Eleider Alvarez had spent years chasing the top light heavyweights in the world but was unable to land the fight he desired. He finally got his opportunity against a former top-five pound-for-pound fighter, Sergey Kovalev, and made the most of it with a stunning seventh-round knockout to claim the WBO and IBA light heavyweight titles in the main event Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
With the shadow of his two losses to Andre Ward no longer hovering over him, the path had been cleared for Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs) to resume his dominance over the division. All he had to do was get rid of the former Olympian from Colombia. The task was far tougher than most anticipated, but nobody expected the 34-year-old Alvarez — who has never been regarded as a hard puncher — to score a devastating knockout over arguably the division's hardest hitter.
Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) started off fast and utilized his elite boxing skill to keep Kovalev off balance. He kept things competitive with a swift jab and exceptional footwork. It appeared, however, that his punching power wouldn’t be enough to gain Kovalev’s respect, and the Russian began to inch his way forward as the rounds passed by.
The end appeared to be near when Kovalev put it all together in the fourth round and landed 25 of 60 power shots, but Alvarez remained poised and refused to wilt under Kovalev's pressure. The sixth round was no better for Alvarez, though, as Kovalev pushed ahead and scored with powerful hooks and body punches.
It all changed in the seventh frame.
Alvarez cut loose a right hand that caught Kovalev flush and sent him careening to the canvas. Although Kovalev got to his feet, it was clear he was damaged goods and there for the taking. Another left hand-right hook combination put Kovalev down again. Once more the Russian rose up, but another devastating overhand right, followed by a left hand up the middle, put Kovalev down for the third and final time. The fight was called at 2:45 of the seventh.
Kovalev was up 59-55 on two scorecards and 58-56 on the third at the time of the stoppage.
