Sergey Kovalev

Sergey Kovalev was born in Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk oblast on April 2, 1983. He is known for his nickname, the Crusher. He started his amateur career at 14, and he won first place in the Junior Russian championship.

Kovalev fought in the middleweight juniors division of the Russian National Championship in 1997 and won a gold medal. He made it to the Russian Senior Championship in 2004 and earned a gold medal for his team.

Kovalev started his career as a professional boxer in 2009. He won his first title, the vacant WBA–NABA USA light heavyweight belt, in 2011.  In December of the same year, he won the WBC–ABCO light heavyweight title. In 2013, he earned the WBO light heavyweight title. He won the vacant WBO, IBA, and EBP light heavyweight titles in 2017.