Alvarez vs. Kovalev II preview and fight week coverage
Get your fight week coverage here on Bloody Elbow, as WBO light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez takes on Sergey Kovalev in a rematch of their stunning August 2017 encounter.
On Saturday, February 2nd from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, Top Rank Boxing has a stacked quadrupleheader that features three world championship fights. In the main event, WBO light heavyweight champion Eleider Alvarez (24-0, 12 KOs) defends his title against Sergey Kovalev (32-3-1, 28 KOs), the man he knocked out in a big upset back in August 2017.
If you don’t know how the first fight went down, here are the highlights.
Kovalev was up on the scorecards prior to the seventh-round TKO, but he used his rematch clause, and now he gets a chance to even the score. One dark cloud hanging over Kovalev’s head as we approach fight night is the recent discovery that he was arrested last June for allegedly assaulting a woman and causing major injuries. He’s due in court in March and has pleaded not guilty.
For Alvarez, this is the first fight of a multi-bout co-promotional deal with Top Rank that will see him get at least $1 million per fight, along with a cut of the gate revenue and a cut of any PPV revenue if he’s in a pay-per-view main event. He waited long enough for a title shot and finally got it last year, and made the most of it. The Canadian by way of Colombia has established himself as an elite 175 lbs boxer, and if he beats Kovalev again, there are options for him to fight either WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk or IBF champion Artur Beterbiev, both of whom are aligned with Top Rank.
The other two title fights on this card are WBO featherweight (126 lbs) champion Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) against Carmine Tommasone (19-0, 5 KOs), who is the absolute definition of a “tune-up” opponent. Valdez is returning to action after winning a thrilling decision against an overweight Scott Quigg, who broke Valdez’s jaw. So this is the Mexican’s return to the ring, and if he wins, don’t be surprised if he’s lined up for a big fight next, possibly a unification with IBF champion Josh Warrington.
Also on tap is a vacant IBF lightweight (135 lbs) title bout between Ghana’s Richard Commey (27-2, 24 KOs) and Russia’s Isa Chaniev (13-1, 6 KOs). It is expected that the winner of this fight will unify with WBA and WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko on April 12th.
As for the one non-title fight, it’s must-watch. Teofimo Lopez (11-0, 9 KOs) is one of the true rising prospects and potential superstars of the sport. He wowed fans in December with an electrifying first-round KO of veteran Mason Menard, and he gets another step-up in competition against former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno (31-2, 13 KOs). The only losses of Magdaleno’s career have been to ex-lightweight champion Terry Flanagan and a split decision to former 130 lbs champion Rocky Martinez. If Lopez can dominate Magdaleno, who is on a three-fight winning streak, then don’t be surprised if he’s in a much more high-profile bout later this year.
Much like the UFC on ESPN+ debut earlier this month, the card is split between ESPN and ESPN+. Alvarez-Kovalev II and Lopez-Magdaleno will be on ESPN+, while Valdez-Tommasone and Commey-Chaniev comprise the ESPN broadcast. We will have live coverage of this event, and previews throughout the week.
ESPN+ card (12 AM ET)
Eleider Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev - WBO light heavyweight title
Teofimo Lopez vs. Diego Magdaleno - 10 rounds, lightweights
ESPN card (10 PM ET)
Oscar Valdez vs. Carmine Tommasone - WBO featherweight title
Richard Commey vs. Isa Chaniev - IBF lightweight title