother them, their balletic willingness to move away from you in a tactical retreat and geometric adjustment that puts you at the end point of their punches. Where it hurts the most.

It was that willingness and ability with a backwards step or two, Saturday night in Atlantic City, that allowed Russian light heavyweight titlist Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev to toss a shutout at American titlist Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, in a unification match official scorekeepers had 120-106, 120-107 and 120-107.

Kovalev-Hopkins was, is, our sport’s fight of the year. Not its best fight, no, much nearer its worst, in fact, but the fight that best represented the state of our sport in 2014, the year a man nearing his 50th birthday challenged and imperiled himself more than any of our standard bearers in their primes. Sergey Kovalev, an elite-level fighter, was unable to knock-out Bernard Hopkins, despite trying to do so sporadically in the fight and sustainedly in its closing minutes. Hopkins is extraordinary, yes, but any path to alien extraordinariness is eased when one’s era is so fantastically ordinary.

There is a heaviness and a dullness, an ache more than a pang, about treating Saturday’s light heavyweight unification match. Postfight, the highest tribute paid its winner, a 31-year-old known as “Krusher,” was that he was disciplined in his pursuit of a 49-year-old man, that he did not do anything rash like throw a hundred punches every round or run his fellow titlist into retirement, that he demonstrated prudence in becoming the unified world champion of a storied division. So it goes this year: Prudence against a man Hopkins’ age is a blazon of excellence.

Is that revisionist? Yes, but only slightly. There was a healthy percentage of knowledgeable boxing folks, myself included, who thought Hopkins might beat Kovalev, when Saturday’s opening bell rang. But those ideas disappeared, went wanting in full, fewer than 60 seconds later. Following something like the strategy he followed against Kelly Pavlik, flying at a younger man with an unexpected aggressiveness he expected to have a disruptive effect, Hopkins wheeled and crossed-over, trying to hit Kovalev on his second or third step. But Kovalev was three steps out of Hopkins’ range before Hopkins’ back foot completed its odyssey to front. Hopkins moved – in Larry Merchant’s memorable phrase – like a man “in amber.”

It was a moment of instant sadness. That quickly, the air became full of worry those viewing the match were about to see a man well past his physical prime assaulted to unconsciousness or worse by someone 18 years his junior. Nearly worse still was the possibility a man so exaggeratedly beyond his physical prime might somehow become a unified world champion, through force of wiles, yes, but even more through opponent incompetence.

“I feel bad for watching this, jeez” – that was the first comment I heard after the opening bell, Saturday, in a roomful of knowledgeable boxing people, the majority of whom still attend boxing gyms regularly, and it was said by an astute observer who gave Hopkins a chance to win the match only a minute before.

It was that sort of start for Hopkins. He got dropped by a counter righthand thrown by Kovalev as the Russian hopped backwards in round 1. Hopkins rose and looked at the canvas, a tick of embarrassment more than a try at fooling referee David Fields, a man unknown to viewers as what three judges got assigned to the main event, and concluded the round, and the round after that, with a look that was more frightened than concentrated or studious.

Under John David Jackson’s tutelage, Kovalev took Hopkins’ strategy away from him, by quickly giving Hopkins a thought he’d not seriously had before – I could get hurt very badly tonight – and then using that disruption to keep Hopkins from ever executing anything the way he wished to. There were 10 or 15 seconds, in a fight comprising 2,160 of them, when Hopkins made an offensive maneuver that went according to plan, catching Kovalev with a left hook here and counter right there, but those punches had no effect on Kovalev, save provocation.

When Hopkins got Kovalev with a punch that stung, the Russian went after Hopkins, making him fight at a pace, and with a series of consequences, Hopkins wanted no part of. Kovalev succeeded, mostly, by taking Hopkins more seriously than any opponent Kovalev faced before, by giving Hopkins’ power considerably more leeway than it merited, and by mixing his flurries with enough inactivity that Hopkins never recognized a rhythmic pattern enough to do anything disruptive himself.

The fight’s final round was almost good enough to make folks forget how dreadful its 11 predecessors were, as Hopkins fought to win something much more important to him, by then, than his fight with Kovalev; Hopkins fought the final round to win a right to choose his retirement date. Had Hopkins, whose head got snapped in a bunch of directions by Kovalev’s fists in round 12, been dropped awkwardly or severed from his consciousness long enough to get a doctor in the ring, nothing about Hopkins’ pending retirement would have been voluntary.

Athletic commissions, even those representing poleis desperate for revenue as Atlantic City’s, would have banded together and helped Hopkins out of the sport, on terms other than his own. Journalists, too, might have followed Carlos Acevedo’s admonishment and asked how a PED-free athlete could improve after his 35th birthday in an era dominated by PED-using athletes.

Instead, by fighting fully the most-feared prizefighter in his division, and absorbing dramatically that man’s best punches, Hopkins won for himself a chance to announce his retirement at a leisurely pace. One hopes that pace nevertheless ends before 2014 does.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

ATLANTIC CITY–Sergey Kovalev scored a 12-round unanimous decision to retain the WBO and capture the IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight championship at Boardwalk Hall.

It started well for Kovalev as he landed a lead right that dropped Hopkins in the first round. In round three Hopkins laned a double forearm that sent Kovalev to the canvas. Hopkins briefly got into the fight later in the round as he landed a perfect right in between an attempted flurry. Kovalev finished the round strong by landing a nice right. Kovalev applied constant pressure and got through with enough punches to sweep the first half of the fight.

Hopkins had a couple of moments in round seven as he landed a few rights with one seemingly knocking Kovalev off balance. In round eight, Kovalev rocked Hopkins with a hard overhand right but was unable to do any further damage. In round ten, Hopkins drilled Kovalev with a hard overhand right. In round twelve, It started well for Hopkins as he buckled Kovaleve with another hard right. That seemed to set off the Russian as Kovalev landed a flurry of punches and had Hopkins in trouble like he hasn’t been in his career. Hopkins was able to reach the final bell by taking heavy punches in the ropes. That image maybe the last in the incredible career of Hopkins.

Kovalev, 174 1/2 lbs of Russia won by scores of 120-107 on two cards and 120-106 and is now 26-0-1. Hopkins, 173
Sadam Ali scored the biggest win of his career as he stopped Luis Carlos Abregu in round nine of their scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout.

Abregu pressed the action while Ali used movement to stay out of harms way and occasionally peck in some shots. Ali started to throw a little more fire in round six. Ali then connected with a hard left hook that sent Abregu to the canvas. Ali came out in round seven and landed a hard right hand. Abregu came later in the round to catch Ali with a hard left hook. Ali started round eight with a beautiful counter left off the ropes. Abregu smelled bllod to start round nine as he pummeled Ali along the ropes. Ali fired out and landed a perfect left hook to save him from danger. Ali then landed a hard left hook to the body that buckled Abregu. Ali then unleashed a perfect left that dropped Abregu hard to the canvas. Abregu continued but not for long as Ali pounced on the hurt Abregu and the fight was stopped at 1:54 of round nine.

Ali, 146 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 21-0 with 13 knockouts. Abregu, 146.5 lbs of Salta, ARG is now 36-2.

Nadjib Mohammadi scored a 1st round stoppage over Demetrius Walker in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight fight.

Mohammdi dropped Walker in the 1st from a hard right then a follow up body flurry. He dropped him again with a hard right and the fight was stopped at 2:16.

Mohammedi, 176 lbs of AIx en Provence, FRA is now 37-3 with 22 knockouts. Walker, 174.5 lbs of Kansas City is now 7-8-1.

Vyacheslav Glazkov scored a 7thround stoppage over Darnell Wilson in a scheduled 10-round Heavyweight bout.

Glazkov battered Wilson for much of the fight and the bout was stopped before round eight.

Glazkov, 220 lbs of Lugasnk, UKR is now 19-0-1 with 12 knockouts. Wilson, 239 lbs of Miami is now 25-18-3.

Eric Hunter scored a 6th round stoppage over Daniel Ramirez in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Lightweight bout.

It was a good fight with both guys landing good shots. Hunter dropped Ramirez in round six with a hard right hand. He continually hit Ramirez until the fight was stopped after Ramirez was rocked with a hard right at 1:23 of round six.

Hunter, 128 lbs of Philadelphia is now 19-3 with 10 knockouts. Ramirez, 127 lbs of Los Angeles is now 11-2.

Sullivan Barrera remained undefeated as he stopped Rowland Bryant after round four of their scheduled 8-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Barrera dropped Bryant in round two from a right hand. The bout was stopped in between round’s four and five.

Barrera, 175 lbs of Miami is now 14-0 with 9 knockouts. Bryant, 174 lbs of Altamonte Springs, FL is now 18-4.

Andrey Sirotkin scored a 6-round unanimous decision over Michael Mitchell in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Sirotkin, 169 lbs of Zubobo, RUS won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 5-0. Mitchell, 168 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 3-5-2.

Ryan Martin scored a 2nd round stoppage over Isals Gonzalez in a scheduled four round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Martin, 136 lbs of Chartanooga, TN is now 9-0 with 5 knockouts. Gonzalez, 135.5 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 17-4.

LONDON (Nov 7) – The world’s oldest ever world champion Bernard Hopkins believes that he has no place on boxing’s pound-for-pound list.

The current WBA and IBF light-heavyweight world champion is gearing up to face hard-hitting Sergey Kovalev this Saturday night on BoxNation in an edge of the seat unification clash, which will also see the Russian’s WBO belt up for grabs.

After rebranding himself as ‘The Alien’, due to his remarkable achievements and having become the oldest ever unified champion at 49 years of age, Hopkins says he doesn’t want to be put on boxing’s ‘pound-for-pound’ list which categorises boxing’s elite.

