The Fight City Podcast No. 13

Time for another edition of The Fight City podcast, hosted by Alden Chodash, with site editor Michael Carbert also offering his insights as they look back on the big fights from the past weekend. In addition to performances by Teofimo Lopez and Oscar Valdez, the boxing world was shaken up by something few saw coming, namely a boxing clinic by Sergey Kovalev as he rebounded to get his revenge and dominate his former conqueror Eleider Alvarez over 12 largely one-sided rounds. It was a result that left even longtime watchers of the fight game scratching their heads and wondering two things: how did Kovalev rediscover his inner Benny Leonard, and what happened to the “Storm” that we saw just six short months ago? Chodash and Carbert break it down and try to answer those burning questions as they offer up their insights for your enjoyment. Check it out:

“It is not at all unfair to point out that Kovalev had been making a lot of excuses for his failures, going all the way back to his double undoing by Andre Ward. I believe Buddy must have helped to shift Kovalev’s attitude and thus get him to properly and fully understand the causes of his defeat at the hands of Alvarez the first time around. When you suffer a huge setback like that, you have to acknowledge where you went wrong and be able to change things up and start fresh.

We just didn’t see that kind of thing in all the time since Kovalev’s first controversial defeat to Ward. Buddy not only was a trainer in the traditional sense, but he must have also been Kovalev’s psychologist and Father Confessor. Whatever demons were tormenting Sergey were put to the side. Buddy must have taught him how to put those things out of his mind and focus on the task at hand.”       From “Kovalev Is Back! Thanks To Some Help From His ‘Buddy'” by Ralph M. Semien