On Saturday, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) will defend his titles against Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Kovalev is known for his knockout power, but he is traveling to the lion’s den to face Pascal on his home turf. Pascal, a former world champion, is known for his great chin – he’s never been knocked down. Below is the scouting report for this explosive match-up:
Category | Sergey “The Krusher” Kovalev | Jean Pascal |
| Age | 31 | 32 |
| Record | 26-0-1 (23 KOs) | 29-2-1 (17 KOs) |
| Strength | Kovalev possesses knockout power in both hands; he has the ability to end a fight with any punch he throws. He is able to physically break his opponents down throughout the bout. He cuts the ring off very well. | Pascal is quick when he puts his punches together and has power in both hands. Having never been knocked down, he has a really good chin. He has been competing against the division’s top fighters since 2008, before Sergey even made his pro debut. |
| Weakness | Kovalev tends to leave openings in his guard allowing himself to be hit. He has been knocked down before but not hurt. | Pascal has only fought two rounds in the last 14 months, which may cause him to experience some ring rust. He has a tendency to tire out late in fights, so he could run into a problem if he does not conserve his energy properly. He has a tendency to let his opponents get into his head. In his second fight with Hopkins, he was noticeably rattled when Bernard started doing push-ups in the ring prior to the seventh round. |
| Experience | Kovalev may be at a slight disadvantage here since Pascal has fought more top-level opposition. | Pascal has been in seven major title fights, and holds victories over Chad Dawson and Lucian Bute. |
| Power | Kovalev has unbelievable power in both hands, he throws every punch with bad intentions, and puts together effective combinations. | Although he has power when he puts his punches together, he will be at a disadvantage here when paired up against Kovalev’s power. |
| Speed | Kovalev has average speed that picks up once he smells blood in the water and goes for the knockout. | Pascal’s speed becomes more noticeable during his flurries of punches; he really turns it on when he knows he has his opponent hurt and can possibly finish the fight. |
| Endurance | Sergey proved he could go the distance when he went 12 rounds for the first time in his most recent bout against the legendary Bernard Hopkins. | Pascal may have the advantage here as he has gone 12 rounds on eight different occasions. |
| Accuracy | Sergey demonstrated great accuracy with his one punch knockouts. He also throws very accurate and powerful body shots. | Pascal will be at a disadvantage here. He does not utilize his jab at times and tends to get wild when unloading flurries of punches. |
| Defense | Sergey’s main focus is his offense; there are times when his offense is so effective that it becomes his best defense. | Pascal does not move around the ring well. He likes to stand in front of his opponents and let his aggressiveness overwhelm them, which sometimes may be his best defense. |
| Chin | Kovalev has been knocked down twice in his career, but he has risen to the occasion both times and come back with the victory. | Jean has a really good chin and is willing to stand and trade with the division’s best and most powerful punchers. He has never been knocked down. |
| Style | Kovalev is an offensive fighter who likes to walk his opponents down and go in for the finish. | Pascal is an athletic, aggressive fighter that will not hesitate to go for the finish if given the opportunity. |
| Intangibles | Rather than take some more time off or settle for a tune-up bout after his title unification win over Bernard Hopkins, Sergey is taking on the division’s number one contender who has never been stopped and that held the light heavyweight crown from 2009-2011. Bernard Hopkins tried in vain to get into Sergey’s head but the Krusher was immune to his head games. | After his last bout ended in a controversial no contest midway into the 2nd round, Pascal has decided to waste no time at all and challenge the division’s scariest puncher and current WBO, WBA, and IBF titleholder Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev.
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| Crowd Support | Kovalev will be at a disadvantage here since he is fighting in Jean Pascal’s backyard. | Pascal will have an advantage here as he will be fighting in front of his home crowd where he has fought in his previous 11 bouts. |
| The Match-up |
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