A recent report revealed that former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev was arrested in 2018 and is currently facing felony assault charges.
First reported by TMZ, Kovalev was arrested in June due to an incident that occurred in Big Bear Lake, California after being accused of punching a woman in the face. Kovalev was said to have met a woman at a party and after she rejected his advances, he allegedly punched her, which resulted in the woman suffering a broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck. The incident occurred less than two months before Kovalev went on to lose his WBO title against Eleider Alvarez in August in Atlantic City.
According to San Bernardino County online court records, Kovalev was released on $50,000 bail and later pleaded not guilty back in August when he was charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
The 35-year-old Kovalev is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 14 and could face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted. Kovalev's promoter Kathy Duva was reached out to by ESPN and said Kovalev will get a chance to clear his name in court.
"While every woman deserves to be heard, Sergey deserves the right to clear his name in court," Duva said. "And that is what he will do when this goes to trial."
In the meantime, Kovalev is preparing for a rematch against Alvarez on February 2 at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The fight, which Duva said is still moving forward as scheduled, will headline a Top Rank Boxing card that will be streamed on ESPN+. The undercard, which features two other world title fights, will be televised on ESPN.
