In a very stunning performance, Eleider Alvarez shocked Sergey Kovalev on Saturday night, knocking him down three times in the seventh round to capture the World Boxing Organization light heavyweight title in front of a crowd of 5,600 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Alvarez hit Kovalev with a powerful combination that sent him to the canvas for the final knockdown of the fight at 2:45 of the seventh to give the Colombian his first world title.
"I just can't describe how I feel," Alvarez said. "I wanted to show him that I am strong, I have a good chin and am ready for big things."
The 35-year-old Kovalev was trying to re-establish his dominance in the light heavyweight division in his first real boxing test since losing in back-to-back fights to Andre Ward in November 2016 and June 2017.
Kovalev was the more aggressive of the two boxers and was winning the majority of the rounds heading into the seventh.
But then he let his guard down and Alvarez seized the opportunity to land a barrage of heavy punches and go on to win the fight in one of the biggest boxing upsets of the year.
He knocked Kovalev down the first time with an overhand right to the side of the head and the second time with a left hook and a straight right to the forehead.
He then finished him off with a right hook and left uppercut combination and at that point the referee stepped in with 15 seconds before the bell.
Kovalev was taken to the hospital after the fight to receive medical treatment.
With this loss he drops to a record of 32-3-1, while Alvarez, who is based in Montreal, Canada, improved to 24-0 with 12 knockouts.
The ending was all the more shocking as Alvarez was not known for his punching power coming into the fight.
"We slowed him a bit and I felt his punches weren't as hard as they were at the beginning of the fight," Alvarez said. "That was a two-punch knockout. We practiced that punch in training camp."
2023-10-21 14:05:47
