Sergey Kovalev is now a three-time light heavyweight world champion, outpointing Eleider Alvarez in their rematch tonight in Texas. Kovalev won on scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 120-108. BLH had it 119-109 and 120-108 for Kovalev. Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KO) got a measure of revenge for the knockout loss suffered to Alvarez (24-1, 12 KO) last August in Atlantic City, following the instructions of new trainer Buddy McGirt faithfully and putting in a measured performance that saw him outwork and outbox Alvarez, whose game plan was — well, no one can be sure what it was, because he didn’t do much of anything. The 35-year-old Kovalev started well, but he was up on the cards last time, too, and there was tension into the middle rounds based on whether or not the Russian veteran would fade and leave himself vulnerable to an attack by Alvarez. But Alvarez, 34, really never got anything going this time, and you have to credit Kovalev’s patience and approach for shutting down the Colombian-born, Montreal-based Alvarez. It wasn’t exactly a vintage Kovalev performance — in fact, it was far from that — but it was an effective execution of a game plan, and as he gets older, that’s a good sign. He stayed busy with the jab, kept Alvarez tentative, and controlled the fight. “I have no excuses,” Alvarez said, translated by ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna. “I thought I put on a good performance, but just did not get the result.” He added, “I don’t see myself as a loser tonight, but I do give him credit.” Kovalev thanked trainer Buddy McGirt for “stopping him” from overtraining, which is what he has blamed for his loss in the first fight. Kovalev said it “doesn’t matter” who he fights next, and said he wants a unification fight, specifically mentioning IBF titleholder Artur Beterbiev. According to CompuBox, Kovalev landed 213 of 816 (26%) of his total punches, and 153 of 425 (36%) power shots. Alvarez landed 111 of 369 (30%) total punches, and 78 of 166 (47%) of his power shots, connecting at a good rate with those power punches, but not throwing enough of them to make a big difference. Kovalev threw 391 jabs, landing 60.<doc-sep>Heading into the rematch with Eleider Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev said he overtrained back when he lost by seventh-round TKO last August. He promised things would be different. Boxing fans had heard Kovalev say that before in both of his losses to Andre Ward and didn't believe him. The 35-year-old quieted the critics and dominated from start-to-finish to defeat Alvarez by unanimous decision (120-108, 116-112, 116-112) to win back the WBO light heavyweight title for the third time in the ESPN+ main event at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Sporting News had the fight scored 119-109 for Kovalev. Join DAZN and watch more than 100 fight nights a year Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) was a completely different fighter under new trainer Buddy McGirt. He stayed composed and boxed extraordinarily well. He came out popping the jab right away and throwing combinations. The game plan by Alvarez was puzzling. The Colombian fighting out of Montreal thought he could do what he did in the first fight and what had been the playbook on Kovalev - let him throw at will and he would tire himself out and in the middle rounds. In doing so, Alvarez could tee off and finish Kovalev off once again. However, the Russian had different things in mind and that was because of McGirt. He stayed cool, calm and collected. He didn't overthrow and stayed composed throughout the 12 round affair. The "Krusher" allowed the jab to set up his combinations and there was nothing Alvarez could do about it. According to Compubox stats, Kovalev connected on 213 of 816 punches (26%), while Alvarez connected on only 111 of 369 (30%). Was this the Kovalev people are used to seeing? No, but this Kovalev showed the world he can overcome adversity after what happened six months ago and if he needs to box to win fights then he can do that as well. Some intriguing title unification fights are ahead for Kovalev with either WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol, IBF titlist Artur Beterbiev or WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Kovalev said line them up. He wants them all. "Who's ready for a unification fight?," Kovalev said in his post-fight interview. "I want to fight any champion (at 175 pounds) in a unification fight," Here's what happened at Alvarez vs. Kovalev 2. Alvarez vs. Kovalev 2 results Sergey Kovalev dominates in routing Eleider Alvarez to regain WBO title 1:52 a.m.: Kovalev def. Alvarez by unanimous decision (120-108, 116-112, 116-112) to win the WBO light heavyweight title. What a performance by Kovalev. He controlled the bout from A to Z and never let Alvarez get going. 