“I don’t want to be on anybody’s pound-for-pound list when I win this fight because to put me on a pound-for-pound list says that I’m human. It says that I’m human based on you characterise me one, two, three or four,” said Hopkins.

“To me you got to make a new list and what I’m doing now I’m making a new legacy and a new list. So don’t put me on no pound-for-pound list because that would make me human that would make me just like them.

“I respect the pound-for-pound list but you have to do another list for me. You have to sit down and think we can’t put this man in the top 10 because he’s doing something that no one has ever done. 15 years ago my career was meant to have been over,” he said.

The Philadelphian pugilist has seen it all in boxing having risen as an upstart in 1988 before reigning supreme as champion over the middleweight division for a decade before his conquest of the light-heavyweight division.

Against Kovalev he steps in against an unbeaten knockout artist who has scored 23 stoppages from his 25 wins, but Hopkins has a past of overcoming fighters with flawless records having upset the likes of Felix Trinidad and Joe Lipsey.

“I have a history of taking fighters undefeated records – starting with the first big name Tito Trinidad. This is something I have a pattern of doing. This isn’t just hype talk that’s why I haven’t got to holler and shout,” Hopkins said.

“I have a history of taking the ‘O’ away and giving a guy a devastating loss – some haven’t even bounced back.

“But one thing about a puncher is they have a punchers chance. They could be gone till the 11th round then ‘pow wow’.

“They are always dangerous but ‘The Alien’ likes to walk on his tightrope 50 feet in the air, maybe 100, with no safety net but I’m going to make it across the other side,” said Hopkins.

With 65 fights and numerous world titles, Hopkins, who turns 50 in two months, says the fight with Kovalev goes beyond just boxing for him with his hunger to succeed in life a motivating factor.

“When I hear or read or get asked a question like, ‘you didn’t have to take this fight, you could have taken a different fight,’ I think, have you paid attention to my career?,” said Hopkins.

“This isn’t about being an athlete, a boxer or whatever it is. This is something separate. Me as a man, I’ve been here since 1965. I have been special ever since.

“When you’re dealing with the spirit that I carry with me, from my personal life to here, all of that comes together in the ring.

“An opponent, he can be fast, slick or a puncher; you have to face all of these intangibles that I bring to the ring. I don’t mind putting my wits up against anyone’s wits today. I’m so calm and relaxed. I still have that hunger to prove myself,” he said.

Hopkins v Kovalev is live on BoxNation (Sky437/490HD, Virgin 546 & TalkTalk 525) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
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BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

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By Norm Frauenheim-

Bernard Hopkins’ life as street thug, ex-con, Congressional witness, peace-maker, fighter, promoter, pundit, provocateur, butcher, baker and candlestick maker includes different nicknames, a couple of masks and roles only he knows are still within him.

“I’m not human,” Hopkins said in a recent conference call.

But he is.

There’s an endless array of humanity jammed into that one being who over the many years has been called Inmate #Y4145, The Executioner, B-Hop and today The Alien.

It’s what makes him so compelling. So challenging.

He shows us what is humanly possible on either side of those proverbial ropes. He’ll have to do it all over again Saturday night in Atlantic City against Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight-fight (HBO 10:45 pm ET/PT) as intriguing as any bout in the last year.

By now, circumstances confronting Hopkins have been documented and over-analyzed. Kovalev’s power and relative youth – he’s 31 – are a couple of factors that some think will finally stop Hopkins’ unprecedented defiance of time’s inevitability. He’ll be 50 in January.

Half-a-century is a long time anywhere. For anybody whose mileage has taken them past that birthday and deposited them in the senior-citizen division, Hopkins’ resilient ability to fight on is science fiction-like.

Hopkins swims as part of his training regimen these days. While watching him in the water during HBO’s pre-fight documentary, I wondered if there was a youth-restoring Cocoon from director Ron Howard’s 1985 Academy Award-winning movie at the bottom of that Philadelphia pool.

It’s alien all right, which explains that silly green mask that Hopkins wears. It’s not because he’s trying to hide a gray beard. He has always understood that boxing is a mix of sport and theater. Maybe, Kovalev will prove to be nothing more than just another vanquished face in his supporting cast. I think not. I predicted a Kovalev victory by decision for The Ring. http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/362819-who-wins-bernard-hopkins-sergey-kovalev

Then again, I picked Hopkins to lose to Kelly Pavlik in 2008. Maybe, I should start wearing a fool’s mask.

Truth is, Hopkins is already a winner. The fight could get ugly, which might diminish what has already been accomplished. Nevertheless, Hopkins has done what you expect of somebody about to turn 50.

To wit: He’s become role model for a sport that badly needs one.

In stepping up to fight an emerging star and one of the game’s most feared punchers, he has embarrassed pound-for-pound contenders who are more than a couple of decades younger.

Hopkins reminds us – and hopefully them – that building a legacy is serious business. It’s a not a mere logo for a souvenir. Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s pursuit of legacy has begun to look manufactured. His TBE — The Best Ever – is on T-shirts and caps. Wonder if Manny Pacquiao has bought one? For a bonfire, maybe.

The Best Ever is not possible with a fight against the best. That’s what Hopkins is doing in his decision to face Kovalev. The build-up to the bout has included much of what is often attached to a Hopkins fight.

Race became an issue when he told ESPN that the fight is not a cover piece for Sports Illustrated or other major media, because he’s black. Because his last name isn’t Marciano or Stern, he said.

The comments, of course, generated some major-media coverage. It also was nothing new from Hopkins, who once said retired NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb wasn’t “black enough” and told Joe Calzaghe that he could never go back to the projects if he let “a white boy’’ beat him.

Any discussion of race these days is on the wrong side of the politically-correct fence. But when has race not been a part of boxing? It is the sport, after all, that created The Great White Hope, a term still used. Agree with Hopkins. Disagree with him.

But thank him for his honesty. He’ll never be able to mask that or anything else in a life full of evolving lessons about what humans shouldn’t do and what they can be. That’s a victory on any scorecard.

BERNARD HOPKINS, IBF & WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion

“When I hear or read or get asked a question like, ‘you didn’t have to take this fight, you could have taken a different fight,’ I think, have you paid attention to my career?

“This isn’t about being an athlete, a boxer or whatever it is. This is something separate. Me as a man, I’ve been there since 1965. I have been special ever since.

“When you’re dealing with the spirit, that I carry with me, from my personal life to here. All of that comes together in the ring. An opponent, he can be fast, slick or a puncher, you have to face all of these intangibles that I bring to the ring.

“I don’t mind putting my wits up against anyone’s wits today. I’m so calm and relaxed. I still have that hunger to prove myself.

“Psychological warfare, you will never win against me. Everyone on this side [points to Kovalev’s side of dais] knows you’re never going to win. I don’t care who’s sitting over there.

“When I step into that ring I’m at war with everybody.

“I have no secrets. I’m one of the cleanest athletes that has ever been in any sport. Remind yourself every now and then who you’re dealing with. Then you can say, ‘I asked him that 15 years ago.’

“It doesn’t disappoint me when I hear people say ‘He didn’t have to take this fight.’ What do you think? I’m a charity case? I’ve been wise to figure this out.

“Sergey wants to do what every fighter and athlete wants to do, put the best against the best. They want to fight the best. I’m not going to be in this game fighting nobodies.

“I know the ring like I know this building [Caesar’s Atlantic City], but that’s not because I’ve been here a bunch of times. It’s because I pay attention to everyone and everything. I believe at looking people in the eye and learning everything I need to know about them.

“I’m still calm and relaxed now, but I still have the hunger to prove myself. Sergey says he wants a fair fight. [To Sergey] You’re the Krusher, you make your own fair fight.

“John David Jackson says he knows everything there is to know about me. Sergey is the student. I’m not fighting John. But how can a teacher teach with credibility when the teacher has all F’s? How can a teacher teach a student to have all A’s when he has an F? I guarantee John did not show our fight to Sergey.”

SERGEY KOVALEV, WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion

“All roads lead to this fight. This is a huge fight in my career and in my life.

“Bernard Hopkins is a legend. He is a professor of professional boxing. This fight is dangerous for me but this fight is also dangerous for him because of me.

“November 8th on HBO in Atlantic City will be a great show and a really interesting fight. I hope that this fight will be very fair and honest.

“In the beginning of my career, I was ready to fight anywhere at anytime. No one knew me in America and I built my career from zero. I fought any place, any opponent.

“I only understand about 10 percent of what Hopkins says. He speaks in American English and slang. It’s probably a good thing because it doesn’t bother me.

“After he fights me, he can leave boxing and become a one man show in the theater or comedy. He is a great talker.

“It would be different if we fought in Russia and I could fully explain myself and what I want to say and he had what he was saying interpreted.

“The way someone explained to me what he said. He is saying interesting things.

“I understand that he is sure of himself 100 percent, and that is a good thing, but I am going to win on Saturday night.”

SADAM ALI, Undefeated Welterweight Contender

“I am very excited to be on the undercard with Hopkins and Kovalev. Every time I’m on a card with Hopkins, he is making history and it motivates me.

“I want to thank all the promoters for getting back together because that is the most important thing.

“I am ready to put on a show. Everyone has the chance to put on a show. I have been boxing for 18 years and this is my time.”

LUIS CARLOS ABREGU, Welterweight Contender

“I want to thank Sadam Ali and his team. They are good people. This is a sport. In the fight we are going to come to work and it will be a fight. After that we will go back to being friends again.

