McGirt – Kovalev Is Desperate To Prove His Worth

Trainer Buddy McGirt says Sergey Kovalev is ‘very anxious’ to prove he belongs at the highest level when he fights Saul Alvarez. The Russian has agreed to take on the Mexican star, with the pair set to meet in Las Vegas on November 2.

Kovalev will defend his WBO light-heavyweight title in two months’ time, with Alvarez aiming to become a four-weight world champion. ‘Krusher’ has only lost on three occasions, with two of those defeats coming at the hands of American Andre Ward.

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At 36, he is coming to the end of his career but McGirt says his fighter is eager to cement his place in the history books. He told Sky Sports: “I think that boxing needs a fight like this. Kovalev needs a challenge, Canelo, he’s beat everybody. I respect Canelo for what he’s doing, jumping up to 175. I really respect that, it shows a true champion, and I just think that it’s going to be a great night of boxing.

“He [Kovalev] is very anxious. After he lost to Ward and [Eleider] Alvarez there was a lot of negative stuff being said about him, so I think he’s out to prove the critics wrong. “He’s fought everybody they put in front of him, and I just think that he deserves it. He kept the light-heavyweight division exciting when it wasn’t exciting.”