Kovalev vs Ward in the Fall of 2016

[jezzamundo]

This could be the best matchup since Floyd and Mann didn't fight in 2010. I slightly favour Kovalev.

[SFW]

Ward's quickness will be a big factor, so will Kovalev's ability to adjust when he starts losing rounds. Which he definitely will. I think a knockout is the only way Kov wins, it could surely happen but it's less likely than Ward squeaking out 7 rounds

[danamba7]

If ward is 100% , I have kovalev winning by KO round 8

And if Ward's 80%???

[Ian1973]

Kovalev by KO.

[diddy]

My book had odds posted for this for a very short time before taking them down. Ward was -175.

[Like a Boss]

Boxing needs this fight. Great contrast in styles. A real pickem fight IMO.

[Chepppaaa]

dont get it twisted kovalev beats ward for sure.

the wrestling, huggng, head butting dirty tactics against weight drained LH or limited guys like froch might fool you, but not me. ward is a very good technician, but kovalev is way to big and powerful, remember not so long ago was abraham hurting ward in the first 4 rounds and ward was struggling and now all of the sudden ward would win against a guy arguably the biggest puncher in light heavyweight history, no way. ward gonne dance around like x to avoid the KO, but kovalev beats him, 100 %. he got the condition, the stamina to put pressure from 1 to last round, hard punches from start to finish, ward cant deal with that sh()t,.

Ward is the same height as Kovalev and a strong guy in his own right.
Does he have Sergeys power? no!
but if he can make him miss all night it doesn't matter how heavy handed you are.

I think this is a very close match to call.
Although Ward is the superior technician, Kovalev is no mug and has shown he can box a bit and has skills and intellegence in the ring.
Just as Kovalev may have the edge in power, but Ward is a rough customer. Many are quick to label him a defensive fighter who runs all day when he is in fact a very good fighter in the inside, bullish, strong and no stranger to stretching the rules a little and roughing an opponent up.

And the biggest puncher in Light heavy weight history, that's a bold claim.
There's a guy called Bob Foster here with me, he wants a word.....

you wanna here the truth, what i feel is the truth. ward makes miss guys by legal tactics, yes he is a great technician, but also yes, he does illegal tactics, excessive holding and some other stuff.

if the ref is on wards side, like bayless was on floyds side in the maidana fight, where maidana was not fight from inside, than ward has a chance of winning. but in my record it would than be a dq loss for ward, because i dont go my official scorecards, i go by what i see and when someone does excessive holding he looses, simple as that.

if the fight would be at super middleweight, than i would surely favour ward against a weight drained kovalev. but as far as light heavyweight, kovalev is just a monster in there. solid technic, great punch variation, good stance, rare elite power. light heavyweight division is just another ball game, those guys fonfara, egor, bertebiev, kova and stevenson, they a lot stronger and tougher than the best super middleweights like ward, degale or jack, not much of a chance.

[Counter-puncher]

This could be the best matchup since Floyd and Mann didn't fight in 2010. .

i honestly can't quite decide who to favour, i think anyone favouring either guy unreservedly is failing to quite address arguments for the other guy, cos i think both have solid arguments in their favour as to who wins; Ward's performances at 175 if he takes those warmup fights, should tell us a fair bit.

[caldo2025]

This could be the best matchup since Floyd and Mann didn't fight in 2010. .

i honestly can't quite decide who to favour, i think anyone favouring either guy unreservedly is failing to quite address arguments for the other guy, cos i think both have solid arguments in their favour as to who wins; Ward's performances at 175 if he takes those warmup fights, should tell us a fair bit.

Pretty fair assessment there i'd say and I think that's why the fight is so appealing to everyone. No one has any idea what's going to happen in this one. As much as I hate to say it, I feel that Ward knocking out Kovalev is more likely to happen than the other way around. I just can't see Ward getting beat up by anyone. I can't process that type of beatdown. Though i hope it happens.

[Syntax Error]

Massive fight if it comes off.

I'm wavering a tad, but I might just lean towards Kovalev.

Prior to the Hopkins fight, I would not have given Kovalev favourite status against Ward, but seeing how controlled & well he fought against a master technician like Hopkins (even at 996 years old ) makes me think he could just do it.

Obviously Ward is a different animal & about million years younger, but Hopkins is still a beast & Kovalev caned him.

[squiggy]

I like hopkins a lot more than I like ward, but at age ninety million, hopkins doesn't really deserve the comparison anymore. If ward's still the same guy he was in 2011 and 2012, he'll be a hell of a lot bigger challenge than b-hop was.

[Evander]

Fall of 2016 is a long way away, anything could happen between now and then.

[diddy]

Comparing this Hopkins to current Ward is just DUMB. Hopkins is old and slow and barely throws any punches - like 10 a round. Ward is prime, fleet of foot and hand, and actually throws punches inside and out. There is zero comparison whatsoever between the 2 currently.

