Our friends at FightHub caught up with light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev to get his thoughts on a number of topics, and he certainly doesn't hold back!
For starters, Kovalev was asked about his upcoming rematch with Jean Pascal and how it might differ from the first fight. Kovalev admits his first fight was harder than expected, mentioning that he got his with some clean counter shots because of mistakes he made. He says that he's cleaned up those mistakes and hopes to emphatically destroy Jean Pascal this time around, preferably sending him into retirement.
"[In the first fight] I did some mistakes. But right now, I fix it, and next fight should be much more interesting. I would like to destroy him as a boxer...forever. Enough of him fighting because he's already lost his mind."
When asked what he meant by saying Pascal has lost his mind, Kovalev responds by basically saying all of Pascal's trash talking equates to a low blow, and promises that Pascal will pay for it inside the ring.
Switching gears to Adonis Stevenson, Kovalev was asked about a recent encounter they had together and how it went.
"I was afraid," Kovalev said jokingly as the room erupted in laughter. "It was a Superman, flying this way and that way, I was afraid," he continued to quip. He was asked about how the two met and Kovalev continued "He flew [by] one time, then second time, and the third time I stopped him and asked 'When will you fight with me? Let me know please.'
Kovalev then says as the two started talking, members of their respective teams began hovering around with Stevenson's side coming up with excuses about making the fight -- though Kovalev says that the fight can be made so long as Stevenson agrees, and not in front of reporters, but by signing his name on a contract.
Another reporter brought up the fact that during that face-to-face meeting that he never saw Stevenson look Kovalev directly in the eyes, something Kovalev acknowledged.
"I didn't [see] his eyes deeply because he wouldn't [look] in my eyes," said Kovalev. Shortly after, Kovalev said that he didn't want to talk about Stevenson, Andre Ward, or any other fighter as he is focused on his next opponent in Jean Pascal.
Kovalev was, however, asked another question about Stevenson, with a reporter mentioning that when the two met Kovalev touched Stevenson on the cheek, asking whether he was concerned that he might violently erupt and swing on him.
"No. No, because he doesn't have balls, " said Kovalev to a room full of laughter.