“You all know my style. I’m here to give the fans a great fight. Let’s put it all together and may the best man win.

“Now there isn’t much more to say. Lets leave it for Saturday night.”

NAAZIM RICHARDSON, Hopkins’ Trainer

“There’s not too much we can say about Bernard Hopkins that hasn’t already been said.

“This fight will put ‘The Alien’ in the Hall of Fame. ‘The Executioner’ is already in there. He is not only he oldest boxing champion he is the oldest champion in any sport. We can’t even reduce him to boxing any more, he’s no longer just ours.

“I’ve seen this man face punchers before. I’ve seen him face everything except for ‘fan man.’

“Come out and see one of the greatest athletes of all time. ‘The Executioner’, ‘The Alien’, ‘B-Hop’ or whatever your favorite segment was in his career.

“I don’t want anyone to declaw or defang Kovalev. I don’t want to hear it was this or that, or that the mind game of Bernard was too much for him. You all watch this kid. There’s no excuse for this man not to come out and do what he’s been doing.”

JOHN DAVID JACKSON, Kovalev’s Trainer

“Boxing needs fights like this. I respect Bernard and what he has accomplished in his career and I respect this young man Kovalev for what he has accomplished in his young career. He is going to go on to bigger and better things.

“It’s fights like these that keep boxing alive, with the veteran warrior and a young warrior willing to fight each other.

“The talking is done, the fight plan is together and every stone has been turned.”

EGIS KLIMAS, Kovalev’s Manager

“I want to thank Sergey for being a good person. It’s fights like these that keep boxing alive. He wants to take the old man’s title.

“It is a fight that people need to see in boxing. They could have chosen other fights. This is what boxing needs. I am respecting this man for what he’s accomplished.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President & Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“This is the premiere event for the year in boxing. The beauty about this is that it could easily have been on pay-per-view, but its not it’s live on HBO.

“It’s the biggest fight of the year and all of the parties involved stepped up to the plate and it is going to be a highly anticipated event.

“Bernard is a future Hall of Famer who is shattering records left and right. Talk about perseverance, never giving up and fighting for what’s right.

“You can go on and on about what a perfect example of an athlete he is. He eats, sleeps, and breathes boxing. Bernard Hopkins is in a class of his own. We are never going to see another Hopkins in our lifetime, that’s how special he is and I’m not just saying that because he knocked me out.

“There is something about Hopkins psychological game plan. It puts you in a trance. It caught me by surprise. That is what Hopkins is. We know he is physically strong, fast and agile, but here there is nobody like him.

“Having the privilege to step into the ring with Bernard Hopkins is an experience that is impossible to prepare for. How are you going to deal with his brain power, mind and his plan A, B, C?”

KATHY DUVA, CEO of Main Events

“Sergey will enter the ring with one belt and wants to leave with three. He has an electrifying presence in the ring and I have no doubt he is going to give us a show.

“These are two great fighters. Bernard is a great fighter. There is no other way to describe him. I know what this legacy means to him. Taking this fight at this point in his life proves that.

“We have put together a card from top to bottom that should be entertaining. We wanted to make sure we stacked the card from top to bottom.

“Atlantic City is not out. This is a perfect example of If you bring the best fights to Atlantic City the people are going to be interested It’s been a little bit of a dry spell for us in Atlantic City. Maybe it’s an omen but Larry Hazzard was reappointed commissioner and we go this great championship fight right here on our doorstep.

“I want to thank the fighters. When you can get guys to fight that are taking chances and making fights happen that fans want to see, that is the best scenario possible for the sport.

“Bernard has been a fighter in Atlantic City for a long time, a lot longer than he probably wants to remember. I commend him for taking this fight and bringing it to Atlantic City.”

CARL MORETTI, Vice President of Boxing Operations for Top Rank

“You don’t want to say the opening fight is going to steal the show. This kind of fight is experience versus youth.

“In the welterweight division any fight you can make is a good fight because it always leads to something great. We look forward to making fights like this.

“Luis Carlos Abregu is probably the best puncher in the welterweight division.

LARRY HAZZARD, Commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission

“There’s not much I need to say. This is quite a homecoming for me. When I left in 2007 it was not a good year for me. When I left Hopkins was headlining a big event in AC. At that time you were ‘The Executioner’ and now you’re ‘The Alien.’

“It is wonderful that this is taking place in Atlantic City. This is probably the most anticipated boxing event for the entire year. It is a fight that really didn’t have to take place. These two guys could have danced around each other for another year ago, but because they consider themselves the best and in boxing the best should be fighting the best.”

# # #

“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental title and is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

24/7 HOPKINS/KOVALEV, the 30-minute special narrated by Liev Schreiber and produced by HBO’s Emmy-Award-winning “24/7” production team replays Friday, Nov. 7 at 8:00 p.m. on HBO2 andSaturday, Nov. 8 at 11:00 a.m. on HBO. All times are ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitterat www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP,
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev and www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and #alienvskrusher.

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LONDON (Nov 6) – Proud new dad Sergey Kovalev isn’t in the mood for any niceties after vowing to ‘kick ass’ when he faces Bernard Hopkins this weekend.

The pair clash in what is one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year, with both men putting their world titles on the line when they lock horns in an historic battle at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this Saturday night, live on BoxNation.

Despite having become a father for the first time, the feared Russian knockout artist has not softened from his characteristic steely disposition and has stated he is prepared to win the fight with Philadelphian Hopkins in any way possible.

“This is a huge fight for me and this is the fight of my life. It’s a very important fight. I’m focused on this. Yes, my baby was just born and I remember this, and my son has pushed me more and is a big motivation for me. Now I understand who I’m doing everything in my career for. I’m doing it now not for me. I’m doing this for my family,” said Kovalev.

“I go into the ring and I get my victory at any cost. If I need to fight, I will fight. If I need to box, I’m going to box. This is a fight. You can keep in your mind one strategy but these fighters can change.

“I don’t have any strategy for the fight, just to go into the ring and fight like a street fight. I’m going to kick his ass because he’s my opponent. Any of my opponents want to beat me. If I’m not going to beat him he will beat me,” he said.

The reigning WBO light-heavyweight champion has made it clear that he is even prepared to push the boundaries if need be.

“Anyway I need to get a victory, dirty fight or clean fight, for me it doesn’t matter. I will fight dirty, if Hopkins will fight dirty,” he said.

“I’m going to fight a clean fight, but who knows what will happen November 8th. It will be interesting, very interesting. I can’t imagine what will happen,” Kovalev said.

The journey to this point in his career has been a long and arduous one for the big-hitting Kovalev, who has scored 23 knockouts in his 25 wins.

Having moved over to the USA to fulfil a childhood ambition of establishing himself among the elite of the sport, the 31-year-old Kovalev’s road to stardom wasn’t easy.

“You never know what will be tomorrow, but if you believe in it, it can happen, if you trust and believe in yourself and you have a goal and you’re working to this goal, then yes, this can happen,” said Kovalev, speaking on his rise to the top.

“When we fought three, four years ago with Egis [Kovalev’s manager], and we were travelling all over the country in America and fighting anyone who was ready, I didn’t think that this fight would be possible.

“But I believed that I can to do it, and I tried to do it, and some very big thanks to my promoter, Kathy Duva and to Egis that they, from their conversations led me to sign a contract with the promoter – that is when my fight began.

“I waited a long time at this level and waited for this fight, a huge fight. When I was a child I had a dream, when I watched TV I dreamed. I wanted to be there and now I’m here. Everything from your head and everything from your heart, if you want it, you can do it,” Kovalev explained.

One secret weapon that Kovalev has in his armoury going into this fight is trainer John David Jackson, who was in camp with Hopkins for four years under the tutelage of the WBA and IBF champion’s trainer Naazim Richardson.

Kovalev, however, is keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of the bout.

“The most important thing for the team and for me is just to keep going systematically, and keep disciplined, and keep working. What John David Jackson said is that it’s a secret between me and him, he has the keys to my victory.

“I understand that everybody wants to hear what happened in my training camp with John David Jackson, but everything you will see on November 8th in Atlantic City,” Kovalev said.

Hopkins v Kovalev is live on BoxNation (Sky437/490HD, Virgin 546 & TalkTalk 525) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 5) – When 49-year old WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) faces 31-year old WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs) in a unification battle on Saturday, November 8 in Atlantic City, he will bring more than a pair of gloved fists. Hopkins brings almost 30 years of history with him.

The continuing success of “The Alien” can make it easy to forget just how long Hopkins has been a part of the professional boxing landscape.

Hopkins was born in 1965 and has seen:

Nine U.S. Presidents (Johnson, Nixon. Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama)

The world’s population more than double, from 3.3 billion to over 7 billion

The average price of gas rise from 31 cents a gallon all the way up to three dollars and thirty-five cents

A 23-year-old Hopkins turned professional in October 1988. How long ago was that?

