WBO light-heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev will return to HBO on March 29 to make his second defense against undefeated Cedric Agnew.
Taking place as a “Boxing After Dark” card at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, the fight will be Kovalev’s first headlining bout for the network as he builds to an inevitable showdown with WBC champion Adonis Stevenson.
“I am excited to be back on HBO and for my first fight at Boardwalk Hall,” said Kovalev in a prepared statement. “I promise to put on an exciting show!”
The 27-year-old Agnew comes into the fight off an April unanimous decision win over former contender Yusef Mack. He believes his boxing ability matches that of his feared opponent.
“I think as of now he has not seen a person of my skill level,” he explained. “At the end of the day you have to fight world champions to be a world champion and be considered the best. He’s a world champion. I am looking to be considered one of the best.”
Kovalev is currently on a seven-fight KO streak, punctuated by his breakout 2013 which saw him capture the title from Nathan Cleverly (TKO4), and post additional dominant wins over Gabriel Campillo (TKO3), Cornelius White (TKO3), and a 2013 KO of the Year favorite over Ismayl Sillakh (KO2).
At press time, Main Events nor HBO has verified any undercard bouts.
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Most will view Agnew as a human sacrifice, but this is a solid matchup while we await the unification clash with Stevenson. While another Chicagoan in Andrzej Fonfara would have been a little more high-profile per his recent ESPN appearances, Agnew will bring the confidence of an undefeated fighter. We’ll see how much of it he retains after Kovalvev lands the first solid blow. Agnew isn’t a KO puncher, so he’ll have to bank on outboxing Kovalev.
Good luck with that. 
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 