Light Heavyweight

Cedric Agnew (26-0, 13 KO) has his sights set on the WBO light heavyweight title, but there's one big problem: Sergey "Crusher" Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KO) is the one holding it.

Kovalev has laid waste to all but three of his opponents, and none has scored a victory against him. He's a dynamic performer because of his power and ruthless aggression. The Russian-born Kovalev's accent and power make him seem like a real-life Ivan Drago from the Rocky V movie.

In some respects, Agnew is hoping to be his Rocky Balboa.

Can the challenger pull off a minor miracle and dethrone Crusher? Here's how you can watch and find out.

When: Saturday, March 29 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: The Ballroom, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

TV: HBO

The Book on Kovalev

HBO had big plans for Kovalev and WBC champion Adonis Stevenson, but the latter will not be linked with the network long enough for the long-awaited clash to take place.

Per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Stevenson is leaving HBO and Kovalev without a signature opponent:

Mannix also breaks down what the rumored details of Stevenson's impending departure might be:

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael confirmed Stevenson's move to Showtime.

Even though Kovalev is relatively new to boxing's mainstream, he is 30 years old. While that's not old, it's not considered young either. Kovalev needs a big-time opponent to validate him as a champion and a future pay-per-view draw.

Stevenson was supposed to be Kovalev's guy, but that no longer seems to be the case. It is a shame and just an unfortunate dynamic of boxing.

What's worse is that it looks like Stevenson wants no part of Kovalev. Ducking opponents isn't good for a fighter's reputation. That said, there are two sides to every story. HBO deserves some of the blame, but, in the long run, the fighter will take most of the heat.

In the meantime, Kovalev will take on opponents such Agnew to stay sharp, dominant and hopefully untested. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports pulled no punches when he broke down the matchmaking strategy employed in this fight.

Iole wrote: "Agnew was chosen specifically because he could make Kovalev look good. He's 26-0 with 13 knockouts, which indicate he doesn't punch particularly hard. In the fight before his last one, he fought an eight-rounder. In the bout before that, he'd fought a six-rounder."

Kovalev's power is his biggest quality. He has never been beyond the eighth round in a fight. Per Allen Trieu of FoxSports.com, Kovalev is unapologetic about his power, which almost seems incidental during his fights.

Kovalev says: "I'm not going to the ring to knock somebody out. I go to the ring for boxing. It's not my fault if somebody's going to fall after my punch."

Kovalev will be looking to happen upon another knockout on Saturday.

The Book on Agnew

The 27-year-old from Chicago is a professional, so don't expect him to come to Atlantic City to lose. This is his biggest opportunity, and he's coming off a 12-round unanimous-decision win over Yusaf Mack.

That fight did take place nearly a year ago, though, so ring rust could be a factor.

Despite the layoff and the caliber of his opponent, Agnew is confident. He called Kovalev "ordinary" in an interview with Lem Satterfield of The Ring, but he insists he's not overconfident. 

Agnew tells Satterfield: "I'm not overconfident. I'm humble. I know the road that I had to take to get here, and now that I'm here, I have to show the world all of my talent. I have to show the world who Cedric Agnew is."

The road Agnew has travelled may have been tough, but the path he'll have to take to upsetting Kovalev will be quite formidable as well.

There's no doubt he has a chance, but he'll need to employ a smart game plan and show the champion something he hasn't seen.

Prediction

Agnew has decent hand speed, and he keeps his hands high when he isn't punching.

To win, he must stay away from Kovalev's power and extended exchanges. Moving his feet and head and changing angles is key.

Agnew appears a little slow to fire at times and leaves too much of his body exposed when he's peeking through his guards.

Body punches will be there for Kovalev when he wants them if Agnew doesn't employ enough movement. Also, Agnew has shown the tendency to drop his left hand, leaving straight and overhand rights open for his opponents.

Obviously, he's never faced a puncher like Kovalev, which could lead to disaster for him Saturday night. All Kovalev needs is one shot to change the immediate future.