1:47 a.m.: Round 12 to Kovalev (10-9, 119-109 Kovalev). Kovalev could have ridden the proverbial bicycle for the last three minutes. Instead, Kovalev showed he bad he wanted to regain the title and fought the entire 180 seconds. 1:43 a.m.: Round 11 to Kovalev (10-9, 109-100 Kovalev). Alvarez not letting it go even though his title is in serious jeopardy. You think Alvarez would let it all out here. Nothing to lose at this point. 1:39 a.m.: Round 10 to Kovalev (10-9, 99-91 Kovalev). Time for Alvarez to let it go. He has nothing to lose. Kovalev is outclassing him on every level. He stunned Alvarez with a combination at the end of the round. Making it look easy. 1:35 a.m.: Round 9 to Kovalev (10-9, 89-82 Kovalev). Kovalev putting on a boxing clinic. The jab is setting everything up and right now, there's nothing Alvarez can do about it until he decides to go for it because the title is slipping away. 1:31 a.m.: Round 8 to Kovalev (10-9, 79-73 Kovalev). The narrative playing out is Alvarez looking for Kovalev to tire so he could knock him out isn't working. Kovalev is boxing very well. He's popping the jab and putting combinations together very well. Alvarez is in trouble here. 1:27 a.m.: Round 7 to Kovalev (10-9, 69-64 Kovalev). Once again, Alvarez started out strong, but let Kovalev back into the round by not continuing to throw. Can see Kovalev getting tired. He's boxing well but can see he's conserving energy, so he has enough to get to the finish line. 1:23 a.m.: Round 6 to Alvarez (10-9, 59-55 Kovalev). Alvarez came right out and landed the overhand right that sent Kovalev crumbling in the first fight. He started to become more active. That's what he needs to continue to do if he's going to win. 1:19 a.m.: Round 5 to Kovalev (10-9, 50-45 Kovalev). Alvarez started off the round on a good note by going to the body. For some reason, he stopped and Kovalev started to make Alvarez's head target practice with laser straight right hands. Would be nice to see Kovalev go to the body to set up the right hand over the top. 1:15 a.m.: Round 4 to Kovalev (10-9, 40-36 Kovalev). Great round for Kovalev that was highlighted by a beautiful four-punch combination ending with a hard right hand to the body. He's starting to crack through Alvarez's guard. Kovalev started to have more sizzle on his punches as the round went on. 1:11 a.m.: Round 3 to Kovalev (10-9, 30-27 Kovalev). Kovalev is being more active and just racking up points. According to Compubox, Kovalev's thrown 181 punches to Alvarez's 74. Not going to win fights by not throwing. 1:07 a.m.: Round 2 to Kovalev (10-9, 20-18 Kovalev). Pretty good round for Kovalev. The jab is setting up the straight right hand. Alvarez needs to start being the aggressor and let some shots off to let Kovalev know he's there. 1:03 a.m.: Round 1 to Kovalev (10-9). Kovalev came out pumping the jab and stayed at it. Alvarez came back at the end of the round with a couple hard lefts and rights to the body. 12:55 a.m.: It is now time for the main event, as Eleider Alvarez defends the WBO light heavyweight championship against former two-time titleholder Sergey Kovalev.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Sergey Kovalev will attempt to keep his boxing career alive when he takes on Eleider Alvarez for his old WBO light heavyweight title in a rematch in Texas. The 35-year-old was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards when Alvarez rallied and knocked him out in the seventh round last year. The Russian vows to get his revenge when they meet at the Ford Center at The Star tonight, home of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility. Kovalev said: “I will look to take back my title and put on a great show for the fans.