Sergey Kovalev was only five years old

Mike Tyson was Ring Magazine’s top fighter in the world pound-for-pound

Ronald Regan was President of the United States

“Rain Man” was the top film of the year

Hopkins earned his first world title shot, a loss to Roy Jones Jr. in May 1993. At that same time:

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was boxing’s pound-for-pound king

Mike Tyson was a prisoner in Indiana

The USSR had collapsed

“The Bridges of Madison County” topped the New York Times bestseller list

Hopkins began his historic reign as middleweight champion with a seventh-round stoppage of Segundo Mercado for the IBF crown in May, 1995, the same time that:

Pernell Whitaker followed Chavez Sr. as the pound-for-pound king while Hopkins quietly built his case

Whitney Houston graced the cover of Ebony magazine

Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” sat atop the music charts

Today’s pop sensations Justin Bieber and Harry Styles were only one-year-old and Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez were just two

2001 was a banner year for Hopkins as he earned a place in the middleweight unification tournament. He defeated Keith Holmes for the WBC crown in April and set his sights on WBA Champion Felix Trinidad in September at Madison Square Garden. Their classic encounter was delayed two weeks by the events of 9/11, the then-36 year old Hopkins memorably stopped “Tito” in 12 rounds and tied Carlos Monzon’s record for consecutive title defenses at 14. Hopkins did this while:

A 17-year old Sergey Kovalev won the Russian Junior Championships Silver Medal at middleweight

Hasim Rahman was the heavyweight champion of the world after knocking out Lennox Lewis

The second George Bush had been president for less than a year

“The West Wing” won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series

The year 2004 would be memorable for Hopkins as he rose to the top of the pound-for-pound ranks following Antonio Tarver’s defeat of Jones and in September knocked out Oscar De La Hoya in the ninth round to become the first person to unify four titles in any weight class while at the same time:

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had just fought to a draw in their first of four fights

An electric young speaker at the year’s Democratic National Convention named Barack Obama would be elected to the U.S. Senate just months later

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade had all just finished their rookie seasons in the NBA

Michael Phelps won six gold medals in swimming while competing in his first Olympic games

Hopkins finally lost the middleweight crown in 2005 and, at age 41, decided to jump two weight classes to start the next phase of his career. In June 2006, he defeated Antonio Tarver for the Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight title.

In 2009, Sergey Kovalev would turn professional with a first round knockout. By this time, Hopkins had already fought 56 times professionally.

In May 2011, Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal for the Ring Magazine and WBC Light Heavyweight titles. At age 46, Hopkins broke George Foreman’s record and became the oldest world champion in boxing history.

Throughout the Philadelphia-native and five-time world champion’s illustrious career, only one major sports team from Philadelphia has won a championship, the 2008 Phillies.

In the summer on 2014, Hopkins watched former foes De La Hoya, Trinidad, and Calzaghe go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame together.

Then, he signed to fight Kovalev.

Bernard Hopkins belongs to history even as he keeps making it.

# # #

“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental title and is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitterat www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP,
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev and www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and #alienvskrusher.

Become a fan on Facebookat www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/therealbhop, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BoardwalkHall.

HBO Sports presents the fall’s most-anticipated boxing event when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: BERNARD HOPKINS VS. SERGEY KOVALEV AND SADAM ALI VS. LUIS CARLOS ABREGU is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 8 at 10:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 9 (8:45 a.m.) and 10 (12:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Nov. 11 (10:30 p.m.)

The most accomplished light heavyweights in boxing take the spotlight when Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) meets Sergey Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs) in a red-hot title unification fight scheduled for 12 rounds. The bout marks Hopkins’ 22nd appearance on HBO and Kovalev’s fifth appearance on the network in a 15-month span.

Philadelphia native Hopkins, who continues to defy the odds and the critics, enters the ring two months shy of his 50th birthday as the oldest champion in history. Widely considered one of the greatest middleweights ever, with victories over Oscar de la Hoya, Roy Jones, Jr., Antonio Tarver and Felix Trinidad, he unified middleweight titles when he defeated Beibut Shumenov by split decision in April. As the more traditional boxer, Hopkins will seek to use ring generalship and veteran savvy to again unify titles.

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, 31, is one of the most feared light heavyweights today. During his five years as a pro, only one opponent has lasted more than seven rounds against the heavy-handed Russian, who currently owns a nine-fight knockout streak. He will look to extend that run in Atlantic City, which has hosted his last two title defenses.

In the opening bout, Brooklyn’s Sadam Ali (20-0, 12 KOs) squares off against Argentina’s Luis Carlos Abregu (36-1, 29 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight fight. The undefeated Ali, 26, is a rising prospect making his third ring appearance of 2014. Abregu, 30, knocked out the undefeated Thomas Dulorme in his last appearance on HBO in 2012. He holds an impressive seven-fight winning streak since his only loss, against former welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. The winner will likely enter the discussion of world title contenders in this competitive division.

The special “24/7 Hopkins/Kovalev” replays Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

LONDON (5 Nov) – Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins insists the reason he chose to fight feared knockout artist Sergey Kovalev is because he only wants to take on the very best.

The reigning WBA and IBF light-heavyweight world champion faces the Russian ace and current WBO champion Kovalev in a mouth-watering unification clash this weekend, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

Taking place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the Philadelphian veteran, who is remarkably just two months shy of his 50th birthday, says he is from an era where the best fight the best.

“I want the best. Hagler fought the best. Ray Leonard fought the best. The Alis of the world, they fought the best. I’m from the era where I fought the best and that’s important to me,” said Hopkins.

“I’ve been in the game for almost three decades. I look for more of what a guy brings to a gunfight other than bullets. The sweet science is not based on only one thing you can do particularly well.

“There’s no fighter I wouldn’t put my record up against in this era, in any class. I put the work in to have the track record and be taken seriously. Come November 8 you get to watch artwork. You’re watching Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong with gloves on,” he said.

But the unbeaten Kovalev has been dubbed ‘Krusher’ for a reason having amassed a formidable 23 knockouts from his 25 wins.

The future Hall of Fame fighter Hopkins, however, is well aware of the threat that Kovalev possesses and has called on observers, who are tipping Kovalev to win, to not go back on their words after the fight.

“I have the same thoughts on Kovalev that most people do. He’s a dangerous puncher, he has an over 90 percent knockout rate and anyone who fights this guy has the opportunity to not be the same,” Hopkins said.

“Kovalev is a threat to anybody. It won’t be an easy fight, even if it looks easy to you. I don’t just have to beat the man, but I have to beat a lot of people. They’re either going to watch me win or watch me lose, and I don’t mind playing that game.

“I don’t believe in luck, I believe in whoever brings the best of themselves and whoever sacrifices will win. We won’t take anything away from this guy because he’s real, but on Nov. 9 we don’t want anyone saying what they aren’t saying now,” he said.

The oldest world champion in boxing history at 49-years-old also believes that there will unlikely be another fighter who is able to defy Father Time as he has, and has urged fans to enjoy him while they can.

“This is nothing to sneeze at, that’s the main thing, but just being able to be around as long as I’ve been and still fresh as a daisy, I believe, and I’ll prove it November 8th, there’s no definition really behind it.

“Just enjoy it, understand it, and realise that you might not be alive to see it again,” Hopkins said.

The 31-year-old Kovalev, who won his first world title by devastating Nathan Cleverly when the clashed last year, is adamant that he is going to do the same demolition job on Hopkins when they get into the ring this Saturday night.

“Bernard talks and fights. I just fight,” said Kovalev “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I go into the ring and I get my victory at any cost. If I need to fight, I will fight. If I need to box, I’m going to box. I don’t have any strategy for the fight, just to go into the ring and fight like a street fight. I’m going to kick his ass because he’s my opponent.

“I always have bullets in my arsenal. My hands are my weapons. It’s my weapon in the ring. Hopkins thinks that I only have two bullets but I will bring some more,” he said.

Hopkins vs. Kovalev is live on BoxNation (Sky437/490HD, Virgin 546 & TalkTalk 525) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated subscription boxing channel. For £12* a month and no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

BoxNation is proud to support Fight for Peace, a charity that uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence. Buy LUTA (www.luta.co.uk) clothing and support Fight for Peace.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Khan vs Collazo and Mayweather vs Maidana.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.525), online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android. BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV and new Livesport.tv customers.

ATLANTIC CITY (November 5, 2014) – Months of grueling training and countless hours of preparation have led to arguably the most anticipated fight of 2014 featuring Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins taking on Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. This Saturday, Nov. 8 fight fans will finally get a chance to see what all the talk is about when the light heavyweight champions meet at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.

However, before fight night arrives, please take a look back at some of the noteworthy words exchanged between the Hopkins and Kovalev camps.

Bernard Hopkins, IBF and WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion

“I’ve been in the game for almost three decades. I look for more of what a guy brings to a gunfight other than bullets…The sweet science is not based on only one thing you can do particularly well.

“I’ve been watching this guy, I dug up amateur fights of this guy, and I know how he breathes, I know how he sits down, I know where he sits down, what he thinks, I know everything about him.

“There’s no fighter I wouldn’t put my record up against. In this era, in any class. I put the work in to have the track record and be taken seriously.”

“Come November 8 on HBO you get to watch artwork. You’re watching Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong with gloves on.

“I want the best. Hagler fought the best. Ray Leonard fought the best. The Alis of the world, they fought the best. I’m from the era where I fought the best and that’s important to me.

“I have the same thoughts on Kovalev that most people here do. He’s a dangerous puncher, he has an over 90 percent knockout rate and anyone who fights this guy has the opportunity to not be the same. We won’t take anything away from this guy because he’s real, but on Nov. 9 we don’t want anyone saying what they aren’t saying now.

“Kovalev is a threat to anybody. It won’t be an easy fight, even if it looks easy to you. I don’t just have to beat the man, but I have to beat a lot of people. They’re either going to watch me win or watch me lose, and I don’t mind playing that game. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in whoever brings the best of themselves and whoever sacrifices to be victorious will win.

This is nothing to sneeze at, that’s the main thing, but just being able to be around as long as I’ve been and still fresh as a daisy, I believe, and I’ll prove it November 8th, there’s no definition really behind it. Just enjoy it, understand it, and realize that you might not be alive to see it again.”

