A former world champion has backed himself to defeat Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez and Artur Beterbiev in a bold claim.
Benavidez is slowly emerging as arguably the best light-heavyweight on the planet, making the first defence of his WBC world title last month with an emphatic stoppage victory over Anthony Yarde in Riyadh.
As for Bivol and Beterbiev, the Russian duo have faced each other twice over the last 14 months, producing two memorable encounters which saw them both be crowned the undisputed light-heavyweight champion at 175lbs.
In a shock claim made by former unified light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev whilst speaking to Fight Hub TV, the 42-year-old believes he would have had what it took to defeat Bivol, Beterbiev and Benavidez during his prime years.
“I think so yeah.”
The former Russian star had an exceptional career of his own where he shared the ring with a number of generational greats, including the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Andre Ward.
Known for his thunderous punching power, ‘Krusher’ Kovalev racked up no less than 30 stoppages in 36 victories throughout the course of his tenure, producing a win-to-knockout ratio of 83.3%.
He announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year after he defeated Artur Mann in the 42nd and final bout of his career, stopping the Russian in the seventh round of their non-title bout in Russia.
