Fight Pick & Preview – Kovalev vs. Agnew:
Late March sees a man who is a serious contender for the crown of “world’s biggest P4P puncher,” Sergey Kovalev, defend the light heavyweight belt he won from Nathan Cleverly against undefeated Cedric Agnew. The Chicago-native Agnew might not have much name recognition with casual boxing fans, but he is a solid prospect and worthy challenger for Kovalev.
Cedric Agnew (26-0, 13 KOs)
6’0″ tall; 27 years old
American
USBA Light Heavyweight Champion
Don’t confuse Cedric with tarnished former Vice President Spiro Agnew, because the man has a golden amateur pedigree: a two-time Chicago Golden Gloves and runner-up at the Nationals, plus a ton of juniors laurels. The man knows the fight game, that much is clear.
The question is how good he is at making the know-how work for him. My estimation of Agnew is that he is at least as technically gifted as Cleverly, perhaps moreso, and definitely ahead of the Briton in terms of speed and slickness. The problem is that Agnew has a merely average punch (a 50% KO rating over tomato cans and journeymen?), and taking on Kovalev is his first fight after “getting past the gate” in beating Yusef Mack. Agnew is a boxer without much artillery, and whether he can take Kovalev’s bombs is an utter unknown.
Sergey Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KOs)
6’0 1/2″ tall; 72″ reach; 30 years old
Russian
WBO Light Heavyweight Champion
Kovalev is a force of nature, plain and simple. He’s got pistons in his arms, rocks in his gloves, and weights in his hip pockets. On top of being able to hit with the very best of them, he can take it too. “The Krusher” is very aptly named.
Kovalev vs. Agnew Fight Analysis
I sincerely believe Agnew has a lot of potential, and I just as sincerely believe a slick boxer-puncher could prove Kovalev’s undoing. However, I don’t think Agnew is the man to beat Kovalev. Whoever does that needs to be about to at least sting Kovalev while out-foxing him, and a guy without snap will just find himself walked down and smashed up. Furthermore, Agnew isn’t well-seasoned, and has no idea what one of Kovalev’s wrecking balls is going to feel like.
Prediction: Sergey Kovalev TKO6 Cedric Agnew
What’s Next for Sergey Kovalev?
Although Cedric Agnew is hardly a “gimme” opponent (if nothing else, Agnew will give Kovalev more experience in handling pure boxers), he is hardly the marquee opponent Sergey Kovalev needs for a big payday. For that, he needs to get in the ring with living legend Bernard Hopkins, Canadian knockout artist Adonis Stevenson, or phenom Andre Ward. That makes Kovalev part of a pugilistic square dance, and while it might not happen this year, it’s only a matter of time before Kovalev lands his star-level opponent and truly hits the big time.