<doc-sep>Top Rank Boxing features a tripleheader of title fights and four fights overall tonight (Saturday, February 2nd) from The Star in Frisco, Texas. In the main event, WBO light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) rematches Sergey Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs), six months removed from his stunning KO of Kovalev to win the title from the Russian. This is Alvarez’s first defense of his title, and he’ll look to make it 2-for-2 against “Krusher.” The other title fights see Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) defend his WBO featherweight belt against Carmine Tommasone (19-0, 5 KOs), while Richard Commey (27-2, 24 KOs) and Isa Chaniev (13-1, 6 KOs) vie for the vacant IBF lightweight belt, with the winner guaranteed a unification bout against Vasyl Lomachenko. For the one non-title fight featured, the co-main event for Alvarez vs. Kovalev 2 sees lightweight prospect Teofimo Lopez (11-0, 9 KOs) take on former title challenger Diego Magdaleno (31-2, 13 KOs), who is Lopez’s most accomplished opponent to date. Bloody Elbow is here to provide you with detailed, round-by-round coverage and running commentary of tonight’s main event. We’ll also have live results updates for the other three bouts. The ESPN broadcast starts at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, before flipping over to ESPN+ for Lopez-Magdaleno and Alvarez-Kovalev II at 12 AM ET. If you care about the ESPN+ undercard, that starts at 7 PM ET. ESPN+ card (12 AM ET) Eleider Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev - WBO light heavyweight title Round 1 - Kovalev pressuring in the early stages. He sticks out his jab. Alvarez jabs to the body. Two clinches occur as Kovalev stalks and throws punches that miss. Kovalev with the body jab. Alvarez short on a right hand. Good body shot by Alvarez. Left hook by Kovalev and a body shot by Alvarez again. 10-9 Kovalev. Round 2 - Kovalev with a combination that’s mostly blocked. Stiff jab by Alvarez. Body shot by Eleider and he misses over the top with a right hand. Kovalev with a right that’s blocked upstairs. Alvarez connects on a jab. Good body shot by Kovalev. They hold and are separated. Kovalev scores with a left. Stiff jab by Kovalev and another one. Alvarez with a looping right hand that’s off the mark. 20-18 Kovalev. Round 3 - Left hook by Alvarez as they trade some shots at mid-range. Right hand by Alvarez but he is countered with a hard jab. He jabs Kovalev back. They both trade jabs. Kovalev left hook is blocked. Right hand by Alvarez comes up short. Eleider grabs a hold of Kovalev’s neck and is admonished for it. Good left by Alvarez. He does some dirty boxing in the clinch. Kovalev touching Alvarez upstairs with his jab. Both men land good shots as the round ends. 29-28 Kovalev. Round 4 - Sneaky left hook scores for Alvarez. Kovalev pushes Alvarez’s head down and is warned. Right hand by Kovalev is blocked. He lands a body shot. Body blows by Alvarez but he gets clipped upstairs. Uppercut by Kovalev connects. Left hook by Kovalev. Jab to the body by Alvarez. Double left hook by Kovalev. Good body shot by Kovalev and another one! He’s letting his hands go and landing some strong shots on Alvarez. 39-37 Kovalev. Round 5 - Alvarez digging Kovalev’s body considerably to start this round. Excellent counterpunching by Kovalev. He gets in a combination downstairs. Left hook by Alvarez and Pabon warns Kovalev for a backhand. Kovalev with a left hook upstairs. He gets a sharp left through Alvarez’s guard. A right hand around the guard. Sweeping right by Alvarez just misses. The jab does not miss for Eleider. Double left hook by Kovalev is blocked. Good action here in round five. 49-46 Kovalev. Round 6 - Right hand by Alvarez lands ! A big one catches Kovalev! They trade power shots before Alvarez gets in a solid jab. Kovalev with a good jab. Double body shot by Kovalev. Alvarez answers with one body shot. Body shot and a head shot by Kovalev in quick succession. Right hand by Kovalev and an uppercut! Alvarez was stunned. 59-55 Kovalev. Round 7 - Body shot by Alvarez strays low. He goes a little higher and those are legal and flush punches. Kovalev with a combination. Body shots by Alvarez and Kovalev felt that. Kovalev takes a punch to the liver. Left hook by Kovalev is blocked. Alvarez turning up the tempo. Kovalev jabbing upstairs. Gets in a right around the guard. Left hook by Alvarez connects. Heavy exchanges in the center of the ring and Alvarez is starting to find some success. 68-65 Kovalev. Round 8 - Back to the body goes Alvarez . Left hook by Alvarez after he missed two punches prior. Decent right over the top by Kovalev. Jab to the body by Kovalev. Good left by the Russian. Body shot by Alvarez. Hard jab by Kovalev. Counter right by Alvarez but Kovalev took it well. They nearly clash heads as the bell sounds. 