Former light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev said he is ready for a fight with Jake Paul and has vowed to knock the YouTube star out.
Kovalev, a multiple-time 175lb champion, hasn't fought since being knocked out by pound-for-pound No.1 Canelo Alvarez in 2019. 'Krusher' lost his WBO title to the Mexican, who was moving up to light heavyweight for the first time in his career.
The 39-year-old is making his long-awaited return to the ring in May as he moves up to cruiserweight to fight Tervel Pulev, who is the younger brother of heavyweight veteran Kubrat Pulev. Tervel is a former Olympic bronze medalist who is unbeaten in 16 professional fights.
Speaking with TMZ, Kovalev said: "Fight with Jake Paul? I'm ready and I will knock him out. Let me make my comeback fight and then we can do any fight."
Kovalev won thirty consecutive fights as a professional before suffering consecutive losses to Andre Ward. He avenged his loss to Eleider Alvarez and stopped Anthony Yarde in 2019 before his loss to Alvarez later that year.
Paul has competed at 192lbs for most of his boxing fights, which is eight pounds lighter than the cruiserweight limit in which Kovalev will compete at on May 14. 'The Problem Child' has repeatedly called out Kovalev's former opponent Alvarez and wants to fight him in the last bout of his career.
"I would take the fight, right now I couldn't beat Canelo, five fights from now or six fights from now, I could put up a f***ing awesome fight and we'll see what happens," he told The Journey. "I want me vs Canelo to be my last fight, it could happen three or four years from now but it just makes sense, the two biggest names, the two highest-paid boxers in the sport going at it, why not?"
Paul has criticised some of Alvarez's opponents, such as Avni Yildrim, and thinks he could put up a better fight against the Mexican. Yildrim retired after three rounds against Alvarez in their super middleweight world title fight last March.
“I’m being dead serious. That I can contend with him, three years from now,” he told talkSPORT. "Walk away with $50m-$75m. I’ve seen guys go in there against him, and I say it all the time, the one guy recently goes three rounds and quits in the corner and doesn’t throw a punch. I have way more heart than that guy. I’m way more athletic than that guy.”
