Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev has been named The Sweet Science Comeback Fighter of the Year for 2017. The former unified light heavyweight titlist made a successful return to “champion status” in November after a pair of controversial losses to Andre Ward in November 2016 and again in June of 2017.
Kovalev went home to Russia with the demons of his defeat. When he came back to America, it was with a new attitude and a new trainer. Gone was John David Jackson, replaced by Russian speaking Abror Tursunpulatov. More than mechanics, the change was about chemistry.
Kovalev is coming back strong to an exciting light heavyweight division still packed with talent and potential big-name matchups. This past November in his Madison Square Garden debut, Kovalev got back in the win column; regaining the vacant WBO 175 pound title with a dominating destruction of fellow Russian tough-guy Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in two rounds with three knockdowns. The lean and mean Sergey looked like the Krusher of old and not just an old Krusher.
First up for TSS 2017 Comeback of the Year winner Kovalev is a mandatory defense of the WBO title against 21-1 (9) Igor Mikhalkin in March at Madison Square Garden. Kovalev is right back where he started his championship run, preparing to defend the WBO title, his first world title in boxing. 2018 looks like a great year for Kovalev to regain his ass-kicking reputation.
I’m sorry, but despite my reluctance to portray myself as a “hater”, it’s impossible for me to praise Kovalev for engaging in mismatches against the likes of Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Igor Mikhalkin, since neither of these guys were considered genuine top-ten world-rated 175lbs talent when their fights against Krusher were announced.
Therefore, I cannot endorse the sentiments conveyed by the author of this article!
This is a bit of a weird award in the first place. Given that fighting 3+ times per year is increasingly rare, how many candidates are there for an award like this?
Flicking through BoxRec the only one I can find is Miguel Roman. He lost in a great fight with Takashi Miura in January, bounced back with a win in the summer and finished off with a significant win in another entertaining fight with Orlando Salido last month.
Maybe Ryoto Murata? Came back from an undeserved loss against N'Dam to stop him and win his first world title?
Kovalev had an easy opponent last time out and we all know it.
Yes it was encouraging to see him back and he won well, but with Kovalev I think we need to see a fight or two more to make a solid claim he's over the Ward fights.
Kovalev didn't even come back a little bit, though. He just beat a dude that everybody knew he'd beat. He didn't even move up a single slot in the rankings. Normally a comeback involved a substantial gain in rating.
Yuri Gamboa's win over Jason Sosa may make him one of the frontrunners for comeback of the year.
Caleb Truax had a great year. I don't think you can call it a comeback, because he wasn't coming back from a previously high position.
Leo Santa Cruz had a decent comeback year. Specifically, he beat a dude who he previously lost to and seized the divisional #1 spot.
A comeback fighter of the year is what Sugar Ray Leonard did against Hagler.
Regardless of whether you thought he actually won or not (the debate has been done to death, resurrected & done to death again & frankly, it's beyond boring now), it was a close fight & what he did was remarkable.
What Kovalev did after the Ward fights does not belong in the comeback of the year category.
IronFrost wrote: ↑04 Jan 2018, 22:05
I think that Klitschko for example deserves it more than Kovalev even if he lost.
Kovalev fought notting but a bum who was not world class
Spot on.
I too give Wladimir more kudos for being absolutely magnificent in defeat, after a long time out than I'd give to Kovalev who hasn't even endured a hiatus for beating someone he would always have beaten.
