Since his first appearance on HBO in August 2013, Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev has been the most avoided fighter in the light heavyweight division.

Scoring knockouts against the first nine opponents of his pro career in two rounds or fewer, Kovalev is an aggressive fighter, chasing down his opponents until he is able to connect cleanly with a flurry of hooks or a stiff right hand. His 89% knockout rate is among the highest in the sport.

A former gold medalist of the Russian Boxing Junior Championship, Russian Senior Championship and World Military Games, Kovalev amassed nearly 200 victories in his amateur career. He now trains under John David Jackson in the United States.

Kovalev’s 20th knockout win over undefeated Nathan Cleverly marked the start of his title reign in his first appearance on HBO. In November 2013, he knocked out Ismayl Sillakh in two rounds for his first defense.

He defeated Cedric Agnew by TKO at Boardwalk Hall in seven rounds and added another knockout win against Blake Caparello in August 2014. That November, Kovalev scored a unanimous decision victory over Bernard Hopkins and was named Fighter of Year by Ring Magazine.

In his 2015 debut, Kovalev defended his 175-pound world title against Jean Pascal at the Centre Bell in Pascal’s home of Montreal. He stopped Pascal—knocking him down in the third round—in eight rounds. In July, Kovalev knocked out Nadjib Mohammedi at Mandalay Bay for his sixth consecutive title defense.

Notable Fights

Nathan Cleverly – W TKO 4

Cedric Agnew – W KO 7

Bernard Hopkins – W UD 12

Jean Pascal – W TKO 8

Nadjib Mohammedi – W KO 3