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Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev could potentially return to the ring in the cruiserweight division, according to a source in the boxer’s team.
Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs), 38-years-old, made his pro debut in 2009 and he’s fought at the light heavyweight limit for the entire duration of career.
“The cruiserweight division is one of the options,” the source said to Tass.
The Russian boxer has been out of the ring since November of 2009, when he suffered an eleventh round knockout loss at the hands of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Their fight was very close on the official cards at the time of the knockout, with tallies of 96-94 for Canelo, 96-94 for Canelo and 95-95. The Mexican star moved up by two weight divisions to take that fight.
Kovalev is now 2-2 in his last four fights.
He was scheduled to return in January against up-and-comer Bektemir “Bek Bully” Melikuziev.
The entire event was canceled after Kovalev tested positive for traces of synthetic testosterone. The test result was revealed by the Voluntary Doping Testing Association (VADA).
Kovalev was never actually suspended for the infraction, as there was talk that his test result may have been due to some form of contamination. The three-time light heavyweight champion has reportedly passed six VADA tests since.
As to where and when Kovalev will fight again, a source from his team indicates that having a fight in Russia is a possibility.
“A fight in Russia is possible. But there are other options,” the source said.