Sergey Kovalev, WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Bernard talks and fights. I just fight.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I go into the ring and I get my victory at any cost. If I need to fight, I will fight. If I need to box, I’m going to box… I don’t have any strategy for the fight, just to go into the ring and fight like a street fight. I’m going to kick his ass because he’s my opponent.

“I always have bullets in my arsenal. My hands are my weapons. It’s my weapon in the ring. Hopkins thinks that I only have two bullets but I will bring some more.”

“It is not easy to overlook Hopkins. I think when he’s 60 years old he’ll be in the same condition. He’s an alien, but I have to send him to the moon and maybe from there he’ll go by himself to Mars.

“I don’t really understand what Bernard is saying. It doesn’t matter what he says. Even if I understood, I wouldn’t care. I don’t worry about him. I’ll go into the ring and do my job.

“He has pushed me little bit. I want to do everything a little bit faster and a little bit rushed. I already can’t wait for this day to come. I have patience and there is nothing I can do but wait for November 8 to get two more titles and go back and give this victory to my wife and my son.”

“Any way I need to get a victory, dirty fight or clean fight, for me it doesn’t matter. I will fight dirty, if Hopkins will fight dirty.”

Oscar De La Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“Being the best middleweight in the history of this sport, with 20 defenses and now to be 49 at light heavyweight, he’s still going strong. I’m now convinced he is an Alien.

“Bernard Hopkins, not only are we talking about the fighter who is the best in this era, but can possibly be the best in any era. When you talk about comparing the ’80s and the ’70s and the ’60s and 1990 and the 2000s, well Hopkins is a fighter you can say would have competed, if not would have been the best, in any era. That’s what we’re talking about right here.

“People respect the fact that at 49-years-old, he’s still going strong. There’s no sign of him slowing down. He’s getting faster, he’s getting stronger and he has more energy. He’s toying with young fighters, half his age. For Hopkins it’s starts outside the ring, he breaks you.

“At 49-years-old, being the oldest champion in any sport, he deserves tons of respect. The fact that he’s facing the ‘Krusher,’ is just another of the many dangerous fighters that Bernard has faced.

“At this point. Hopkins is already in the Hall of Fame, he’s already going to be talked about as one of the greats. So he doesn’t have that added pressure of trying to prove himself. I think people already have the utmost respect for him.

“I believe that Hopkins focuses not on what he’s going to do physically, but on what he can do to get his opponent out of their comfort zone and what combinations does he not expect from me. I wouldn’t say he’s awkward, but he knows how to offset you.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events

“This fight is going to be the most anticipated fight of 2014. It’s so much fun putting together a fight like this that everyone wants to see. It’s great to see the excitement level and the anticipation. You can feel it in the air.

“Bernard’s never been stopped. Sergey has knocked out just about everyone he’s fought. It is a tremendous, compelling fight.

“This is going to be a tremendous event. It’s one of those fights that when the bell rings you really won’t know what is going to happen. It’s not about finding out who’s best, its about who is going to win the fight, because both are great.

“This is what boxing is supposed to be and we look forward to November 8.

“The first person I thought of when I saw Sergey Kovalev in the ring was Ray Leonard. I saw the look in his eye and I could tell he was different. I believe he is the most electrifying boxer in the world of boxing and he will prove it on November 8.”

###

ABOUT ALIEN VS. KRUSHER:
“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing
or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events,
www.twitter.com/hboboxing,www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev, www.twitter.com/realworldkidali,
www.twitter.com/potroabregu, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and follow the conversation using #alienvskrusher.

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BERNARD HOPKINS, IBF & WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion

“There are so many things I’ve done that the world of boxing has witnessed. It’s going to be difficult for the boxing people to pick one of my performances as the best.

“I’ve done so many unpredictable things and so profoundly. Even the people who want to go against me, are afraid to go against me. They’ve been wrong so many times. A lot of them are just being mum right now. They must feel I can still do things.

“This is a great position to be in. I don’t really believe there is any fighter, in any decade that can be in my position of luxury that I’ve been in for many years.

“Early on in my career I had the kind of anxious where you couldn’t sleep at night. That anxiousness is like a virus we all have in us. Some you can deal with but some will wipe you out.

“The Pavlik fight was the first time I heard the masses put the word knockout attached to my opponent. I’m real keen on what people say. Ninety percent of it might be garbage, but something in there might be the plan. That woke me up and I knew I wanted to destroy.

“The only thing I can do is be right about what I say. Because I know I’m being watched. I understand what I’m facing. All I can do is put the work behind it.

“I didn’t need to take any fight for the last 10 years. But I’ve always fought the best and I’ve always wanted to prove myself to the best.

“I always not only want push the envelope in my career but I also have an itch for going against the grain.

“Enjoy that you can see me now. I would love to see the great Michael Jordan and Julius Erving in their younger days, but they’re gone. Look at me at 50, I’m going to eat right and live right so I can take less punches and look normal.

“This fight isn’t about boxing, it’s something deeper than that.

“I was made to be where I’m at. I just had to go through some challenges, so that I can educate others later.”

SERGEY KOVALEV, WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Fifty is just a number. I think nothing of his age. If he was old he would be retired, but he’s still in there. He’s not an old man, he’s a young alien.

“I’m really excited for this fight. I will do my job and anything I need to do to win.

“Bernard likes to push everybody, inside the ring or outside. We’re ready to begin. We’re ready to fight. I feel like I’ve been fighting him for two months going to the gym every day.

“I don’t know what will happen November 8 because this is sports, this is boxing. But I will be ready. I will get a chance to be undisputed and I’m ready to do it. That is my goal.

“I need to do what I do and do it very well.

“I can think back and remember everything from early in my career, but I don’t want to do that. It was often very terrible and it was hard to get to this stage and this place.

“I was searching around for any promoter but no one would sign me. I fought for three years for free. In 2013, Kathy Duva signed me and my career has gotten much better. Being on a big fight on TV is what I’ve always wanted.

“Egis Klimas paid for everything when I was starting out, my opponents, my clothes and my food. He invested a lot into me.

“This fight is a great opportunity for me to create my history for me and my family. I will do that. When my son grows up he will be able to look at this and say, ‘that is my father.’ He can see that I did it for him.

“I can’t make any predictions. We will see everything on November 8. It’s boxing, it’s a fight. For me, any fight like this is a street fight, anything can happen.

“I’m going to go in to fight. I’m going to box, I’m going to show that I can fight with the best light heavyweight right now.

“From my side everything will be clean and fair. I don’t know what he will be doing.

“My life has already changed but this fight means everything.”

NAAZIM RICHARDSON, Hopkins’ Trainer

“Sergey Kovalev is an exceptional puncher. We haven’t seen him hurt guys of extreme quality yet, but we can’t take for granted what we’ve seen against the opposition he’s faced. He’s annihilated these dudes, that’s how he wins fights.

“Kovalev is a monster. He’s a beast. He punches harder than Hercules. But I don’t want people to defang him on Sunday. If Kovalev is all of these things that people say he is and Bernard beats him, you better start that car and drive him straight to Canastota and induct him into the Hall of Fame right now.

“We’re too late in the game to overhaul from training camp to training camp. We train Bernard Hopkins. The rest of the world adjusts to Bernard Hopkins. Each camp we strive to get the best Bernard Hopkins we can.

“We don’t even call it training camp. It’s a lifestyle for Bernard. They’re just dates we all get together.

“It’s genetics. It’s lifestyle. There are many variables that mesh together to make Bernard who he is. We just have to appreciate him while he’s here.

“With a win over Kovalev it separates so that now he should go to the Hall of Fame as ‘The Executioner’ and ‘The Alien.’ A win over Kovalev only adds to ‘The Executioner’ but it would also solidify a Hall of Fame career for the ‘The Alien.'”

JOHN DAVID JACKSON, Kovalev’s Trainer

“Sergey’s talent is still untapped. He could be a really special fighter. He needs to get past this fight here first and then the sky is the limit for him.

“His punching power is so unreal it makes him hard to deal with.

“I warned Bernard’s camp a few years ago, don’t fight this Kovalev kid. I don’t know what they told Bernard. But I told them please don’t fight this kid.

“This is business at the end of the day. Bernard can talk about me all night long but I don’t have to get in the ring with him.

“Sergey doesn’t understand English that well so it doesn’t matter what Bernard says. There’s mutual respect, but fight week is here so we’ll see what happens.

“Sergey is ready. Bernard is all he talks about. Beating Bernard is the next phase of the plan. If you beat a fighter of that magnitude it takes you to the next level.”

SADAM ALI, Undefeated Welterweight Contender

“Luis Carlos Abregu is not someone you should overlook or underestimate. He has power in both hands. He gives you a lot to worry about in the ring because of his tremendous power.

“There is no limit for me. I just want to keep going and going. This is the biggest fight of my career and I just have to be on my A-game.

“I worked on defense a little more than usual in training camp, I think anyone who fights Abregu should. I’ve been training hard and I’m mentally and physically prepared. No weight lifting, but a lot of calisthenics.

“It’s been a long journey to get here. It hasn’t been going as fast as I expected it to but there’s a plan for all of us. This is the biggest fight of my career, I hope there are bigger fights coming but so far it’s the biggest.

“I have a tough opponent and I think a lot of people are underestimating me. I’m the underdog now, which I’m not used to being. I’m putting in the time and the work in the gym and I’m ready.

“Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I honestly like being looked at as the underdog. I want to be underestimated, that way you’re going to be surprised by what I bring to you.

“I’ve put in the time at the gym so I’m not worried about getting tired at all. I have to be heads up in the ring.

“This fight is definitely a bigger step up than people thought I was going to take but after I win this I will prove a lot of people wrong.

