How Far is Bivol From Having a Legit Chance to Beat Kovalev?

[Best Coast]

Dmitry Bivol has been improving in leaps and bounds and could possibly give Sergei Kovalev some serious competition in ruling the LH division. How far away do you think Bivol is from being able to beat Kovalev head to head?

Keep in mind that Bivol has time on his side. He just turned 27 two months ago and Sergei will be 35 in 4 weeks so Bivol is almost 8 years younger.

[jamamb]

i feel there will definitely be a point in the next few years where bivol should be favoured to beat kov

right now, not so sure though

ppl have been saying kov looked poor tonight, but to me it was obvious he had sparring mode mentality vs his friend mikhalkin

[jamamb]

by the way, bivol and kov actually remind me a bit of each other stylistically, with the stance and there focus on straight punches. kov i think might punch harder while bivol is quicker and more agile.

[Best Coast]

by the way, bivol and kov actually remind me a bit of each other stylistically, with the stance and there focus on straight punches. kov i think might punch harder while bivol is quicker and more agile.

I think Bivol is only a fight or two away from giving Kovalev major problems and it could be a pick 'em fight in a year or less.

[boxing_rocks]

We shall see. I think they will be fighting soon enough.

[Mexi-Box]

I only caught glimpses of Kovalev/Mikhalkin. Kovalev didn't look as sharp as he did against Shabranskyy. I think Kovalev might be starting his decline now. It's Bivol's game at this point.

Further, I read Beterbiev did not sign with Top Rank. The sooner Beterbiev gets the hell away from PBC, the better. Beterbiev will likely end up as a "what could've been" here soon if he doesn't start getting the fights he needs.

Move to Top Rank and a fight with Marcus Browne would've meant so much for Beterbiev's career.

At this point, it's looking like it'll be Bivol's and Gvozdyk's division.

[jamamb]

i said it several times but kov looked totally lacking in spite and intensity vs his mikahlkin, who is his pal. i dont read much into yet. hes been mean to pretty much everyone else.

[Blodhemn]

Kovalev's issue will be stamina from here on out. A peaked Bivol will probably drown him in deep waters as long as he can take a good shot early. I think he's about ready as I'm not sure Kovalev has it in him to fight hard for 12 rounds. Even at his peak he fought at a slow pace against Hopkins and Chilemba. I'm more interested in Bivol vs Gvozdyk though. Both have the fitness level to match the skills.

[victor-romeo]

Bivol is ready now, I would favor him slightly over Kovalev if they fought in 8 months, but as time goes on Bivol only gets better and Kovalev only gets older. Kovalev looked like shit tonight, granted, it was against a friend and not that dangerous opponent he was gasping for air in 4th round. I just hope Bivol ok from that bump he had on his head, I am sure he is at hospital right now. Barrera Bivol fight was analogous to the Lomachenko Salido fight except Bivol won his test. Bivol is a bad a$$.

[Best Coast]

I only caught glimpses of Kovalev/Mikhalkin. Kovalev didn't look as sharp as he did against Shabranskyy. I think Kovalev might be starting his decline now. It's Bivol's game at this point.

Further, I read Beterbiev did not sign with Top Rank. The sooner Beterbiev gets the hell away from PBC, the better. Beterbiev will likely end up as a "what could've been" here soon if he doesn't start getting the fights he needs.

Move to Top Rank and a fight with Marcus Browne would've meant so much for Beterbiev's career.

At this point, it's looking like it'll be Bivol's and Gvozdyk's division.

Good point. Based on what they've shown so far I would pick Bivol over Gvozdyk if they went head-to-head right now.

[diddy]

I'd favor Bivol to beat Kovalev today. Kovalev gets hit more and more each fight. He doesnt seem to be as springy and rangy as he used to. Ward seems to have sucked some juice out of his legs. Still a very good fighter but not the one-way traffic offensive whirlwind he was before Ward. Mikhalkin was hitting him alot, he just had no defense. Kovalev's stamina concerns me. He's tiring quicker now, probably because he's getting hit much more.

[victor-romeo]

I Don't think Ward did much to him physically. I do think the Ward fights did something to him mentally, and the mind and body work together. I do think he is physically declining, what you called springy I would call flexible, he looks more stiff which I attribute to age, the stamina thing is either age, stress or a thing with making weight. Kovalev didn't look good against Chilemba either. I am sure Kovalev has a few good fights left in him, but I would favor Bivol over him slightly right now.

[jamamb]

i assume ppl saying he decline since the losses is basing it all on last fight? because surely its hard to read that much into a possible decline with the shabransky blowout

i thought he looked a bit uninterested vs mikhalkin, but not really slower, more tired, etc

if it leads me to question anything, its desire, which is still a major thing, esp. when a fight gets tough

[Best Coast]

The more I read valid points from other commenters, the more I think Bivol is probably ready for Kovalev right now. Given the 8-year age gap between them, Dmitry's slight edge will only grow with the passing of time.

[Enlightened-One]

I can understand the reason why both The RING & ESPN currently rate Sergey Kovalev as a top-ten pound-for-pounder and also the top-dog at 175lbs, because he’s the most accomplished fighter that division has to offer, but he looked extremely sloppy lasted weekend.

If Krusher’s performance against the appallingly-dire Igor Mikhalkin was lacklustre, due to knowing for certain his opponent had zero chance to score an upset, then perhaps Kovalev may still be the very best light heavyweight on the planet.

That being said, if Sergey behaved in a professional manner and gave his all during his first defence of his WBO tile, since regaining the vacant belt against the equally poor Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, then I fear that he will face monumental struggles (and may even taste defeat) if he shared the ring with the likes of Dmitry Bivol, Eleider Alvarez, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Artur Beterbiev.

If Kovalev really has started his inevitable decline, due to his advanced years, then he has to consider facing these top guys now, whilst he still has something left in the tank, because if he waits another year, then it seems fairly predictable that he’ll simply become yet another big name fighter engaging in a “passing of the torch” type bout, becoming a stepping-stone for one of the young guns, where he'll be specifically-chosen to lose… and lose badly!

[DrDuke]

Kovalev is better than Bivol. I guess, the only way for Bivol to be better than Kovalev is to wait Kovalev's decline. But that's not an option. They should fight right now, because anyway nobody wants to see fights against lower class contenders. Bivol has some chances in any case, so why not to try to use them right now? Furthermore, the fight against Kovalev will be a great test and lesson for Bivol, win or lose.

[Deleted_Scenes]

He has a legit chance right now. He's just beat a good opponent probably easier than Andre Ward did (not saying that makes him better than Ward).

I'd maybe favour Kov 55-45, but Bivol definitely has a chance. Let's find out. Get the fight made.

[Lackeos]

If he schooled Barrera, then there's a chance. Not to mention that the passage of time is continuously favoring Bivol's odds.

[TheGingerBomber]

It's a pick 'em for me, Kov will probably be favourite by the bookies for his longevity and reputation, but I'm on the Bivol hype train now I've seen what he can do against a top LHW. He dismantled him. Big fan of Kov but, without looking into it too much I'd favour Bivol at the moment.