Tonight at 9:45 p.m. ET on HBO Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev will defend his IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles against Jean Pascal at the Belle Centre in Montreal, Canada, Pascal’s backyard. Dmitry Mikhaylenko will face American Karim Mayfield on the undercard for the vacant USBA welterweight title.
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Preview
Kovalev has defeated Pascal before, scoring a TKO in the eighth round in March 2015 at the Belle Centre. Pascal had more success than most of Kovalev’s opponents, however, landing several clean shots throughout the fight. While Kovalev moved on and badly knocked out an overmatched mandatory contender, Najib Mohamedi, in his next bout, Pascal eked out a controversial win over Yuniesky Gonzalez to earn a second shot at Kovalev.
He has decided to make this fight personal, accusing Kovalev of being racist throughout the fight’s promotion. Kovalev, a dangerous knockout artist who has finished all but four of his opponents inside the distance, will be aiming to administer extra punishment in this fight.
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"I hate him," Kovalev told ESPN.com.
At the final press conference Pascal goaded Kovalev with bananas. "Kovy, do you want a banana? You're white. I know you're white, and it's only for black people," Pascal said. "Do you want to take it for your black coach? He might want to eat it because he's black. You want to keep it for your black coach?" Pascal’s antics even incited Kovalev’s trainer, John David Jackson, to almost come to blows.
Stats
| Fighter | Kovalev | Pascal |
| Age | 32 | 33 |
| Record | 28-0-1 | 30-3-1 |
| KO | 25 | 17 |
| Height | 6'0 | 5'10 ½ |
| Weight | 174.6 | 174.3 |
| Reach | 72.5 inches | 72 inches |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Prediction
Pascal opens the fight aggressively and is able to hit Kovalev flush, but fails to hurt him. Kovalev slowly breaks down Pascal with body shots, eventually hurting him upstairs, and finishing Pascal, who is beginning to look shopworn, by TKO in Round 5.
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