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Eleider Alvarez will finally get a shot at a world title this summer, though not against his original target. “Storm” has reportedly signed on to face Sergey Kovalev at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on a date to be determined, replacing the beleaguered Marcus Browne. ESPN reports that Browne’s camp is “considering a lawsuit.”
Alvarez (23-0, 11 KO) has been the primary player in The Tragedy of Adonis Stevenson and his Mandatory Obligations for literal years. After seemingly putting his foot down following a win over Jean Pascal, Alvarez ultimately elected to take yet another step-aside agreement in order to pave the way for Stevenson vs. Badou Jack.
Respect to him for taking on another dangerous customer.
Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KO) rebounded from his losses to Andre Ward by brutalizing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Igor Mikhalkin in a combined nine rounds. Alvarez figures to be a step above those two, making this a legitimately interesting matchup.
We’ll keep you guys posted as this card comes together.