It’s a story that’s most appropriate for 2020.
Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) is supposed to fight rising prospect Bektemir Melikuziev (6-0, 5 KOs) next month on DAZN, but the network is reportedly looking to take action against him.
Why?
Because he evidently hosted an illegal live stream of last week’s DAZN main event between Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith. Seriously.
The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger has the details:
If you were on Instagram during the fight, you might have seen former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev hosting a live stream of the entire main event, an action that was, of course, illegal.
And now, sources tell The Athletic, DAZN is considering action against Kovalev.
[…]
That one of the most recognizable names in the sport would add to the issue by hosting such a stream is surprising. At its peak, Kovalev’s Instagram Live stream attracted more than 2,500 viewers. That equals potential loss for DAZN between $50,000 (monthly subscription) and $250,000 (annual).
This continues a run of legal problems for Kovalev, although this one wasn’t physical. He was sentenced to three years probation for assaulting a woman and her dog back in 2018. Kovalev also was reportedly kicked off a flight for allegedly kissing a woman and throwing cash at her while in the plane. And to add to all of that, he was arrested for DUI back in February.
Kovalev is coming off a knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez on DAZN, and he’s owed at least one fight from Golden Boy Promotions as a result of that contest. His purse is reportedly going to be $2.5 million for the fight against Melikuziev, which should more than cover the cost of an annual DAZN subscription.
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