While Agnew does have some skills, Kovalev's pressure and power will get to Agnew relatively early in this fight.

Look for a third-round KO win for the champion.

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It was billed as the Super Bowl of Canadian boxing, and after years of build-up, Montreal has finally settled one of its longest-standing rivalries. 

Jean Pascal dominated Lucian Bute on Saturday night at the Bell Centre, using superior hand speed and aggression to capture a decisive unanimous decision. 

Scores were 116-112, 117-110 and 117-111.

Bleacher Report scored the contest 117-111 for Pascal.

Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KO) was the aggressor throughout the fight. He was able to dart in under Bute's defense, land his punches and get out of Dodge before his foe could mount any offensive attack. 

Imitating his idol Roy Jones Jr.—who was in his corner for the fight—Pascal utilized fast hands, feints and movement to throw his opponent off kilter and lull him into a false sense of security. With Bute's guard down, Pascal exploded out at him, landing punches in bunches and shattering his already diminished confidence.

Bute (31-2, 24 KO) once again appeared to be a shell of the fighter he was before getting blasted by Carl Froch in mid-2012. He was reluctant to let his hands go, and he seemed wobbly and nervous every time Pascal attacked.

Other than a huge rally in the 12th round, where he seemed to have Pascal in some trouble, Bute was never really in the fight and largely appeared disinterested and unwilling to engage. 

In the co-featured bout of the evening, rising heavyweight contender Mike Perez was lucky to escape with a majority draw against the unheralded and largely unknown Carlos Takam.

Scores were 96-94 for Takam and 95-95 twice.

Bleacher Report scored the contest 97-93 for Takam.

Perez (20-0-1, 12 KO) controlled the action in the early rounds before suffering a terrible cut above his eye from an accidental butt at the end of the third round.

From that point on, Takam (29-1-1, 23 KO) seemed to take over the contest, outworking a generally lethargic Perez over the second half of the fight. 

It was Perez's first fight since a November contest Magomed Abdusalamov ended in tragedy, with the Russian suffering severe brain trauma that nearly ended his life.

While we can't assess how much of an impact that outcome had on Perez, this much is for sure: He wasn't the near the same fighter he was on Saturday night as he was against Abdusalamov.

Montreal is not known as one of boxing's hotbeds, but it will be the site of the sport's first major fight of 2014 on Saturday, Jan. 18. Jean Pascal (28-2-1, 17 KO) and Lucian "Le Tombeur" Bute (31-1, 24 KO)—two men who have adopted Montreal as their home—will clash in an important fight on the light heavyweight landscape.

Pascal is a former WBC light heavyweight champion, and Bute held the IBF super middleweight title for almost five years. Saturday's bout will be for Bute's NABF light heavyweight title.

The crown at stake is not considered a world title.

However, gaining positioning for a potential shot at one of the world titleholders at 175 pounds is important. Both Bute and Pascal are in the process of rebuilding their status as championship-level fighters after losses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqZk0tnEhdk

Here are the particulars and the tale of the tape.

When: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 10:15 p.m. EST

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

TV: HBO

Lucian Bute	Category	Jean Pascal
31	Wins	28
1	Losses	2
0	Draws	1
24	Knockouts	17
Southpaw	Stance	Orthodox
6'1.5"	Height	5'10"
72"	Reach	72"
Romania	Country	Haiti
Laval, Quebec, Canada	Residence	Laval, Quebec, Canada
210 rounds	Experience	221 rounds
74	KO percentage	54.8

Potential Ring Rust for Bute

Bute hasn't fought since Nov. 2012. He rebounded from his only career loss to Carl Froch with a unanimous-decision win over Denis Grachev. An injured hand forced a bout with Pascal to be postponed in May 2013.

Ring rust could be a factor after a 14-month layoff.

Pascal Set to Break One-Fight-Per-Year Trend

Pascal has fought just once in each of the last three years. He'll be battling the effects of inactivity as well.