[Pureist]

True, ward has fought once in 3 years and a c level fighter who he should really have been able to stop well before he did, how do you compare to an unknown entity

[diddy]

True, ward has fought once in 3 years and a c level fighter who he should really have been able to stop well before he did, how do you compare to an unknown entity

You dont even know how to spell purist. You obviously arent smart. Your commentary above confirms it.

[ikorolev]

Comparing this Hopkins to current Ward is just DUMB. Hopkins is old and slow and barely throws any punches - like 10 a round. Ward is prime, fleet of foot and hand, and actually throws punches inside and out. There is zero comparison whatsoever between the 2 currently.

... on the other hand, Hopkins still has an iron chin, while Ward doesn't. He will not dare to face Kovalev, because he knows he will get stopped.

[diddy]

Comparing this Hopkins to current Ward is just DUMB. Hopkins is old and slow and barely throws any punches - like 10 a round. Ward is prime, fleet of foot and hand, and actually throws punches inside and out. There is zero comparison whatsoever between the 2 currently.

... on the other hand, Hopkins still has an iron chin, while Ward doesn't. He will not dare to face Kovalev, because he knows he will get stopped.

Sure, sure he wont.

[davie]

Comparing this Hopkins to current Ward is just DUMB. Hopkins is old and slow and barely throws any punches - like 10 a round. Ward is prime, fleet of foot and hand, and actually throws punches inside and out. There is zero comparison whatsoever between the 2 currently.

... on the other hand, Hopkins still has an iron chin, while Ward doesn't. He will not dare to face Kovalev, because he knows he will get stopped.

Does Ward have a weak chin?
Not something I was aware of....

[Evander]

Ward is prime, fleet of foot and hand, and actually throws punches inside and out.

1 fight in what looks to be 2 years isn't priming.

[diddy]

Some of you sound so bitter toward Ward the hatred and stupidity is seeping out of your pores. The guy was in an awful contractual lawsuit. That's why he wasn't fighting. Not because he didn't want to. Has he looked like he's forgotten how to fight in his last 2 fights or something? Sure he's fought lesser guys but all the tools still look ever-present to me. But then again I'm not some cynical a$$hole hoping he fails just because he's dominated so many of the top foreign fighters he's faced. He's 31 and you haters act like he's fallen off a cliff and might be passed it despite there being absolutely zero to support such nonsense. By the time Ward faces Kovalev he will have had plenty of rounds under his belt to prepare him for the challenge.

[Pureist]

True, ward has fought once in 3 years and a c level fighter who he should really have been able to stop well before he did, how do you compare to an unknown entity

You dont even know how to spell purist. You obviously arent smart. Your commentary above confirms it.

Funny, I spell dickhead this way, I've never seen it spelt Diddy, very easy to look good against below par opposition, 3 years is a long time, anyone who has anything to do with boxing SHOULD understand that, Hopkins is still fighting at the top level,and has fought much better opposition than ward in recent times, pull your head out of your arse

[diddy]

True, ward has fought once in 3 years and a c level fighter who he should really have been able to stop well before he did, how do you compare to an unknown entity

You dont even know how to spell purist. You obviously arent smart. Your commentary above confirms it.

Funny, I spell dickhead this way, I've never seen it spelt Diddy, very easy to look good against below par opposition, 3 years is a long time, anyone who has anything to do with boxing SHOULD understand that, Hopkins is still fighting at the top level,and has fought much better opposition than ward in recent times, pull your head out of your arse

If Ward fought Hopkins tmrw Ward would be about a -1000 favorite and win every minute of every round. If you're even gonna debate that you are more out of your depth here than I already suspect. Hopkins is ancient and relies solely on spoiling and ring savvy at this stage - because his reflexes and speed are gone and he has to pace himself because he can no longer sustain any sort of work rate. He's 50 years old!! Hopkins is an ATG but he couldn't even beat Dawson.

[Pureist]

And ward has fought once in 3 years and it was a c level fighter, hence my statement, ward won't take this fight anyway, he is looking for easy fights, he put an offer to Zac Dunn from Australia to fight, Zac turned it down, doesn't sound like ward really wants to venture into dangerous territory to me, you sound like a fan, nothing more, nothing less, I didn't say ward wouldn't beat Hopkins, I said Hopkins has fought far better opposition than ward in recent times, are you going to debate that FACT

[Bard of Boxrec]

I might be in the minority but I don't think Ward looked that impressive against Smith. Layoff or not, Smith is a guy you should be looking like dynamite against.

[Pureist]

Exactly, boxers retirements sometimes aren't as long as wards layoff, if he wanted to impress smith should have been done and dusted in 3-4 rounds