Sergey Kovalev to face Bernard Hopkins if he beats Blake Caparello

If Sergey Kovalev wins as expected tomorrow night against Blake Caparello, the WBO light heavyweight titlist will unify with WBA and IBF titleholder Bernard Hopkins, as ESPN reports that the fight has already been signed and is tentatively scheduled for November.

Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KO) is a 9-to-1 favorite tomorrow against Caparello (17-0-1, 6 KO), with the two meeting in Atlantic City. It's expected by most observers to be little more than another stay-busy title defense for "Krusher" Kovalev, who has been on a tear.

Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KO) beat Tavoris Cloud for the IBF title in March 2013, defending it against Karo Murat in October. He unified that belt with the WBA title held by Beibut Shumenov in April of this year, and has said repeatedly that his ultimate plan is to unify all four major titles. A potential win over Kovalev would leave only WBC and Ring Magazine champion Adonis Stevenson on that mission, which could easily be transferred to Kovalev, too.

The bout will take place on one of the first three Saturdays in November (1, 8, or 15) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, with HBO televising. Hopkins has been fighting on Showtime, but will move back to HBO for the first time since his win over Cloud.