He drew with current IBF champion and ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins in Dec. 2010. He lost the subsequent rematch in May 2011. That loss seemed a lot worse when it happened than it does now.

Hopkins continues to defy his age (49). He's won his last two fights against Tavoris Cloud and Karo Murat convincingly.

Pascal has rebounded with two straight wins. Most recently, he stopped George Blades in the fifth round of their Sept. 2013 bout. Still, he needs a win over an opponent with a big name to thrust himself back into the 175-pound title conversation. 

What Could Be Next for the Winner

Lem Satterfield of Ring Magazine reports that a deal has been reached between Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov to unify the IBF and WBA titles. That fight gives Bute and Pascal something to shoot for. Even if facing the winner of Hopkins vs. Shumenov doesn't materialize, the prospect of facing WBO champion Sergey Kovalev or WBC titleholder Adonis Stevenson could be on the table later in the year.

Per Scott Gilfoid of Boxing News 24, Stevenson would like to face the winner of Pascal vs. Bute.

There is still a chance that Stevenson and Kovalev will give fans the fight they crave at 175 pounds, but nonetheless, Pascal or Bute could put himself in the thick of things by winning on Saturday night.

Bragging Rights

Though Pascal hails originally from Haiti and Bute is from Romania, both men live in Laval, Quebec. All but two of Pascal's bouts have taken place in Canada, and only six of Bute's fights have been outside the country.

Both men have legions of fans in Montreal, and that explains why Pascal's promoter Yvon Michel told Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene: "We’ve sold more than 20,000 tickets and are expecting a completely full house on Saturday night."

Montreal boxing fans are taking this bout seriously, and Pascal has been firing verbal shots to stoke the pre-fight flame.

Pascal has always been a bit of trash talker before fights. He took issue with Bute's pledge to shut his mouth and challenged him to say it to his face during a recent public news conference. Bute refused, and Pascal went in with myriad insults, per Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette: "He has no guts. It’s easy to speak through the media, on Facebook or Twitter. If he’s a man of his own and not a puppet, man-up, standup, come to my face and say you’re going to shut me up. I think he’s a coward."

Well then, since we're being honest.

Pascal is trying to gain a mental edge over his opponent heading into the fight. You never know whether or not these tactics have an effect until the two men step in the ring, but pre-fight challenges and verbal jabs are almost always entertaining.

He has learned from the best. His mentor and idol Roy Jones Jr. will be in his corner for the fight. Jones Jr. told Bill Beacon of The Canadian Press that Pascal's boastful ways are a product of his influence:

I understand that in Quebec, you like silence — people that come off a little bit lower key than how Mr. Pascal comes off. That's partly my fault because a lot of guys grew up watching me. I didn't have good sense, so I said everything and did everything. But I always aimed for the sky.

Pascal will have to aim high to come up big on Saturday night.

Rebuilding Shattered Confidence

Pascal has reason to believe Bute may be vulnerable mentally. In his only loss, a fifth-round TKO at the hands of Froch, he looked discouraged and beaten emotionally. Though he did beat Grachev in his last bout, he didn't look overly impressive.

Bute's personal style and loss to Froch have people like Cabral Ibacka, the Romanian TV personality and former kickboxer, calling him soft.

That's not a moniker any fighter wants to carry.

Bute is trying to stay true to himself outside the ring, no matter what Pascal or his critics say. Per Zurkowsky, Bute said: "I have strategy. My head is clean. I’m confident and strong. There’s nothing to stop me. Saturday night, there’s just one winner — Lucian Bute."

You gotta love when they go third person on you. He continued:

I was a gentleman with every opponent — until now. I told him I would close his mouth. I don’t think it’s something bad. It’s just an expression. I’m nice outside the ring. In the ring, I’m very bad.

That's "bad" meaning good.

Prediction

There is no question Bute is the more skilled fighter. He throws punches from various angles and knows how to use his height and length. He'll have a near four-inch height advantage, although Pascal's long arms could serve to nullify that edge.

