Kovalev to fight Cedric Agnew on March 29
Russian puncher Sergey Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KOs) wil make the second defence of his WBO light heavyweight title against undefeated American Cedric Agnew (26-0, 13 KOs) on March 29 at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
"I am excited to be back on HBO and for my first fight at Boardwalk Hall," Kovalev said. "I promise to put on an exciting show".
He then continued his title reign when he knocked out Ismayl Sillakh in the second round in Quebec in November.
Agnew is not a well-known contender but he owns wins against former title challengers Yusaf Mack, Daniel Judah and Otis Griffin.
A confident Agnew said, “I think as of now he has not seen a person of my skill level.” He added, “At the end of the day you have to fight world champions to be a world champion and be considered the best. He’s a world champion. I am looking to be considered one of the best.”
For Kovalev, many feel this fight is a stepping stone to a showdown with WBC titlist Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs), who meets Andrzej Fonfara (25-2, 15 KOs) in Montreal on May 24.
If both win as expected, they are due to meet in September in Montreal in a fight that would match two explosive punchers and crown the division king.