Sullivan Barrera says: ‘After Lepikhin bring on Kovelev or Pascal!’

On July 25th Cuban sensation Sullivan Barrera (15-0) will face his toughest test as a professional when he faces the once beaten Vasily Lepikhin (17-1) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sergey Kovalev will face Nadjib Mohammedi and Jean Pascal will take on Yunieski Gonzalez in the HBO televised fights.

For two months Barrera’s team tried to secure a fight against Pascal but the former champion refused to accept the fight and instead opted to face the relatively unknown Gonzalez.

“My manager tried to get me a fight with Pascal but he won’t fight me. I don’t know why he wouldn’t. I’m rated higher than the guy he’s fighting. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Barrera.

The former amateur standout is currently training in the high altitude of Big Bear, Calif. alongside the hard hitting Gennady Golovkin under the guidance of Abel Sanchez. Even though all of Barrera’s focus is on the task at hand with Lepikhin, he made it clear who he wants to fight next.

“After Lepikhin I want to fight the fights the fans want to see. I want Kovalev or Pascal so I can prove to the fans who the best light heavyweight in the world is,” Barrera stated.

The Lepikhin bout will be Barrera’s fourth fight with Sanchez in his corner. He feels that his progression under the world-class trainer will be on full display in July.

“Abel has taken me to another level. I feel really comfortable with him and after three fights I really feel this will be my best performance.” Barrera explained.