“Everybody needs to take this kind of step if they want to be special and I want to be special. I know I am special. Training camp was great and I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

# # #

“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental title and is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitterat www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP,
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev and www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and #alienvskrusher.

Become a fan on Facebookat www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/therealbhop, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BoardwalkHall.

ATLANTIC CITY (November 3, 2014) – Months of grueling training and countless hours of preparation have led to arguably the most anticipated fight of 2014 featuring Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins taking on Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev. This Saturday, Nov. 8 fight fans will finally get a chance to see what all the talk is about when the light heavyweight champions meet at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.

However, before fight night arrives, please take a look back at some of the noteworthy words exchanged between the Hopkins and Kovalev camps.

Bernard Hopkins, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion

“I’ve been in the game for almost three decades. I look for more of what a guy brings to a gunfight other than bullets…The sweet science is not based on only one thing you can do particularly well.

“I’ve been watching this guy, I dug up amateur fights of this guy, and I know how he breathes, I know how he sits down, I know where he sits down, what he thinks, I know everything about him.

“There’s no fighter I wouldn’t put my record up against. In this era, in any class. I put the work in to have the track record and be taken seriously.

“Come November 8 on HBO you get to watch artwork. You’re watching Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong with gloves on.

“I want the best. Hagler fought the best. Ray Leonard fought the best. The Alis of the world, they fought the best. I’m from the era where I fought the best and that’s important to me.

“I have the same thoughts on Kovalev that most people here do. He’s a dangerous puncher, he has an over 90 percent knockout rate and anyone who fights this guy has the opportunity to not be the same. We won’t take anything away from this guy because he’s real, but on Nov. 9 we don’t want anyone saying what they aren’t saying now.

“Kovalev is a threat to anybody. It won’t be an easy fight, even if it looks easy to you. I don’t just have to beat the man, but I have to beat a lot of people. They’re either going to watch me win or watch me lose, and I don’t mind playing that game. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in whoever brings the best of themselves and whoever sacrifices to be victorious will win.

“This is nothing to sneeze at, that’s the main thing, but just being able to be around as long as I’ve been and still fresh as a daisy, I believe, and I’ll prove it November 8th, there’s no definition really behind it. Just enjoy it, understand it, and realize that you might not be alive to see it again.”

Sergey Kovalev, WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion

“Bernard talks and fights. I just fight.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I go into the ring and I get my victory at any cost. If I need to fight, I will fight. If I need to box, I’m going to box… I don’t have any strategy for the fight, just to go into the ring and fight like a street fight. I’m going to kick his ass because he’s my opponent.

“I always have bullets in my arsenal. My hands are my weapons. It’s my weapon in the ring. Hopkins thinks that I only have two bullets but I will bring some more.

“It is not easy to overlook Hopkins. I think when he’s 60 years old he’ll be in the same condition. He’s an alien, but I have to send him to the moon and maybe from there he’ll go by himself to Mars.

“I don’t really understand what Bernard is saying. It doesn’t matter what he says. Even if I understood, I wouldn’t care. I don’t worry about him. I’ll go into the ring and do my job.

“He has pushed me little bit. I want to do everything a little bit faster and a little bit rushed. I already can’t wait for this day to come. I have patience and there is nothing I can do but wait for November 8 to get two more titles and go back and give this victory to my wife and my son.

“Any way I need to get a victory, dirty fight or clean fight, for me it doesn’t matter. I will fight dirty, if Hopkins will fight dirty.”

Oscar De La Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions

“Being the best middleweight in the history of this sport, with 20 defenses and now to be 49 at light heavyweight, he’s still going strong. I’m now convinced he is an Alien.

“Bernard Hopkins, not only are we talking about the fighter who is the best in this era, but can possibly be the best in any era. When you talk about comparing the ’80s and the ’70s and the ’60s and 1990 and the 2000s, well Hopkins is a fighter you can say would have competed, if not would have been the best, in any era. That’s what we’re talking about right here.

“People respect the fact that at 49-years-old, he’s still going strong. There’s no sign of him slowing down. He’s getting faster, he’s getting stronger and he has more energy. He’s toying with young fighters, half his age. For Hopkins it’s starts outside the ring, he breaks you.

“At 49-years-old, being the oldest champion in any sport, he deserves tons of respect. The fact that he’s facing the ‘Krusher,’ is just another of the many dangerous fighters that Bernard has faced.

“At this point. Hopkins is already in the Hall of Fame, he’s already going to be talked about as one of the greats. So he doesn’t have that added pressure of trying to prove himself. I think people already have the utmost respect for him.

“I believe that Hopkins focuses not on what he’s going to do physically, but on what he can do to get his opponent out of their comfort zone and what combinations does he not expect from me. I wouldn’t say he’s awkward, but he knows how to offset you.”

Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events

“This fight is going to be the most anticipated fight of 2014. It’s so much fun putting together a fight like this that everyone wants to see. It’s great to see the excitement level and the anticipation. You can feel it in the air.

“Bernard’s never been stopped. Sergey has knocked out just about everyone he’s fought. It is a tremendous, compelling fight.

“This is going to be a tremendous event. It’s one of those fights that when the bell rings you really won’t know what is going to happen. It’s not about finding out who’s best, its about who is going to win the fight, because both are great.

“This is what boxing is supposed to be and we look forward to November 8.

“The first person I thought of when I saw Sergey Kovalev in the ring was Ray Leonard. I saw the look in his eye and I could tell he was different. I believe he is the most electrifying boxer in the world of boxing and he will prove it on November 8.”

# # #

“Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP,
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev, www.twitter.com/realworldkidali, www.twitter.com/potroabregu, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and follow the conversation using #alienvskrusher.

Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/therealbhop, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BoardwalkHall.

NEW YORK (Nov. 3, 2014) – Undefeated lightweight prospect Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin (8-0, 4 KOs) will be fighting under much brighter lights this Saturday night in a non-televised fight on HBO World Championship Boxing, featuring the world light heavyweight unification headliner between living legend Bernard Hopkins and Russian knockout special, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Martin, a 12-time national amateur champion from Chattanooga who now fights out of Cleveland, faces a much more experienced opponent and toughest test of his young professional career, Mexican invader Martin “Marciano” Cardona (17-3, 12 KOs), in a scheduled six-round bout.

“I’m excited because I feel like I’ve earned my way to be on these events,” 21-year-old Martin spoke about fighting on such a high-profile card. “I’ve been working extremely hard since I was a young boy. HBO is considered the leader in sports and I consider myself a soon-to-be leader in the division. I’ve competed and have been among the best in the nation since I was a kid. I’m eager to showcase my skills in front of (HBO boxing executive) Peter Nelson again. Hopefully, we create more opportunities like this. (Note: Nelson sat ringside next to Martin’s promoter, 50 Cent, on Dec. 20 in New York City and watched Martin knockout Eric Goodall in the first round.)

“I don’t have a relationship with Hopkins, however, I became a big fan of his after he lost a disputed decision to Jermain Taylor when they fought for the undisputed world middleweight championship. Taylor was one of my favorite fighters. He used to give me words of advice when I was an amateur. It’s cool to see Hopkins still beating up people at 49 and Taylor looks like he recovered from his injuries and is healthier. I wish the best for both of these guys.”

Martin followed his older brother, Courtney, to a gym for the first time at the age of eight and he instantly fell in love with boxing. A self-described boxer-puncher with speed clearly his greatest attribute, Martin is also surprisingly composed beyond his years in the ring, where he often explodes like his idol, Sugar Ray Leonard.

His gold-medal performance at the prestigious U.S. Under-19 Tournament marked the highlight of his outstanding amateur career, which included action in several European cities including Berlin, Paris and London.

Martin was immediately placed on a fast track by his promoter, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson). Saturday night will mark Ryan’s ninth professional fight in only 14 months, since his much-anticipated professional debut, September 16, 2014 in New York City, in which he stopped Darus Somieari in the second round at Resorts World Casino NYC.

“Staying active has always been stressed to me by 50 Cent and my management team,” Martin explained. “They want me comfortable under the sports brightest lights, so, that’s what we are doing, remaining consistent by competing and training as hard as possible. We plan to close out the year with at least one more fight in December.

Martin steps up in terms of the level of his opponent against 23-year-old Cardona, who won his first 17 pro fights before losing last year in France to 18-0 Roman Jacob for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) super featherweight title.

By Bart Barry–

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Three miles southwest of Texas State University is a mostly waterless stretch of terrain called Purgatory Creek Natural Area, a verdant place complete with trails named after Dante, Ripheus, Ovid and Beatrice, for those with an Italian literary bent.

Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in the American purgatory of Atlantic City, light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins and Russian Sergey Kovalev will make the most meaningful fight of 2014.

The above sentences are related, though how they are will not be apparent for a while to come.

What also may come is the day boxing makes a concerted – in the sense of coordinated – attempt to win back what fans it lost in the first half of the second decade of this 21st century, a time of fan exodus that began in the early weeks of 2010, the first time the world’s best and second-best practitioners refused to make a contest with one another despite occupying the same weightclass. A day of fans’ collective return to our sport, however, is of no consequence right now because boxing faces a nigh existential crisis this year of aficionado departures.

The casual fans are long gone, shuffling steadily if quietly away under a rainstorm of “good riddance!” from purists who didn’t know any better, and the consequences of their departure and ways they will be missed is not entirely knowable yet but guessable certainly. To indulge a hunt for those consequences, though, is an indulgence indeed in 2014 – the year our sport became so easy to abandon. This is not a crisis that will find remedy from a new television deal or browbeating about boxing’s redounding popularity in Dublin and Dubai and Dunkirk and Dongguan; boxing gyms are empty in all but a few cities in the U.S., a country that once dominated the sport and now anxiously hopes its next Olympic gold medal comes only a dozen years after its last.

