Boxing News: Russian Sergey Kovalev Retains Light Heavyweight Titles With Convincing Win

Light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev of Russia retained his titles, beating Nadjib Mohammedi of France in just three rounds at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Events Center in Las Vegas. Kovalev, 29, (28-0-1, 25 Kos) who resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was born in Kopeysk, Russia, was largely unchallenged in the Sunday night bout against the 30-year-old Frenchman in retaining his , the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight titles (175-pound division).

Mohammedi, who was the mandatory challenger for the IBF crown, was undefeated entering the match, but the Russian proved too good during the fight, which saw the French boxer go down in rounds two and three.

Kovalev’s performance makes him one of the top pound-for-pound boxers. The Russian is currently ranked seventh on Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list.

Kovalev, who is undefeated since turning pro in 2009, is rumored to be paired in a future fight against Canadian light heavyweight contender Adonis Stevenson (26-1-0, 21 KOs), who is currently the World Boxing Council (WBC) champion and the Ring Magazine’s top contender in the light heavyweight division.

Kovalev won the WBO belt against Nathan Cleverly of the United Kingdom in 2013 when he copped his first world title. He then won the IBF and WBA belts against Bernard Hopkins of the United States the following year.