Face It - Sergey Kovalev is Scary

Kovalev ain't your average man on the street

I've been a fight fan for - gulp! - closing in on forty years now. And during that time I can think of only a handful of fighters who were truly frightening individuals. Tyson was one. Duran was arguably another. And Sergey Kovalev is clearly now in the mix.

These frightening few may be the best human beings in the world outside of the ring but inside they display a ruthlessness and  a lack of empathy which is enough to make you shift in your seat. These people just aren't like you and me, They're different. Most of us - let's face it - don't like to have to scream at people.

These guys enjoy dishing out physical punishment. Or at the very least are indifferent to having to inflict it. And while it's true dishing out punishment is part of a boxer's job, most fighters - even great ones - focus on the victorious nature of the act (doing what it takes to best a another who wants to do the same to you). That just ain't the case with the scary ones, though.

Again, these dudes either enjoy making people suffer or they simply don't care that they're doing it. Deontay Wilder, on the contrary, recently claimed that he says a prayer before each fight that neither he nor his opponent gets seriously hurt. That's a far, far cry from Roberto Duran, who was once asked if he felt bad for putting an opponent in the hospital. Duran simply quipped that next time he'd put the guy in the morgue.

Kovalev showcased the same kind of ruthlessness on Saturday. After beating Jean Pascal mercilessly for what seemed like an eternity, Kovalev was asked if he could have ended the fight sooner. Kovalev openly - and on live television - said of course he could have ended the bout earlier.

Mind you, this wasn't a wrestling match. This was a prolonged, slow, continuous physical beating, replete with perpetual blows to the head of a man whose face was turning to mush. Kovalev dug it. Then again, before the bout, Pascal had aggressively accused Kovalev of racism - a serious charge in any age, but a dangerous one in a thoughtless, witch hunting society such as ours, where mere accusations essentially equal guilt.

Still, there's limits to even the most well warranted of ass kickings. Many people may imagine punching the lights out of someone who seriously offends them. I doubt many imagine doing it for twenty-one straight minutes, though. That requires a certain type of personality trait.

For the record, I've spoken with both Tyson and Kovalev and have found them to be pretty cool guys. Then again, I've never stepped in the ring with either man. And that, quite frankly, is something I'm happy for.