Sergey Kovalev made a triumphant return to the ring as he topped a Triller event at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, beating Tervel Pulev over 10 rounds in his debut at the cruiserweight division.
“After a long rest, it was a little harder than usual,” Kovalev said. “But I’m back. I’m okay. I’m gonna keep [in] shape after this fight. Rest one week and then be back in the boxing gym. Next fight will be much more [better]. I promise you.”
Kovalev, (35-4-1, 29KO) was last in the ring against Canelo Alvarez in November 2019, which was a knockout loss inside eleven rounds for Kovalev’s WBO light heavyweight title.
Against Pulev, the Russian shook off two plus years of ring rust and is now looking towards a title run in a new division.
“After a long rest, it was a little harder than usual,” Kovalev said. “But I’m back. I’m okay. I’m gonna keep [in] shape after this fight. Rest one week and then be back in the boxing gym. Next fight will be much more [better]. I promise you.”
Kubrat Pulev, brother of Tervel, won in ten rounds against Jerry Forrest at the scores of 98-92, 99-91, and 99-91 in a heavyweight bout.
Emiliano Vargas rocked opponent Mark Salgado in his professional debut in round one, as did brother Fernando Vargas Jr., who stopped Terrance Jarmon in the opening round, and a third brother, Amado Vargas, also won as the trio of brothers, spawns of former champion Fernando ‘El Feroz’ Vargas, were featured on the nites undercard.
Jurmain McDonald scored an upset win over Evan Holyfield, son of former heavyweight champion Evander ‘Real Deal’ Holyfield, scoring knockout win and handing Holyfield his first loss as a pro.
Hip hop legends Onyx and Cypress Hill participated in the music portion of the show, each delivering a rousing show featuring their biggest hits.
