The light heavyweight division is all of a sudden a top slot in the revitalized boxing game. I have written much about the slow death of boxing. But, apparently taking their cues from their MMA counterparts, top boxers have been ‘going for it’ and making wars out of well-made fights. This was a classic matchup with Ukrainian Sillakh, 21-1 (17 KOs), a tall rangy well-schooled boxer with power arrayed against the undefeated Kovalev, 22-0-1 (20 KOs).

I could not pick the first round and gave it to Sillakh.

The second round was an execution, like a wolf jumping on a toy poodle. Sillakh was hurt and hurt, with the forlorn look in his eyes that can only be projected by a fighter who knows he has top skills on top of great natural ability, only to get run over by his own upgrade. Kovalev definitely wins ‘frightening boxer of the year’ in my book. He can box and has sick power in both hands, and an unmatched killer instinct. He told Sillakh in Russian, not to get up after the first knockdown or he would get knocked out. He was good for his word.

The only technical point I can really make here is that Kovalev’s right cross to the ear is a nice reminder that you can’t roll off of that punch if the thrower is launching it from the ball of his rear foot with a high back heel. The ear is a bad place to be hit with anything. It is not just the hook you have to worry about.

There are precious few humans on earth that could take what Kovalev dishes out. If you haven’t been paying attention, boxing is no longer an American property. We still have all the best trainers. But most of their fighters come from cultures where men are still expected to behave like men of old.