Pascal is the speedier fighter. He keeps a more manic pace, and Bute will have to show that he is capable of withstanding an early charge and maintaining his composure.

Pascal will be looking to take Bute's heart early, so the former super middleweight champion must be prepared.

Tom Gray of Ring TV acknowledges the fight is tough to call. Per another Satterfield article for Ring Magazine, he said this of the upcoming clash:

The trouble with making a pick based on form is that there is no form. But my hunch is that Pascal retains the ambition. I’m not convinced Bute still wants to fight and he could merely be doing what is expected of him by continuing his career. I see Bute starting well, but succumbing to a late round rally by Pascal.

One positive for Bute is that Pascal isn't a devastating puncher like Froch. Without night-changing pop on his punches, Pascal won't be able to disturb Bute's rhythm as easily.

Instead, Bute's southpaw stance, jab and signature body shots could spell trouble for Pascal. When frustrated, Pascal tends to abandon sound mechanics and get wild.

I'm going out on a limb with this prediction: Bute's boxing skill and desire to prove the doubters wrong will be enough to lift him to a unanimous-decision victory.

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Most American fight fans have no idea who WBA light heavyweight champion Beibut Shumenov (13-1, 8 KO) is, but he's working hard to change that. Shumenov is set to defend his title Saturday, Dec. 14 against Tamas Kovacs (23-0, 14 KO) at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

As part of the undercard for Adrien Broner vs. Marcos Rene Maidana, Shumenov continues his quest to establish his name in the states. This will be the third straight fight in the United States for the 30-year-old from Kazakhstan and his fifth in the last six bouts.

Like his more well-known countryman, Gennady Golovkin, Shumenov's hunger for top-level competition knows no geographical limits.

Kovacs is a 36-year-old, undefeated, late-comer to the sport. He turned professional at the age of 30 and has yet to face anyone of note. Shumenov has an opportunity to impress and perhaps create an opportunity for a much bigger fight the next time out.

It should be an excellent card with the Broner-Maidana clash headlining an event that also features: Keith Thurman vs. Jesus Soto Karass, Leo Santa Cruz vs. Cesar Seda and Jermain Taylor vs. Juan Carlos Candelo.

Looking for the viewing information for this Texas-sized quadruple header? I got you.

When: Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. EST

Where: The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

TV: Showtime

The Book on Shumenov and Kovacs

A Peculiar Road

How many fighters are multilingual? Perhaps a few. How many are also millionaires from their work as a businessman/lawyer? Maybe just one.

Shumenov's path to coronation hasn't been easy, though. He had to battle through a childhood filled with illness after having been accidentally poisoned, per Bill Dwyre of The Los Angeles Times. As an amateur boxer, he reached the 2004 Olympics but broke his hand in his first fight. He subsequently lost his second bout, per Anson Wainwright of The Ring Magazine.

He captured a world title in just his 10th professional fight but has since had deals to unify championships at 175 pounds fall through. He's been out of action for 18 months and is finally set to return to the ring for his fifth title defense.

Shumenov doesn't fight for money. He has plenty of that from working as an attorney with his family's businesses. Per Dwyre, the Shumenov's are among the wealthiest families in Kazakhstan. 

It seems if American television gets a hold of Shumenov's story, his star will rise. Shumenov told Dwyre he was inspired by Mike Tyson. Perhaps he should follow in his foot steps and have a movie about his life produced while he is still an active fighter.

He certainly has an interesting background.

Fighting In America for the First Time

While Shumenov is well-acquainted with American culture, having shifted his residence to Las Vegas, the Slovakian-born Kovacs will be fighting in the states for the first time Saturday.

This is a significant step up in competition for him. Only two of his last four opponents even have a winning record. His last win came over a journeyman workhorse from Tanzania named Said Mbelwa in June. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHi58BFC3Cg

Mbelwa has remarkably fought four times since that eight-round bout. Kovacs is looking to make a name for himself at Shumenov's expense. Talk about having eyes for ruining a perfectly good story.

