ITโS no secret about my split with Sergey Kovalev.
Everyone is aware of the news now and thereโs been some stuff wrote about why we parted, but the truth is that I just donโt think that heโs a nice person. Heโs a very cold man and I was willing to help him out as a favour to Don Turner but eventually it went the same way for me as it did with Turner and it did with Abel Sanchez. The time has got to come when Sergey looks at himself and perhaps admit that heโs the problem.
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Iโve got no issue whatsoever saying this stuff about Sergey Kovalev because I think people deserve to know the truth about our partnership going wrong, but it wasnโt the most perfect relationship to begin with.
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You wonโt believe me when I tell you this but there are not many people who are close to Sergey and even those who are allowed into his circle will more than likely tell you that heโs not a good man.
Thereโs no doubts that me and Sergey had many great nights together but they were purely on a professional basis. We didnโt hang out when we were outside the gym, it was just a fighter and a trainer working together and getting good results.
Who knows what mightโve happened if we had a better understanding with each other, but youโll have to ask Sergey about that because he wasnโt always willing to do what I asked him. If he did then he wouldโve been a far better fighter than the one youโre used to seeing.
That second Andre Ward fight was no surprise to me because I knew Sergey couldnโt match Andre on the inside and thereโs been some talk about Kovalev being weak to the stomach. I knew that and Sergey probably knew that but heโd done okay up to certain point fighting a certain level of guy, but Ward was a million times better than anything Sergey had seen before and that showed over the two fights. Ward canโt punch the hardest and heโs not the quickest but he knows how to use every single inch of that ring and that, for me, is the best quality a fighter can have. When you have a brain like Wardโs then itโs better than any other attribute.
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The first fight was a fight that Sergey definitely won though and I do give him credit for his performance in the early going. I knew that first fight was our best chance to beat him because Ward had been quite inactive and his level of opposition couldnโt compare with who Sergey had been facing. We knew he was taking a step up and it showed in the first few rounds, and then Sergey let him get back into after halfway. For me, Ward just done better late on than what he did in the earlier rounds and that fooled some of the judges. It was a 9-3 [rounds] fight for me or 8-4 at a push but thereโs no way I can have Ward a winner. That first fight was one we had to win as the rematch definitely favoured Ward.
Me and Kovalev have now gone our separate ways so time will tell what impact I had on him. I didnโt know too much about his opponent, [Vyacheslav] Shabranskyy, but I decided to have a little watch of him. Heโll go for Kovalevโs body early and that is his best option. Heโll have seen what Ward done in the second fight but heโs nowhere near as talented as him so heโll have to take a few shots back to even get near Kovalev. Sergey still does things well, especially from distance, and no one is in a better position than me to tell you his power is real. Shabranskyy will have to apply himself intelligently and walk Kovalev down and if he can force him back and get to his body. Thatโs his best chance.
Iโll watch the fight and see what happens and see how Kovalev looks but my priorities over the next few weeks have nothing to do with Sergey for the first time in long while. Iโll enjoy the fight and then Iโm off to link up with Bryant Jennings for his next fight. That will take up my time until the middle of December and then weโll see what happens next.
READ THE REST OF THIS WEEK’S BOXING NEWS, THAT FEATURES THE FULL KOVALEV-SHBRANSKYY PREVIEW INCLUDING AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH MISFIRING UNDERCARD STAR, YURIORKIS GAMBOA