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Sergey Kovalev has some big plans at his new cruiserweight weight class. 'The Krusher' is set to return on Saturday night, May 14, against the undefeated Tervel Pulev on Triller pay-per-view. The bout is the first for the former WBO light-heavyweight champion since his knockout defeat to Canelo Alvarez in November 2019.
Following the defeat, the 39-year-old was forced to take time off due to a variety of problems. Despite legal issues and a litany of bout cancellations forcing him out of the ring for nearly three years, Kovalev remains hopeful about making his debut up at cruiserweight.
Kovalev believes that he will be able to capture the gold up at 200 pounds. In an interview with FightHype, the former Light Heavyweight Champion detailed his plans to become a titleholder at cruiserweight. Ahead of his debut, he seemed very excited to not have to cut weight as well.
Discussing his first fight at cruiserweight, Kovalev said:
"My main goal is to get another belt in cruiserweight division, it's the next division for me. Right now, I'm very excited that I don't need to cut the weight a lot. I feel comfortable right now, my training camp was great. I didn't have a routine with losing weight, everything was comfortable."
Watch Sergey Kovalev's interview with FightHype below:
Can Sergey Kovalev secure a title at cruiserweight?
If Sergey Kovalev is going to secure a championship at cruiserweight, he will need to dispatch Tervel Pulev first. Sitting at 16-0 in his career, the Bulgarian is mostly known for being the younger brother of former heavyweight title challenger Kubrat Pulev.
However, unlike his brother, he's far from an accomplished professional. While he is an excellent amateur boxer, he's spent the majority of his pro career fighting less than stellar competition. Also 39-years-old, Pulev, like Kovalev, sees this fight as his last chance to get into title contention.
As of right now, the cruiserweight division is the weakest it has been in a long time. Aided by Oleksandr Usyk moving up to heavyweight, there are currently four different champions at 200 pounds. The four men are Lawrence Okolie, Illunga Makabu, Mairis Briedis, and Arsen Goulamirian.
Presently, none stand separate from the pack as far as being a dominant champion is concerned. If Sergey Kovalev wants to get a title shot, he will have to secure a big win over Pulev. If he looks good, there's no limit to how far 'The Krusher' can go at 200 pounds.
