In Sergey Kovalev’s last fight in November 2017 against Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, he put on a show at Madison Square Garden as he bounced back from his two straight losses to Andre Ward with a second round TKO. He will look to secure another win on a big stage as he faces 21-1 Igor Mikhalkin at Madison Square Garden on HBO.
It has been a very interesting road for Kovalev over the past year. After his second straight loss to Ward, many wondered if he could ever be the dominant and feared fighter he once was despite still being 30-2. He quickly put that to rest with his impressive win over Shabranskyy to capture the vacant WBO and IBA light heavyweight titles. Returning to Madison Square Garden this weekend, Kovalev will seek to be on top of his division once again and one of the best in boxing as he defends his WBO and IBA light heavyweight titles. Kovalev said that Madison Square Garden is his favorite place to fight now and that he looks to deliver another big win in New York.
I asked Kovalev about his victory over Shabranskyy and how confident that made him in being a dominant world champion moving forward.
“For me right now, I’m trying to write a new chapter and history in my boxing career and it doesn’t matter who is my opponent,” said Kovalev.” “I’m back, and what I got from my two losses were big experiences in life and I’m ready to fight.”
For Igor Mikhalkin, he has won 10 straight fights with all of them being overseas. He said that there is no more fights for him to seek overseas along with his native country of Russia. He went on to say that a fight vs Kovalev would be a stepping stone in his boxing career as he looks to make a name for himself in the United States.
If Kovalev is able to make quick work of Mikhalkin the same way he did against Shabranskyy, the conversation could very well open up again of a third fight vs Andre Ward. Ward is currently retired and is an announcer for HBO but another huge title fight and pay day vs Kovalev could entice him.