Prediction

Kovacs is a stalker—in the boxing sense of the word. He likes to walk his opponents down and loves to launch power shots early and often. His style actually plays right into Shumenov's hands, though. 

The champion is comfortable fighting moving backward. He uses lateral movement and backpedaling to disturb the timing of his opponents. He unpredictably plants and fires a flicking jab and/or hard right-hand leads.

A fighter who doesn't naturally give him the looks he needs could give him more trouble, but Kovacs will more than likely walk into enough straight rights to find himself in peril. Shumenov will remain champion with a relatively easy, eighth-round TKO of Kovacs.

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Whenever you have a card featuring two fighters with the type of power possessed by Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev, you can bank on it being an early night.

Stevenson (23-1, 20 KO) retained his WBC and The Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles with an impressive sixth-round stoppage victory over a game but overmatched Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12 KO) on Saturday night in Quebec City, Canada.

The champion took a few rounds to really get going, as his opponent was content to box from the outside in order to avoid his power. The early rounds were close, but the bigger punches were clearly landed by Stevenson, and it seemed only a matter of time before something big connected.

That moment came in the sixth round, when a left-hand from Stevenson floored Bellew near the corner. The challenger beat the count, but then defenselessly swallowed a couple more left hands, which prompted the referee to stop the fight and save him from further punishment.

But that wasn't even the most impressive knockout of the evening.

In the co-main event, Russian destroyer Sergey Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KO) took just under four minutes to absolutely obliterate Ismayl Sillakh (21-2, 17 KO) with a second-round knockout. 

After a close first-round, in which both fighters were content to box, Kovalev quickly closed the distance early in the second and felled his foe with a right hand. Sillakh beat the count, but for his trouble he was greeted with another devastating right, followed by two quick lefts, that nearly knocked him out of the ring and ended the night.

It was devastating and it reiterated what most of us already know, the Russian has scary punching power.

No one can accuse WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (22-1-0, 19 KO) of not defending his title on a regular basis. The Canadian by way of Haiti won the title in explosive fashion by knocking out Chad Dawson in the first round in June. He defended his crown in September when he displayed surprisingly sharp boxing skills against Tavoris Cloud. 

Stevenson stopped Cloud after the seventh round when the challenger didn't answer the bell for the eighth. 

On Saturday, Stevenson will defend his title for the second time in just over two months when he faces tough Englishman Tony "The Bomber" Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KO). Bellew has been in the ring with some of the top names in England, but he isn't well-known stateside.

He lost his only previous shot at a world title when he was outpointed by then WBO champion Nathan Cleverly in 2011, though one judge called the fight a draw. This fight represents a major opportunity for Bellew, who will turn 31 the day of the fight. He has a chance to expand his notoriety worldwide and to give himself an awesome birthday present.

The 36-year-old champion is on the fast track to bigger and better things, but he must handle Bellew before he can think about a possible unification bout with current WBO champion Sergey Kovalev, who fights Ismayl Sillakh on the same HBO card.

It is going to be a great night of boxing. Here's how you can catch the action.

When: Saturday, Nov. 30, at 10:15 p.m. ET

Where: Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

TV: HBO's Boxing After Dark

An Eye to Unify

Stevenson is the type of fighter who represents a breath of fresh air for boxing fans. He's a champion who sees value in holding one of the world titles and craves the glory he can attain by unifying the belts in his weight class. 

The sport would be better off with less champions, and unification bouts primarily represent identifying the best of the best.

A Kovalev-Stevenson bout would be one of the most anticipated fights of the year—even if it takes place first in the first quarter of 2014. It isn't often fans get to see two explosive champions face each other with their belts on the line in a meaningful bout.

If Stevenson handles Bellew, he'll have done his part to make the fight a reality.

