Kovalev to defend belt vs Alvarez in new Atlantic City venue

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 21: Sergey Kovalev takes questions from the media at a media presser for the upcoming fight between him and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy at the Renaissance New York Midtown on September 21, 2017 in New York City. Abbie Parr/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK — Sergey Kovalev will defend his light heavyweight title against Eleider Alvarez on Aug. 4 in the first professional boxing match at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

The match was announced Saturday at a press conference in New York. The venue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is set to open June 28.

Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KOs) has fought three times in Atlantic City, including a 2014 victory over Bernard Hopkins in which he unified three of the four 175-pound titles. The Russian has bounced back from his consecutive losses to Andre Ward to win two in a row, regaining the WBO’s version of the title.

Alvarez (23-0, 11 KOs) has been the No. 1 contender for the WBC belt, but hasn’t gotten the opportunity to fight for that title so instead took the bout against Kovalev.

The fight will be televised on HBO.