This crisis finds illustration of the most ambiguous sort on Saturday, when a 175-pound American who is months from his 50th birthday makes a title-unification match with a talented Russian who is 31 years-old but still young enough to be his opponent’s son.

About a year ago, Sergey Kovalev’s first American trainer, Don Turner, said the difference between Kovalev and Hopkins was the Russian is “mean” where the American is “cunning.” Whatever the efforts at image revision – Snuggly Sergey Bedside with Wife / Speedbag Sergey Ringside with HBO – Kovalev remains the only prizefighter anyone can remember increasing his knockout percentage after causing another man’s death in a boxing ring. He smiles so much in interviews because he’s been told to do so, and because he hasn’t more than a kindergartner’s grasp of English, and because he doesn’t care what you are asking anyway. In a sport comprising exclusively men willing to hurt another man for a paycheck, there’s a good argument to be made Kovalev is the exact last man you’d wish to meet in the dark alley of badness’ proverbs.

And yet, Bernard Hopkins, a man willing to give a safety-first effort to the unlikeliest opponents, initiated a match with Kovalev, at the very moment it appeared Hopkins might have made the same dollars fighting the more limited, if possibly insane, Haitian titlist Adonis Stevenson. In an era of men burnishing their credentials as Most Avoided by avoiding bigger men, Hopkins rushes at them, men like Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson and Kovalev, all considerably larger on their 30th birthdays than Hopkins was in 1995.

While ever a delight to himself, Hopkins is a blossoming embarrassment for most of his prizefighting countrymen, showing at age 49 a willingness to fail, and be badly injured, few of today’s best American fighters have shown since their bouts got computer-matched in the amateurs. Hopkins is not charming as he thinks he is, nor eloquent, but his willingness to fail in speech – giving answers unknowable to their questions, being open and vulnerable in ways he later pretends were calculated – when married to his extraordinary courage and self-belief, makes him uniquely heroic.

He is uniquely present in a prizefighting ring, too, and this is why he came to mind during a hike along Dante’s rocky Purgatory Creek trail. Undulating coffee-dark paths covered in bleached stones and white shards of much larger bleached stones are unpleasant for any who traverse them but particularly unpleasant for those obdurate enough to traverse them in “barefoot” attire – thin rubber soles and mesh. There’s a trick to it, though: If one concentrates on solely two things as he marches, breathing through his nose and looking no more than a yard before him, accelerating till anxiety and doubt haven’t time nor room, he is able to navigate nearly any surface quickly and painlessly.

It’s a mental-alignment exercise that surpasses self-belief and approaches faith; when the mind’s processor has unfettered access to the input of its eyes and the output and input of its feet, when decisions are rendered so fast they mimic reactions, when every algorithm is executed instantly and its result immediately then forgotten, one is able to move with astounding rapidity and never misstep. (This breathing trick works at excessive speeds in traffic, too, but you didn’t read that here.) It mimics a state athletes often, and often erroneously, call “the zone” because its results surpass what workaday feats can be accomplished with mere concentration – it is instead a form of mindlessness leavened by wisdom enough to keep the mind out its own way.

Hopkins finds this place and disrupts others’ pursuits of it. His reflexes are absurdly well-preserved, yes, but the access he grants himself to a mental database of other men’s physical patterns permits him to find matches so quickly, and unman others so fully, it approaches clairvoyance.

Fatigue can undermine Hopkins’ sense of presence like any other man’s, though, and fatiguing Hopkins is Kovalev’s best chance of winning Saturday. If Kovalev has trained for a 30-round fight and is willing to hit Hopkins anywhere at all a hundred times every round, without discouragement, Kovalev should win. Otherwise, Bernard Hopkins will be Fighter of the Decade, 2010-2020.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

ATLANTIC CITY (Oct. 31) – As we inch closer to the epic “Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” fight night in Atlantic City, welterweight contenders Sadam “World Kid” Ali and Luis Carlos “Potro” Abregu are preparing hard for their co-featured fight on Saturday, November 8 live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

Both Ali and Abregu offered insight into how their training camps are going and what the fans can expect on November 8.

Q: Where did you train and whom did you train with?
Sadam Ali: I’ve been training at World Kid Sports for eight months, before this training camp started, it’s my little boxing cave. I’m here with my trainers Willie Vargas and Andre Rozier. My team has a close bond. We’re like family and we work together as a
team. It’s all about building and building.

Luis Carlos Abregu: I have been training in Los Angeles for about a month – I train in the Rock Gym in Carson, Calif. and CMC Pro boxing gym in Marina del Rey with my trainer Hector Roca. My trainer when I was in Argentina was Nestor Jaime.

Q: What is your main motivation in training for this fight?
SA: Being on HBO. I’ve been growing up watching HBO and watching the most famous guys shine and I’ve always envisioned myself in that position. I want to be in everybody’s eyes and I want to be known as something special, that’s very important to me.

LCA: My motivation is to get this win, so that I will have a chance to fight for a world title again. This dream was put on hold after I hurt my hand in my fight with Tim Bradley, but I’m ready to go now.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not training?
SA: I like to shoot pool, go bowling and maybe play some ping-pong. I like competition and I love winning.

LCA: I like to be with my family and make my parents proud with everything I do. I also like to spend time with my friends and have a good time hanging out with them.

Q: Have you been able to spend time with your family during training?
SA: I spend a lot of time with my family. My only job is boxing, so other than that I have lots of time with my family. Their support is really important and it’s always been there. Not everybody has that support, not everybody has a father that can be there for you 24/7 while you’re growing up. My family has helped put me in the position I’m in and I’m thankful for it.

LCA: My family is in Argentina, so here in the United States, I have only my team with me. But I will bring the victory home for them.

Q: What do you know about your opponent and what do you expect from him on November 8?
SA: I’m expecting a hungry fighter, a strong fighter. Somebody who sees nothing but winning, he wants to win and he wants to take me out of his way. He’s a great fighter and I have respect for him, but I’m ready to go out there and perform.

LCA: I know he is a boxer who had a very good amateur career. I hope that he engages with me so that it will be a good fight. I plan to give the fans their money’s worth and I will fight very hard. I hope that he will do the same so that everyone enjoys the fight.

Q: Do you feel any extra pressure fighting as the co-feature before arguably the biggest fight of the year?
SA: I’m used to the pressure because I’ve always seen myself in this position so it’s not really anything to get me nervous. I’m definitely ready and excited. To be on the Hopkins card is exciting, he’s such a great speaker and he says things that just inspire you.

LCA: I feel no pressure at all. I have been the main event in many important boxing shows. To the contrary, I love to be part of important cards that people want to see.

Q: With this being one of the first fights in a while between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank fighters, do you feel any pressure company?
SA: In addition to representing myself, I always feel like I’m representing Golden Boy too. It’s great to bring everyone together, I think we should all work together. It’s for the boxing fans and everybody that’s watching.

LCA: I think it’s definitely a good thing when two important boxing companies work together. This opens more doors for boxers and it gives all of us better and bigger opportunities.

Q: What is something about you that fight fans don’t know?
SA: I’m going to win November 8.

LCA: I feel that many people don’t know about my power and what I am capable of doing in the ring and that I can beat the best boxers in the world.

Q: What is your prediction for you fight?

SA: I think it’s going to be a great performance. I’m going to fight a smart fight. It’s definitely going to be exciting, that’s just the way I am. I want to excite the fans and I want them to want to see me again. I know Abregu is coming to fight too so it’s going to be beautiful.

LCA: I predict that I will win the fight and that it will be a great fight, if we both come ready to do our jobs. I’m hoping that after the fight the real winner will be the fans.

Question for Ali: What does it mean to you to be a fighter from Brooklyn?
SA: Being a Brooklyn fighter means a lot to me, I was born and raised here. Everybody is hungry here and there have been so many great fighters from here. Even though it’s not like how it used to be, I’m trying to bring it back as well. There’s a lot of those guys I look up to, Mike Tyson obviously, I’m close with Paulie Malignaggi and Luis Collazo. Can’t forget about Riddick Bowe and Mark Breland, there are so many great ones I can’t remember them all.

Question for Abregu: What does it mean to you to represent Argentina?
LCA: I am very proud to represent my country and I also know that is a great responsibility. That is why I will do my best to take a win back to Argentina for all of the people there.

# # #

Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round welterweight bout for the WBO Intercontinental Welterweight title and is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

Follow on Twitterat www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing, www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP,
www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev and www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and #alienvskrusher.
Become a fan on Facebookat www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing, www.facebook.com/therealbhop, www.facebook.com/hboboxing and www.facebook.com/BoardwalkHall.

LONDON (Oct 31) – A knockout November is set to take place on BoxNation, with the world’s number one boxing channel to feature an incredible five world title fights including names such as Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Dereck Chisora, Tyson Fury and many more, all for only £12.

Unlike rival networks, ‘The Channel of Champions’, has not only stacked its upcoming schedule with a host of back-to-back world class bouts but has offered fight fans a truly remarkable value-for-money deal in doing so.

BoxNation subscribers will get a little taste of what the month has to offer starting this weekend when undefeated bantamweight kingpin Tomoki Kameda puts his WBO world title on the line against battle-hardened Mexican Alejandro Hernandez.

Then, on November 8th from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, one of the most anticipated fights of the year is set to take place when Sergey ‘Krusher’ Kovalev will attempt to bring the man known as ‘The Alien’, Bernard Hopkins, back down to earth.

