Kieran Mulvaney
for HBO Boxing.
I'm here with light heavyweight
champ, Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev.
And Sergey, last time we saw you
in November,
before you fought Shabranskyy,
it had been almost two years
since you had a knockout win.
Were you a little nervous
going into the ring thinking...
"I don't just need to beat him,
 I have to crush him,
I have to knock him out?"
SERGEY KOVALEV: Yeah sure,
a little bit nervous, you know,
because, uh... just mentally,
you know, was uh, difficult, uh,
get inside the ring
after two losses,
uh, crazy losses, you know,
like just, uh...
Uh, it was like little, uh...
uncomfortable for myself.
 Uh, inside me, you know,
and just uh, how I should--
 and I should to prove
 that I'm really...
deserve to-- to be champion.
And-- yes, a little nervous.
But when I like, I got a title,
 I prove my...
name, Krusher, I felt that
 I prove, uh, every fight
 that I'm real champion.
There's a fellow Russian
in the other corner
on Saturday,
Igor Mikhalkin.
What do you know about him?
You knew him a little bit
in the amateurs,
is that correct?
Yeah, we went, uh,
the same national team
when it was uh, like, juniors.
I mean like, 16, 17,
18 years old.
 And I know he--
he has, uh, same mentally,
you know, and uh, I think so,
he will give a good fight,
you know, like, because like,
 he has a...
 He's-- he's the man,
 real man.
Hm. He's a--
also a very good boxer,
and a-- and a southpaw.
What kind of a fight
are you expecting?
A difficult fight on Saturday?
I think so, will be not easy,
because, uh...
 he's a south--
 southpaw and...
he's like a counterattack...
-MULVANEY: Mm-hmm.
-...fighter, you know, like...
I cannot like, uh...
make any d-- any prediction,
you know, like just, uh...
I'm waiting, uh, March 3rd
and, uh...
I should be ready
for everything.
