TrillerVerz V: Odds, Predictions for Kovalev, Holyfield and Full Fight Card

Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev will end a long layoff from the ring with a new challenge when he headlines the next Triller Fight Club event from Southern California.

The 39-year-old has moved up to the cruiserweight ranks to take on Tervel Pulev in a 10-round fight on Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood. It's the first match for the Russian since November 2019, when he lost his WBO world light heavyweight title to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez via a brutal knockout.

The co-main event for TrillerVerz V features a heavyweight battle between Tervel's older brother, Kubrat Pulev, and Jerry Forrest. Evan Holyfield, the 24-year-old son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield, highlights the undercard as he takes on Jurmain McDonald in a six-round super welterweight fight.

The main card begins Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, and you can stream it live on FITE TV.

Here's a look at the complete card, odds for the main fights and a few predictions.

Sergey Kovalev (32-4-1, 29 KOs) vs. Tervel Pulev (16-0, 13 KOs), 10 rounds, cruiserweight

Kovalev -115 (bet $115 to win $100), Pulev -105 (bet $105 to win $100)

Kubrat Pulev (28-2, 14 KOs) vs. Jerry Forrest (26-4-2, 20 KOs), 10 rounds, heavyweight

Pulev -425 (bet $425 to win $100), Forrest +320 (bet $100 to win $320)

Evan Holyfield (9-0, 6 KOs) vs. Jurmain McDonald (6-5, 2 KOs), six rounds, super welterweight

Fernando Vargas Jr. (5-0, 5 KO) vs. Terrance Jarmon (3-0, 1 KO), four rounds, super welterweight

Emiliano Vargas (debut) vs. Mark Salgado (1-1, 1 KO), four rounds, super welterweight

Amado Vargas (3-0, 2 KO) vs. Anel Dudo (1-3, 1 KO), four rounds, featherweight

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

The oddsmakers have Kovalev as only a slight betting favorite over Kulev. In his prime, Kovalev was a fearsome puncher and solid on defense. He first became world champion at 175 pounds in 2013 and later unified three of the major titles. The run of dominance ended with back-to-back losses to Andre Ward in 2016 and 2017.

It's been a mixed bag for the Russian since those blockbuster duels with Ward. He regained his world-champion status against lesser competition before losing fights to Eleider Alvarez in 2018 and 2019. Overall, Kovalev is 4-4 in his last eight matches, with three of those losses by stoppage.

In his time away from the ring, Kovalev decided the struggle to stay at 175 pounds was too much for him, so he's taking his chances in the cruiserweight ranks with a limit of 200 pounds.

"I am sparring bigger guys and it's something different," said Kovalev, per The Ring's Anson Wainwright. "They punch harder but are slower. The last few years when I fought at light heavyweight, I was 200 pounds [coming into camp]. Which was difficult to make weight at 175 pounds. It was time to move up divisions."

Pulev should provide a decent measuring stick for Kovalev as he looks to challenge for a title at cruiserweight. A former amateur standout, Pulev is undefeated with 13 knockouts in 16 professional fights. However, none of those fights have come against a notable name. 

While Kovalev easily has the best resume of anyone Pulev has fought, there are concerns about his chin, ring rust and ability to transfer his skills to the bigger division. As long as he can take the punches and hasn't lost too much speed, Kovalev should be able to scratch out a decision win. It might not look pretty, though, as Pulev has nothing to lose and will look to test his opponent early as the naturally bigger man.

The oddsmakers are far more confident the elder Pulev will win his fight in the co-feature. Kubrat Pulev is a solid favorite in his first action since suffering a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in 2020. The 41-year-old Bulgarian has carved out a fine career, winning the European title twice and beating the likes of Dereck Chisora and Hughie Fury.

His opponent, Jerry Forrest, has been struggling as of late. Forrest, 34, is 1-2-2 in his last five bouts with the lone win against a fighter with a 3-25-1 record. The southpaw's last two fights were close draws with Michael Hunter and Zhilel Zhang. Look for Pulev to stay a level above Forrest and earn a decision win.

The final bout to really pay attention to on the card features Holyfield, who is looking to add to his resume by taking on a journeyman in Jurmain McDonald. The Atlanta native has six knockouts in nine fights and is coming off a decision win over Chris Rollins in January. "Yung Holy" told BoxingScene.com that he's been training in the thin air of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but he isn't doing anything specific to prepare for McDonald.

"This is my first time up here, so I feel like that is special enough. We haven't worked on anything specific for this fight, other than working on going to the body. After all, training at this high altitude should be special enough," Holyfield said.

Holyfield might be in the mood to make a statement on this Triller card, so look for him to come out swinging and go for a knockout.