Yahoo Sports today released an exclusive short form documentary titled “Life after Death” and accompanying feature story chronicling the tragic turning point in the career of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, the unified Light Heavyweight Champion and one of the top three pound for pound fighters in the world.
On December 5, 2011 at the DIVS Sports Palace in Ekaterinburg, Russia, a then-unknown Kovalev, fighting close to his hometown Chelyabinsk, defeated Roman Simakov by technical knockout in the seventh round. Simakov fell into a coma shortly after the bout and succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
For the first (and likely last) time ever, Kovalev addresses that night, its aftermath and its impact on his career in an exclusive interview with Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix. The documentary and feature also include interviews with Kovalev’s wife, Natalia, his manager, Egis Klimas and his former trainer, Abel Sanchez.
On Monday night, Kovalev will fight in Russia for the first time since that fateful night and for the first time as a world champion. He will return to the DIVS Sports Palace in Ekaterinburg to defend his Light Heavyweight Titles against top ten light heavyweight Isaac Chilemba of Malawi and South Africa.
Watch the Life After Death feature on Sergey Kovalev on this page, and read Yahoo’s accompanying story here.
