Round-by-Round: Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin - 3 March 2018

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sullivan Barrera has turned down a fight against Sergey Kovalev again.

According to an ESPN.com story posted Monday afternoon, Kovalev will make the first defense of the WBO light heavyweight title he regained last month by boxing Igor Mikhalkin on March 3 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The fight first was offered to Barrera, but Barrera declined for the second time in the past four months to face Kovalev.

Cuba’s Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs) is expected to instead challenge WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) on the Kovalev-Mikhalkin undercard March 3. HBO has committed to televising the Kovalev-Mikhalkin and Bivol-Barrera bouts.

The 32-year-old Mikhalkin (21-1, 9 KOs) has won 10 straight fights since suffering his lone loss, a 10-round unanimous decision to Poland’s Aleksy Kuziemski (23-5, 7 KOs) in May 2010. He also owns the IBO light heavyweight title.

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Mikhalkin, a native Russian who resides in Germany, was not ranked among the WBO’s top 15 light heavyweight contenders in its November ratings. The sanctioning organization’s December rankings have not yet been released.

[Oiky]

Kovalevs fight

[TheLeprechaun]

Can't criticize Barrera. Bivol might be a tougher fight than Kovalev

[jamamb]

barrera v bivol is effing great

mikhalkin on a good run but not at kovs level. r they playing it safe with kov now

[ElJefe]

Bivol vs Barrera is a very good fight. Good step up for Bivol, Barrera can look vulnerable early in fights but seems to grow into them well. If he can take Bivol into the later rounds we should find out more about the Russian.

[Ruthless-RKO]

mikhalkin on a good run but not at kovs level. r they playing it safe with kov now

That's what I thought when I first read. He's not even ranked top #15 by WBO. He'll probably appear in December rankings though.

[lookingaround87]

barrera v bivol is effing great

mikhalkin on a good run but not at kovs level. r they playing it safe with kov now

If you'd bothered to read the OP you'd see that Barrera turned down an offer to fight Kovalev.

[Ruthless-RKO]

https://www.cheaptickets.com/events/tic ... in-3392068

Tickets are going as cheap as $10

[Ruthless-RKO]

Box-Nation is live from 2am..

Running order

*Please note, all fights subject to change without notice.

***

Vaughn ALEXANDER vs. Jaime SOLORIO

10 x 3 Minute Rounds: Middleweight contest

***

Follows

Dmitry BIVOL vs. Sullivan BARRERA

12 x 3 Minute Rounds: The WBA World Light-Heavyweight Title

***

Follows

Sergey KOVALEV vs. Igor MIKHALKIN

12 x 3 Minute Rounds: The WBO World Light-Heavyweight contest

[brilo33]

Bivol vs Barrera is a very good fight. Good step up for Bivol, Barrera can look vulnerable early in fights but seems to grow into them well. If he can take Bivol into the later rounds we should find out more about the Russian.

looking forward to that one, that is the pick of the fights tonight for me with a big card of boxing ,i think if bivol does a number on a hard and awkward fighter in barrera , it will make a potential mouth watering kovalev fight

[Ruthless-RKO]

In the opening bout of the eleven-bout card super middleweight prospect Ismael Villareal (2-0) defeated Anthony Woods (1-7) by unanimous decision in a scheduled four round bout. The official scores at ringside were 40-36 x 3.

The 20-year-old Villareal dominated Woods with blistering combinations which knocked Woods’ mouthpiece out in the second and fourth rounds. Villareal went to the body in the third round which opened Woods up for a left hook that raked across his chin. Villareal, the son of former professional boxer Oitilio, made his debut in the same building last November and is a two-time New York City Golden Gloves Champion.

https://www.BS.com/sergey-kova ... sg--125862

In Junior middleweight action Madiyar Ashkeyev (9-0, 4 KOs) scored an impressive first round TKO of Jose Antonio Abreu (13-4, 4 KOs) on the Sergey Kovalev-Igor Mikhalkin undercard at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The official time of the stoppage was 1:52.