The Party Crasher

If Bellew pulls off a win over Stevenson, he should temporarily change his nickname to Kryptonite. The Englishman will have proved to be the only man capable of thwarting Superman's rise to mega-stardom if he can win on Saturday.

Guys like Bellew who are tough, consummate, but lesser-known professionals cherish opportunities to play spoiler. A win would wreck things for two of the biggest stars at 175 pounds but could set Bellew up for another major payday.

Either a rematch with Stevenson, a fight with Kovalev—assuming he wins—or maybe even a date with IBF champion Bernard Hopkins could be in store. Bellew's plans may not be as grandiose as Stevenson's, but he's still got plenty to fight for.

Prediction

Bellew is 3.5 inches taller and he has a two-inch reach advantage over the champion. If he can establish his jab early on, he could make this a really difficult night for Stevenson. I don't believe he has the power to stop the champion with one shot like Darnell Boone did in 2010, but he has the physical tools and boxing acumen to frustrate him.

That said, Stevenson has two very important advantages in the fight: athleticism and power. He's easily the quicker man, and his power is among the best pound-for-pound in the sport. He throws one-hitter quitters, and it is hard to account for the edge that gives a fighter in the ring.

I see Stevenson having some early issues getting inside Bellew's jab, but ultimately he'll land a punch that changes the night. Bellew is probably too tough to be put to sleep with one shot like Dawson was, but you'll be hard-pressed to find any fighter who can take Stevenson's assault for a prolonged period. 

Superman will retain his title via seventh-round TKO.

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After another age-defying performance on Saturday night, Bernard Hopkins is unbelievably ready for bigger and better things. Conventional wisdom would suggest a man that turns 49 in January should be hanging up the gloves soon, but the IBF light heavyweight champion has made a habit of rejecting the limitations of normal men.

After all, he is now referring to himself as The Alien. Check out Hopkins in his extraterrestial get-up, per Alex McClintock of The Guardian:

With his impressive 12-round decision win over Karo Murat on Saturday, the future Hall of Famer is certainly looking out of this world. 

Instead of talking about easy opponents to ensure Hopkins ends his career on a high note, it is appropriate to ponder the legend unifying the title. In the words of Jay Z and Kanye West, "who gon stop him?"

Sergey Kovalev is a dangerous KO artist who recently dismantled Nathan Cleverly to win the WBO crown. He will defend his title against Ismayl Sillakh in Quebec on Nov. 30. On the same card, the WBC champion at 175 pounds, Adonis Stevenson, will be in action against Tony Bellew.

He is another big-time puncher who recently showed off some of his boxing skills in a recent bout with Tavoris Cloud:

Stevenson knocked out Chad Dawson in June to win his title. He successfully defended it by stopping Cloud in September. The fight in November will be his fourth fight of the year. 

As impressive as both of these men have been, can anyone say without a doubt they would beat Hopkins?

After watching Hopkins not only out-box, but also out-slug Murat, the answer is no. Obviously, both Kovalev and Stevenson bring much more in the way of punching prowess than Murat did. Kovalev's KO percentage is 86.96 and Stevenson's is 82.61, compared to Murat's 53.57.

Still, Hopkins is smart; he won't look to trade with them. 

It'll be all about boxing and defense against two more powerful horses. It is safe to say neither Kovalev nor Stevenson has ever faced an in-ring technician like Hopkins. Could the Alien make a bout with them an ugly, hard-to-score affair that he just might win by decision?

It isn't a preposterous thought. 

The other world champion at 175 pounds is Kazakhstan's Beibut Shumenov. He is the least-known but longest-tenured champion in the division. He's held the WBA title since 2010. Shumenov is scheduled to take on Tomas Kavacs in December. He also stands 6'2", which could represent a challenge for Hopkins.

That said, Shumenov has had limited professional experience. He's had only 14 pro fights, and though his amateur pedigree is impressive, Hopkins is a different animal. 

All three champions are viable options for Hopkins as he continues to prove age is only a number.

Stat and scheduled fight references per BoxRec.com

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