Hopkins story in the sport is already an extraordinary one, now, just two months shy of his 50th birthday, he will look to capitalise on his record-breaking achievements as he attempts to continue his unification of the light-heavyweight division.

Up against one of boxing’s most feared punchers, Hopkins will be aiming to strip the unbeaten Kovalev of his WBO crown as he looks to add to his WBA and IBF belts.

In a division bursting with a multitude of top names whoever emerges victorious will rightly be regarded as the undisputed number one at 175-pounds.

On November 22nd, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world is back when the legendary Manny Pacquiao takes on the undefeated Chris Algieri with his WBO welterweight world title up for grabs.

The Filipino superstar will be the smaller man when he goes up against the skilled and rangy Algieri, who shocked the boxing world when he overcame the formidable Ruslan Provodnikov this summer.

‘The Fighter of the Decade’ Pacquiao guarantees fireworks whenever he steps into the ring and against the younger Algieri he will need to be at his best when they clash live from the Cotai Arena in Macau.

Also featuring on the card will be the sensational rising star Vasyl Lomachenko who makes the first defence of his WBO featherweight crown against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, following his impressive win over the highly-touted Gary Russell Jr.

Capping off a monster month is the British blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury as they battle it out to see which of them will go on to challenge Wladimir Klitschko for his WBO world title.

The heavyweight scene is becoming a vibrant one once again with Chisora and Fury leading the pack as they look to usher in a new era in what has historically been boxing’s glamour division.

The card at The ExCel in London is stacked from top to bottom with a mouth-watering chief support which sees Billy Joe Saunders take on Chris Eubank Jr in a middleweight contest set to have fans on the edge of their seat.

Saunders’, British, Commonwealth and European middleweight titles will be on the line, as both young stars look to prove they are the number one emerging talent from British shores.

Furthermore, Birmingham’s exciting talent Frankie Gavin is set to challenge the undefeated hotshot Bradley Skeete with the two men aware victory will catapult them to the next level.

That same night, live from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, the supremely skilled Terence Crawford returns following his exquisite performance over the respected Yuriorkis Gamboa, when he puts his WBO lightweight title on the line against Raymundo Beltran.

Crawford is rightfully regarded as one of boxing’s next true superstars, but Beltran has a point to prove after a highly contentious draw to Ricky Burns last year saw him lose his chance of becoming a world champion, with Crawford taking Burns’ belt six months later.

BoxNation’s November schedule is unrivalled for quality, content and value, offering sports fans a string of regular top class action over the coming month.

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-Ends-

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Deerfield Beach, FL (Oct. 30, 2014) – Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev opened up his camp to the media today in preparation for his Nov. 8 light heavyweight unification bout with Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ and live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.

Question: How do you study Hopkins?

Sergey Kovalev: “I don’t study anybody. It is better to go to the gym to do some work for my shape or spend time to cook my breakfast or sleep in my bed. Why I need to spend the time?”

Q: Other than your power, what could be your strength against Hopkins?

S. Kovalev: “I always have bullets in my arsenal. My hands are my weapons. It’s my weapon in the ring. Hopkins think that I only have two bullets but I will bring some more.”

Q: Hopkins is usually the teacher in the ring what do you expect to learn from him?

S. Kovalev “I wanna get some lesson from the professor of boxing. He is old school boxer. I want to get some experience from this fight that can make me better for another fight. I am not going to finish my career after this fight. There will be other fighters that will also be tough and very talented and very hard like a punch machine. I should be ready for everyone in the ring and in life too.”

Q: What are your plans for theremainder of training camp?

S. Kovalev: “It is already done. One more sparring session tomorrow and that is it.”

Q: Tell us about your discipline as you prepare for this fight.

S. Kovalev: “I am trying to be disciplined because this is boxing. This is very intense and dangerous sport. Any punch from your opponent can be last for you. You must be very concentrated and focused for the fight. I just started a new level of my life with my son, so I need to be more safe. I am with my wife already 10 years. She asked me already five years ago that she want a baby. I want a baby too, but God don’t give us baby. My life was not ready to give everything for my family. If earlier we had baby, I wouldn’t fight. I started boxing because I need to get money. I box with the hope that somebody will sign me for three years. This is all a result of my patience. Our patience, me, Egis [Klimas, Sergey’s manager] and my wife’s patience. Very big thanks to my promoter and my team at Main Events. I also want to thank for my team John David Jackson and Derik Santos and everyone else who help me.”

Q: What would you tell your son if he wanted to be a boxer?

S. Kovalev:
“I not gonna stop him. I will teach him fighting. Any man must be safe and defend his family and be ready for anything in life. I will bring him to the boxing gym but if he said he don’t want to be boxer, then I’m not going to push him. Maybe he will be musician. I will give him choice. He will go to boxing gym – not for career, but to make him strong like a man.”

Q: Why do you think you are going to win?

S. Kovalev: “I don’t think – I am sure. No, I am kidding. I am sure in myself. I believe in me. In my mind I am strong, but this is boxing and I don’t what is going to happen. I hope and I wish that this fight will be very clean and fair. Who is strong should be who win. I want that this fight should be fair. I try to be polite, I try to be nice but, if my opponent don’t respect me, then I don’t respect him.”
Q: Has Bernard said anything negative about you?

S. Kovalev: “I don’t care what he saying. I don’t understand him. It’s not my language. I am very happy that this fight is in America; I am very excited that I get to participate at this level already. When I came to America, I waited long time to get to this level of fight.”

Q: What is your prediction for the fight?

S. Kovalev: “Something will happen but what it will be I don’t know. I will try everything to give to people exciting fight because I am going to continue my career. I am going to bring more people to the arena and to HBO.”

Q: Is it your plan to put on a good show for the fans?

S. Kovalev: “This will be good show. I am sure because all my fights looking good. When I was an amateur, people love to watch me fight. When I came to America, nobody watch me in the beginning. Then Egis found me good team. Kathy Duva and her team turn attention on me here and now I am fighting against Hopkins.”

Q: Are you ready to go the distance if necessary?

S. Kovalev: “I have been working hard here in the gym. I will give to my fans a great show. Working hard because it is my job. If my opponent work harder, he will get victory and I don’t want that. This push me to working hard in the gym. My dreams come true in America. My first time in America I got a new car from dealer, but I never have a new car in Russia; not even a Russian car. But Russian cars is cheap. I didn’t get money from the bank like credit because I didn’t have the opportunity. When I came to America I got new Jetta from VW and I was very excited. I can’t believe, wow I had a new car. I was happy. Now I am fighting against Hopkins and I have more of my dreams here in my mind. If they come true, you will see what is my next dream.”

Q: Who do you want to fight next?

S. Kovalev: “I don’t like to say what will be in the future until I did this one. Sometimes a lot of fighters talk about what they will do and then they didn’t do it. In Russia, they do not respect people who just speak but not do. Say and do are two different things. I can do it and afterwards say I did it.”

Q: What does it feel like to be a dad?

S. Kovalev:
“I don’t understand yet because I didn’t meet with my son personally yet, but I saw him on the Skype within minutes of when he delivered. Now I have a conversation through the Skype with my wife and my son. He is really cute but he is growing up really fast. He is changing every day. I am very happy. After my fight I am going to go home and meet him personally. When I see him, hug him and spend time with my family.”

Q: How has being away from your family affected your training camp?

S. Kovalev:
“He has pushed me little bit. I want to do everything a little bit faster and a little bit rushed. I already can’t wait for this day to come. I have patience and there is nothing I can do but wait for November 8 to get two more titles and go back and give this victory to my wife and my son.”

Q: Are you going to try to stop the fight as quick as possible?

S. Kovalev:
“If it will be possible, yes. If not, it will be 12 rounds for decision. For me it doesn’t matter. First of all, I need to get a victory. When I came to this division I started growing up. Right now light heavyweight is very interesting division. When I came to America, only Hopkins was the name in the division. Hopkins has two titles. Right now Canadian champion, Russian champion and American champion, international division. It is very interesting division because I am here (joking).”

Q: What do you think about Hopkins reputation for being a dirty fighter?

S. Kovalev: “Because he is punching open hands. Punching from the head like a deer. He fighting like a street fighter. Because he is dangerous. He can cut you from the head, from the elbow, everything, from any part of his body. He is looking like a very dirty fighter. Sometimes he is making like a clown. He is a good actor. If he is feeling like he can’t do something legally, he start playing like an actor and complaining about pain or a low blow or something. Like in his first fight against Chad Dawson, he was not ready for this fight. I saw his first round and after first round he understood that he is not going to win this fight and he complained he hurt his shoulder and got TD [technical draw] but he still keep title. We will see everything on November 8. I am not a prediction man. I don’t know. Watch HBO or welcome to Atlantic City, Boardwalk Hall and you will see everything November 8.”

Q: What should the fans expect?

S. Kovalev: “I can say only one thing that it will be a very interesting fight and everybody who support me will be happy.”

# # #

Alien vs. Krusher: Hopkins vs. Kovalev” is a 12-round unification bout for the IBF, WBA and WBO Light Heavyweight World titles, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events in association with Caesars Atlantic City, Corona Extra, AT&T, Hortitsia Vodka and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Ali vs. Abregu is a 10-round bout for the WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Title promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Watch the complete episode of 24/7 Hopkins/Kovalev:

24/7 Hopkins vs Kovalev Full Episode (HBO Boxing)
24/7 Hopkins vs Kovalev Full Episode
(HBO Boxing)

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50, plus applicable fees and service charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com, www.hbo.com/boxing or http://www.boardwalkhall.com/.

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