Blake Caparello calls out Sergey Kovalev – “where do I sign?”

 
SERGEY Kovalev might just be the hardest man to match in professional boxing.

 
In seven fights spanning over four years, only one fighter has made it past the seventh round – as for the rest – they couldn’t get past the fourth. With an impressive 24-0 resume, that includes twenty two devastating knockouts, you can hardly blame anyone for wanting nothing to do with the Russia’s WBO light heavyweight champion.

 
Enter, Australia’s Blake Caparello.

 
Caparello, 27, fresh off a training camp in Big Bear, where he served as a sparring partner to Andrzej Fonfara, has put his hand up to face the big-punching Kovalev, 31, who has been left without a dance partner after lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson moved across from HBO to Showtime.

 
“I hear Kovalev is struggling for an opponent,” said Caparello from his official Twitter account. “Where do I sign?”.

 
The Melbourne-based Caparello, who is signed to prominent US promoter Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment is rallying for a fight with Kovalev. Caparello, who sports an impressive unbeaten record (19-0-1, 6 KOs) was last seen in January, where he schooled former title challenger Elvir Muriqi over ten rounds in his US debut.

 
Sergey Kovalev has already staked his claim as one of the world’s best light heavyweights, a mantle that is arguably shared with fellow titleholder Adonis Stevenson, who holds the WBC strap, closely followed by the legendary Bernard Hopkins, who holds the IBF and WBA titles.

 
A fight with Kovalev makes perfect sense for Caparello, who is looking to make a name for himself in the US. Caparello neutralised the offence of Muriqi in his last fight, but ‘The Krusher’ as Kovalev is known – would be a whole different ball game.

 
Kovalev’s brand has been building quite nicely in the US, where he has impressed in his three major fights on cable giant HBO. Kovalev won the WBO light heavyweight title when he dethroned former champion Nathan Cleverly in Wales, before a one-sided drumming of both Ismayl Sillah and Cedric Agnew.

 
Kovalev is slowly establishing himself as a star in the US, with his last fight – his first as the main event on a HBO telecast – averaging at just over one million viewers, peaking at 1.048 million.

 
To put this into perspective, Gennady Golovkin, who is one of HBO’s most publicised fighters, drew just over 685,000 viewers for his HBO debut – a knockout win over Gregorz Proksa.

 
While it is unclear as to how far Caparello and his promoter Lou DiBella are in with regards to negotiations with Kovalev’s promoter Main Events, headed by Kathy Duva, there appears to be interest from both ends in this potential fight.