78-74 Kovalev. Round 9 - Alvarez going to the midsection before holding. Kovalev with a right-left combination and he gets in another quality left hook. Sergey looking confident in there. Hard right hand by Kovalev. Clubbing right by Alvarez and then a clinch. Left hook by Alvarez but he needs more than that. Popping left by Kovalev backs Alvarez up. He is dominating this fight now. 88-83 Kovalev. Round 10 - Right hand and right uppercut by Alvarez but Kovalev is not bothered. He responds with a left hand. Kovalev with more effective jabbing. Overhand right by Alvarez whiffs. Good combo by Kovalev and a big right hand. Huge left has Alvarez’s head snap back. Alvarez with a stinging jab. Kovalev stalking and missing but he’s won another round. 98-92 Kovalev. Round 11 - Alvarez needs to go for broke and he’s swinging heavy leather but Kovalev is staying in there. Left hook scores for Sergey. Overhand right by Alvarez, who fails to bother Kovalev. One minute left in the round. Good shots by Alvarez but he needs a KO. Double jab and a hook by Kovalev.<doc-sep>
Mel Evans/Associated Press Sergey Kovalev needs a win in a bad way on Saturday night if he is to resurrect his flagging career. "Krusher" is 2-3 in his last five fights, and he will be looking to get back to championship status in his rematch with Eleider Alvarez at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Last time out, Alvarez knocked Kovalev down three times in the seventh round to claim a TKO-win and earn the WBO world light heavyweight title he will be putting on the line Saturday. In case you forgot, or haven't seen it yet, here's a quick recap: Kovalev was the champion in that match and, even with his two losses to Andre Ward not long behind him, still considered one of the most fearsome boxers around. But the undefeated Alvarez knocked Kovalev out of the pantheon, establishing himself as a fighter to be reckoned with in the process. Kovalev, 35, doesn't have much time left to re-establish himself as a preeminent boxer, and it's possible he won't get a chance at all, win or lose. He faces a felony assault charge from a June 2018 incident, two months before the Alvarez loss, where he allegedly punched a woman in the face. The rematch could turn out to be another blockbuster win for Alvarez. Here's how to watch. Video Play Button Videos you might like Alvarez vs. Kovalev Fight Info When: Saturday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. PT, 12 a.m. ET Where: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas TV: BoxNation (UK only) Live Stream: ESPN+, BoxNation.com (UK only) Odds: Alvarez -175 (bet $175 to win $100), Kovalev +145 (bet $100 to win $145) It wasn't all that long ago Kovalev was the dominant, world-beating force at light heavyweight. The slugger brutalized his opponents, at one point stopping 12 of 13 opponents, the only exception being a decision win against the great Bernard Hopkins. And then came the Ward fights. Kovalev lost the first fight against Ward in November 2016. He managed to knock Ward down in the second round, only to fade late, allowing Ward to pick up a close unanimous decision that some might argue should've gone to Krusher. In the rematch, it was again back-and-forth until the eighth round, where a stunning right hand to the jaw and some bruising punches right at the belt-line proved to be too much for Kovalev to handle. The referee waved it off with Kovalev slumped against the ropes, exhausted and broken. So Kovalev had lost twice, but not terribly so, and this is Ward we're talking about. Maybe Kovalev was still a boxing god, but more like Hephaestus, working with a hammer but still slightly imperfect, and he had picked a fight with Zeus. A couple of stoppage wins led Kovalev to that loss to Alvarez, and now he looks like he belongs nowhere near boxing's current Olympus. Alvarez might not have the same level of fame as Kovalev, but he is a menacing fighter in his own right. He's yet to take a loss, and he has beaten tough fighters like Jean Pascal, Lucian Bute and Isaac Chilemba. The 34-year-old Colombian has staked his claim to fame beating Kovalev, but it doesn't mean he's necessarily the better boxer. Ward doesn't think so. "Alvarez is not a better fighter than Sergey Kovalev," Ward said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "But he's got heart. He's got momentum. And he's emboldened." The boxing world will find out what, if anything, Kovalev has left to offer at the top level on Saturday night. If Alvarez beats him handily, Kovalev's time as a championship contender is all but over. But then the next question will arise: What does Alvarez really have to offer? He will still have only defended his title once. It will take much more than that to reach the pantheon. Odds are courtesy of OddsShark and updated as of Thursday, Jan. 31, at 7 a.m. ET.