Betting Preview: Sergey Kovalev vs. Blake Caparello

 
BIG punching WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs) has a reputation as a knockout artist but the challenger for the his light heavyweight world title, unbeaten WBO #10 Blake Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) has a reputation for lasting deep into the later rounds of a fight where Kovalev has never been before.

 
On Sunday afternoon, live and exclusive on Main Event PPV, everyone is tuning in to see if Caparello can handle Kovalev’s perceived one punch power or to see whether or not the Russian powerhouse has the endurance to go the distance.

 
Below is the scouting report for the match-up:

 
Strengths:

 
Make no mistake, Kovalev’s biggest strength is his punching power. He has both one-punch power and he can mix it up too. He has the ability to break opponents down with his power. On the other hand, Caparello has incredible technical skills, easily out-pointing most of his opposition thus far. He is also very well conditioned and stays active, with this is his ninth bout in the past two years.

 
Weaknesses:

 
Kovalev has been hit before but hasn’t appeared to be legitimately hurt, so his defense is questionable. He has not gone past eight rounds so endurance is an unknown, but in many ways this can be seen as a weakness. On paper, Caparello lacks punching power – or so his records claims anyway. He has scored a knockout in six of his twenty professional fights.

 
Experience:

 
To their credit, both Kovalev and Caparello have fought everybody that has been put in front of them. Kovalev has gone into other people’s hometowns and came through victorious, as he proved against former WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly. However, Caparello also has a victory on the road, a shutout over Elvir Muriqi on his US debut.

 
Power:

 
Kovalev clearly has an abundance of power, it is his biggest advantage. He also puts punches together well. Kovalev will have a clear advantage in power as Caparello utilizes his technical skillset more than anything.

 
Endurance:

 
Kovalev’s endurance has never been tested because he knocks out the majority of his opponents. He has never been past the eighth round. The advantages in terms of endurance definitely have Caparello, who has proven to have great endurance. He successfully went 10-rounds in his most recent bout, and had three consecutive 12-round decision wins before that.

 
Accuracy:

 
Kovalev puts bunches of punches together, especially when an opponent appears to be hurt or lacks movement. He is very accurate with powerful single punches, which in the past have lead to one punch knockouts. Caparello is an incredibly accurate and competent counter-puncher. He puts together good counter-shots and has a very effective jab as well.

 
Defence/Chin:

 
Kovalev focuses on his offense more than his defense, which is an area where Caparello clearly excels. Caparello is very capable of effectively boxing off the ropes as well as on the back foot. He moves around the ring well and has not really gotten himself into danger thus far. Kovalev has never been down in a fight, Caparello has never been floored by has been issued an eight count once in his career.

 
Variables:

 
This is Kovalev’s second straight fight where there has been the possibility of an even bigger fight on the horizon but he has managed to stay focused on the opponent in front of him. Constrastingly, Caparello could have continued to quietly climb the rankings, but instead has decided to seize the moment and take a fight that most other fighters would rather avoid.

 
Betting Odds:

 
Sergey Kovalev: $1.08, Blake Caparello: $7.50

 
 
Open an account with Bet365 today and qualify for a fantastic 100% Deposit Bonus, up to $200.