The 29-year-olf Ashkeyev from Merki, Kazakhstan landed a huge right hook which dropped Abreu down with a huge thud. Abreu did beat the count but referee Johnny Callas waived the bout off after not liking Abreu’s body language without any argument from the corner.

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Brooklyn native Frank Galarza (19-2-2, 11 KOs) defeated Norberto Gonzalez (24-11, 14 KOs) in a lopsided eight-round unanimous decision at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the Sergey Kovalev-Igor Mikhalkin undercard. The official scores at ringside were 80-72, 79-73, 78-74.

Bakhram Murtazaliev (12-0, 10 KOs) defeated Kenneth McNeil (11-4, 8 KOs) by a punishing fifth round TKO much to the delight of the large Russian crowd inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The official time of the stoppage was 1:08 of round five.

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Are Box-Nation using HBO commentary?

[East End]

Bivol continues to look like a model on which the prototype of a complete boxing machine would be built. I will stick my neck out right now and say he beats Kovalev if and whenever

[East End]

Not sure who I would be most scared of: Kovalev or referee Steve Willis

[East End]

Well Mikhalkin needed to establish his southpaw jab early to have any chance. Instead, Kov's orthodox one has been in his face all first round. This is clearly only going one way

[East End]

Kovalev is winning this easily enough but it isn't that impressive in truth. Missing John David Jackson's technical guidance or psychologically damaged by the losses to Ward? Either way, this sure ain't the old 'krusher'

[Ruthless-RKO]

Kovalev is winning this easily enough but it isn't that impressive in truth. Missing John David Jackson's technical guidance or psychologically damaged by the losses to Ward? Either way, this sure ain't the old 'krusher'

No hype around Kovalev anymore..

[East End]

The inevitable arrives but I am now even more certain that Bivol beats Kovalev

[Ruthless-RKO]

The inevitable arrives but I am now even more certain that Bivol beats Kovalev

Why not next? Bivol has one of Kov's old belts.

[East End]

The inevitable arrives but I am now even more certain that Bivol beats Kovalev

Why not next? Bivol has one of Kov's old belts.

I see no reason why not. Sorry to say it will never be a megabuck fight in the U.S largely because Bivol's lack of English makes it a tough one to sell to the casual follower, but if Kovalev genuinely means it when he says he wants to please boxing fans then he must know that's the match up most of us want

[jamamb]

honestly i dont read much into it from what i saw. they were pals and to me it looked like kov never wanted to step it up to bash him up. like two mates sparring.

kovalev was miles better and was mainly missing the spite and putting more into his shots, not much else imo. think it would be different vs different opponent that he's not friendly with and isnt just a stay busy fight.

[jamamb]

Bivol continues to look like a model on which the prototype of a complete boxing machine would be built. I will stick my neck out right now and say he beats Kovalev if and whenever

would you pick bivol vs anyone at lhw? i thought he looked really good but not 'its obvious he beats everyone' good. personally like i said too i think your overduing things on kov

i strongly got the impression he treated it like a sparring session vs a buddy, never really stepped it up and showed the meanness he always has. i got the impression that because hes friendly with mikhalkin rather then hes lost his spite.

[East End]

Bivol continues to look like a model on which the prototype of a complete boxing machine would be built. I will stick my neck out right now and say he beats Kovalev if and whenever

would you pick bivol vs anyone at lhw? i thought he looked really good but not 'its obvious he beats everyone' good. personally like i said too i think your overduing things on kov

i strongly got the impression he treated it like a sparring session vs a buddy, never really stepped it up and showed the meanness he always has. i got the impression that because hes friendly with mikhalkin rather then hes lost his spite.

You may be right but, if so, that would concern me even more if I were in Sergey's camp. 'Taking it easy on an opponent because he likes him personally? Most 'unkov-like' you must admit.

As for Bivol, that wasn't some falsely positioned mandatory with a padded record that he broke down and knocked out. That was Sullivan Barrera and many people, including a few on this forum, were picking the Cuban to beat Bivol. I am not one to go overboard about any fighter but I was immensely impressed with what I saw and I would indeed back him to beat not only Kovalev but Beterbiev, Stevenson, Jack or any other 175 pounder right now.