[Video] A Massacre in Wales: Sergey Kovalev TKO4 Nathan Cleverly

CARDIFF, Wales — Sergey Kovalev shut up a lot of naysayers today with a dominating, WBO-title winning effort against previously unbeaten Nathan Cleverly. Kovalev was in control from the openingbell, showing competent skill fighting off the backfoot and keeping Cleverly on the end of his powerful shots. Although Cleverly landed several flush jabs, Kovalev never got unhinged and retaliated with hooks to the body. The big downfall began in the third with Kovalev shocking Cleverly’s equilibrium with two perfect right crosses followed by a left hook. Cleverly went careening into the ropes and seconds later to the canvas after a succession of lethal power shots. To his credit, Cleverly got back to his feet, but hit the canvas again courtesy of a left hook. Adding further insult to injury, Kovalev blasted Cleverly with several power shots on his way down that made the outgunned champion keel over head-first.

Cleverly made it to the fourth and received another barrage of hooks that had him stumbling over from pillar to post, giving the referee little choice but to call it off before a stunned Welsh crowd.

As you can imagine, the talk on Twitter is how Hopkins is in deep trouble should he face Kovalev, who the IBF will undoubtedly make the mandatory for B-Hop’s belt. I have no doubt Hopkins would take the fight in 2014, but the real issue will be the current embargo HBO has on Golden Boy fights. HBO needs fighters, especially heavy-handed KO artists, so they’ll want to get Kovalev to forego his IBF position and face the winner of Adonis Stevenson vs. Tavoris Cloud (which HBO will be airing). If Golden Boy can snatch Kovalev away, it would be a huge coup for Showtime. And let’s not rule out Kovalev’s promoter Main Events pricing him out for Hopkins, much like we’ve seen over the past week with their fighter Curtis Stevens turning down a $300k offer to face Gennady Golovkin.

Is Kovalev the future king of the light-heavyweights or just another hyped slugger for Hopkins’s resume? Time will tell, but for tonight I’m sure Cleverly holds the former opinion.