NEARLY MANN: Artur has been found wanting when he’s stepped up in class before
IT’S hard to imagine it was almost 12 years ago when a relatively unknown Russian waltzed into Cardiff to remove Nathan Cleverly’s WBO light-heavyweight title by brute force.
While time flies, it certainly waits for no boxer. When Sergey Kovalev enters the ring on Saturday against German-based Kazakh Artur Mann, it will be his final outing.
Of course, in a sport filled with broken promises, the IBA Champions Night swansong may not be the last time we actually see Kovalev, 42. But this Chelyabinsk homecoming feels like it should be the end for a fighter who burned brightly, yet burned out fast as a lack of discipline overcame talent, leading to a snowballed decline.
Last seen boxing Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, the once-apt ‘Krusher’ nickname has drifted away. Kovalev looked ponderous and sluggish against an opponent he would surely have dealt with during his prime.