Unified champ Sergey Kovalev finally gets to meet newborn son
Sergey Kovalev is one of the world's toughest guys, as he has proved repeatedly in the ring and most recently on Saturday, when he routed Bernard Hopkins in a light heavyweight title unification bout at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
He's traversed the world in search of boxing greatness and has become known for his fearsome punch. But he's also a soft-hearted, easy-going guy who was gushing on Tuesday about the opportunity to meet his son for the first time on Monday.
Kovalev's wife, Natalia, gave birth to the couple's first son, Aleksandr, on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles. But Kovalev himself wasn't there - he was more than 3,000 miles away in Florida training for his upcoming fight with Hopkins.
It was a terrible choice to have to make, but Kovalev said he did what he had to do to better his family.
"It was so very difficult for all of us being separated," the Russian-born Kovalev told Yahoo Sports. "We were separated and it made it hard. I understood what my job called for: This was the fight, the fight against Bernard Hopkins, that could set us up for the future. With no job, there is no money and no way to make [Aleksandr's] future the best I could make it."
So Kovalev remained in training camp with trainer John David Jackson. But he spoke regularly with Natalia via Skype and the telephone. But it wasn't just Natalia, he says, that he spoke with on those calls. He had Natalia hold the phone near her belly and spoke to his soon-to-be-born son.
This is one of those cases where we realize that those big, tough, mean-looking athletes are real people with lives, families and emotions, too.
"When I got home to see him for the first time, I can't even tell you what that felt like," Kovalev said. "I don't have to words to say it right. But he knew me. I spoke to him when he was in Natalia's stomach, and when I got home and held him and talked to him, he recognized me."
Kovalev didn't sleep Saturday after defeating Hopkins. The post-fight news conference didn't end until around 2 a.m. ET, and he had friends, family and well-wishers calling. In addition, he had to do a series of interviews with reporters from his native Russia.
When he got home Monday, he didn't sleep again, he said, because Aleksandr kept him up much of the night crying.
Kovalev, though, was hardly complaining. He didn't want to do much other than hold, kiss and look at his new son.
"He's so small," Kovalev said in wonderment. "Natalia showed him to me on Skype, but I didn't realize, but he's so, so small. This was such a great day for me to be able to finally meet him."
