Kovalev unlikely to get fight against Stevenson to unify titles

CARSON, Calif. — His fight with Nadjib Mohammedi is less than a month away, and light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev proclaimed himself ready to go.

But much of his talk with reporters Saturday at the StubHub Center was not about his July 25 fight against Mohammedi at Mandalay Bay, but about World Boxing Council champ Adonis Stevenson.

That’s the opponent Kovalev really wants but is unlikely to get because of boxing politics. Stevenson is aligned with Al Haymon and Showtime, and Kovalev is promoted by Main Events and fights on HBO.

“I’m not chasing (Stevenson),” said Kovalev, the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization champ. “I don’t have to prove myself to him. He’s not ready to fight me.”

Kovalev (27-0-1 24 knockouts) wants to unify the titles. But that’s unlikely to happen soon, so he might turn his attention to Andre Ward, the super middleweight champ, and see if Ward would be willing to move up to 175 pounds.

“I’m ready to fight anyone,” Kovalev said. “I want to fight the best. If Andre Ward wants to fight, then let’s do it. I would welcome that very much.”

■ BEY STRIPPED — The IBF has stripped lightweight champion Mickey Bey of his title belt, and his fight against No. 1 contender Denis Shafikov has been canceled.

Bey, who lives in Las Vegas, was supposed to face Shafikov on July 18 in Macau. According to ESPN.com, Bey did not have his passport and could not travel, and the IBF decided to strip him of his belt, which he won Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden.

Bey (21-1-1, 10 KOs) and Shafikov (35-1-1, 19 KOs) originally were scheduled to meet April 30 at the Hard Rock Hotel, but Bey was recovering from surgery on his left hand and could not fight. The IBF then ordered a purse bid for the fight, which Top Rank won. According to ESPN.com, Bey’s purse for the Macau fight was just $58,000.

Attempts to reach Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which promotes Bey, were unsuccessful.

■ HBO MILESTONE — The Jessie Vargas-Timothy Bradley fight Saturday was HBO’s 1,000th boxing telecast. The cable network has been to Las Vegas more than any other location — 178 times for 243 fights. Atlantic City is second with 81 telecasts for 135 fights.

Among individual fighters, Roy Jones Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya share the top spot with 32 appearances apiece. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley are next with 27 each, and Manny Pacquiao and Lennox Lewis have 23 apiece.

■ OLYMPIC TRIALS — Local junior flyweight Saul Gomez failed in his first attempt to make the U.S. Olympic boxing team for 2016, losing in the semifinals to D’Angelo Sandate of Thornton, Colo., on Friday in the Pathway to Glory Olympic Trials Qualifier at Colorado Springs, Colo.

Three other Las Vegas amateurs lost in the quarterfinals: Jamie Mitchell in the female 112-pound division; Juan Rendon in the 114-pound male division; and Rolando Romero in the 132-pound male division.

The finalists secured berths in the Olympic Trials. Those who failed to qualify will have another chance in September in Baltimore when USA Boxing has its second Pathway to Glory tournament.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.