gilgamesh wrote:Kovalev has clearly sought World Class opposition during his HBO contract. Stevenson avoids stiff competition at every opportunity.
The political landscape determines who can and cannot fight whom.
Historically speaking, most of which is still mainly applicable today, Roc Nation, Top Rank, Golden Boy and anyone contractually-tied indirectly or directly to HBO could not face any Showtime or Haymon affiliated fighter.
Remember, Kovalev's career best victory was the Hopkins win and Stevenson crossed the street from HBO to Haymon and Showtime in an attempt to make that fight.
It was only Duva's lawsuit against Golden Boy that scuppered those plans, which she agreed to drop only on the condition that Hopkins face Kovalev instead.
And the last time there weren't any political hurdles preventing Kovalev from facing Stevenson, Main Events were the ones that actually walked away from that fight.