Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev 24-0-1 (22KOs) was single minded in his attack on Cedric Agnew 26-1-0 (13KOs) Saturday night at the Ballroom Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J. There was no feeling out period for him. At the opening bell he quickly closed in on his foe, and with the first punch of the fight he threw a right hand to the body. Agnew knew he was in for a hard night.
Early on in the fight, Agnew had opportunities to fold up. He was tagged with some very hard shots, but he refused to go out easily. He kept a tight defense, and when possible, he threw counter shots. His pre-fight plan was to keep moving just enough to stay as problem free as he could. He was very selective with his counter punches, throwing enough to keep Kovalev thinking twice about just rushing in for the kill.