Bernard Hopkins is 49 years old. Does that ever come into your mind, like, 'Wow. I'm fighting a guy who's 49 years old'?
It's just a number. 49. That's it. He's feeling good. He says he's feeling very good. How he says, he's an alien. He's not 49 years old. Like me, like you, he's not a man. He's not human. He's alien. 49 years old, like you, like me, 30 years old. He's showing in the ring that he can fight against 30 year old guys and younger. He's in very good shape.
Looking at his style, and I know in other interviews you've said you didn't see a lot of his fights because you felt he's kind of boring. Are you worried that this fight be a little slower pace, because of his style? It might end up being a little boring because of the style that he brings?
I don't worry about anything. I just go into the ring to do my job. All I can do, I will.
Did it surprise you when he took this fight with you?
Yeah, sure. I didn't wait for a fight against Hopkins because my goal was the WBC champion.
Adonis, correct?
WBC champion. When Kathy Duva said to me, "Bernard Hopkins called to fight you." Oh, sure. I'm ready. I signed the contract the same day. The weigh-in day, before I fought Caparello. Like, I was very surprised, yeah.
Do you feel a fight with Bernard is maybe harder than a potential fight with Adonis?
I don't know. Any opponent is dangerous by himself, but Bernard is more smart, more sneaky, more dirty fighter. He's more experienced fighter. Incredible fighter, really. He's a very tough fighter. For me, the next fight on November 8 is a very big test in my career.
You have another test coming up and that's fatherhood. I know your wife is about to have a baby. Is that stressful, having to train for a fight with a baby on the way?
All my life is full of tests. Different tests. I'm getting these tests because it makes me stronger. If you get a test, you take a step up. I go up from any test.
If you win, it'll be like a double present for you. You've got the birth of your first child, and then a win over Bernard would be huge.
This fight will be for my child. For my baby. I'm making it for him.
What's the most important thing as Sergey Kovalev the fighter, that you leave to American fans as an impression?
I'm going to show American fans something. What I came to do. I can just show what I can do. My boxing, interesting fights. Fights with fighters where it has intrigue. This has intrigue, very big intrigue. Everybody says that he's old. He's not old. It's just the 49. It's just a number, 49. If he's still boxing, he's feeling very good. He's feeling young, he's feeling strong, he's feeling great. It means that he's going to fight, because he's boxing. He's not running and bike riding. He's boxing. If he's feeling very good, it means nothing. He's not old. What I will try to do, I will try to do everything in the ring November 8 to make big action. We'll see. We'll see November 8 on HBO.