How Sergey Kovalev will fight Bernard Hopkins

Sergey Kovalev

BERNARD HOPKINS may be 49 years old but he has unified the WBA and IBF light-heavyweight titles and on November 8 engages WBO champion Sergey Kovalev in a fascinating clash at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

While Hopkins may be one of the most cunning operators in the sport, Kovalev is one boxingโ€™s most feared punchers. The Russianโ€™s trainer, John David Jackson told Boxing News how Kovalev would approach a fight with Hopkins. โ€œSergeyโ€™s fighting an old man. Heโ€™s got to treat him like an old man. He canโ€™t give him the respect that most guys give him. Sergey couldnโ€™t care less about how old Bernard is. ‘Itโ€™s just my job to him. If I can hurt him, I can hurt him โ€“ thatโ€™s my job,’โ€ said Jackson, who knows Hopkins well – he fought him in 1997.

โ€œItโ€™s like when [Kovalev] fought Nathan [Cleverly]. Hit him in his arms, hit him in the shoulders, hit him in his body, hit him wherever you can hit him. An old body canโ€™t take that kind of punishment. A young body isnโ€™t meant to take that kind of punishment. Think how an older bodyโ€™s going to take it โ€“ not well. Thatโ€™s what youโ€™ve got to do. Youโ€™ve got to apply that pressure and make that old man work. Youโ€™ve got to treat him as what he is. Heโ€™s an old fighter, youโ€™ve got to treat him as an old fighter. You canโ€™t give him respect, you canโ€™t just let him do what he wants to do. Youโ€™ve got to make him work three minutes of every round. The bodyโ€™s not built for that, especially at his age. Heโ€™s never fought three minutes of every round.

โ€œHe is going to prove that he is the best at 175lbs.โ€

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