BADOU JACK HAS INTEREST IN WINNER OF WARD-KOVALEV

[Ruthless-RKO]

Badou Jack expressed interest in possibly moving up and facing the winner of Sergey Kovalev’s light heavyweight championship with Andre Ward on Saturday in Las Vegas on HBO PPV.

While Jack has a big super middleweight unification fight with James DeGale on Jan. 14 at Barclays Center, he allowed himself to look ahead slightly to his next potential conquest. “Absolutely,” he said of facing the winner of Ward-Kovalev. “I’ll be there at ringside. First I have to take care of (DeGale) then we can see.”

Jack, who has fought at 168 pounds for most of his career, favors Ward a touch in the match-up. Ward-Kovalev is regarded as the biggest fight of 2016 while DeGale-Jack is also a huge unification fight and the most significant match to start 2017. “Kovalev has been active and he’s a beast, he’s a killer,” Jack said. “Andre Ward- he’s way smarter, so I slightly favor Andre Ward.”

[boxing_rocks]

He definitely has nothing against Kovalev. Probably the same against Ward, but we need to see how Andre looks on Saturday.

[lazboy]

Badou's a difficult one to predict. Is he getting better? I'm surprised to see that he's 33. Very cautions in there, lot of close decisions against good opponents. Is he improving or is this it? Seems smart though, not one dimensional, might be underrated the long run, only 23 fights.

As for beating ward or kovalev....no chance.

[armageto]

I like Jack, but at 175, he gets stopped by both.

[Kalan]

Jack would do well against Ward... That would be close because of his jabbing, boxing, countering and defensive skills...He's the same type of boxer Ward is and that's why he likes him.. Jack is no puncher and no killer...and he doesn't have the chin to deal with Kovalev's power.. He gets knocked cold in 2 rounds -- and that's why he's praying Ward gets the decision.

I think Kovalev will have a hard time with Ward though... But not because Ward is smarter... Kovalev gets cut eyes and Ward is slick with his head on the inside.. If the referee misses some head action Kovalev could lose on cuts.. Hopkins was also very slick with his head, but he was way past his best.. Kovalev limited inside dirty work from B-Hop by controlling him 100% from the outside.. I'm sure he'll try the same strategy with Ward -- and he knows he has beat him by 4 or 5 rounds to get the verdict and that will be tough.

It's like Lara vs Canelo.. I had Lara ahead 117-111 but I knew that wasn't enough.. Even the commentators had Lara winning, but I knew they were going to give it to Canelo because Lara landed very well but wasn't aggressive enough -- even though aggressiveness is only a scoring criteria if it's "effective" meaning you're landing more or better punches and doing more damage, which Canelo didn't do.. I also thought Caudras did much more damage and deserved the Chocolatito fight.. But Gonzalez has such an overwhelming reputation that I knew Cuadras wasn't going to get the decision.. You have to trounce these big names the way Vernon Forrest beat Mosley.. He beat the crap out of Shane which he knew he needed to do.

[caldo2025]

Badou Jack's definitely got the skills to hang with them but for a little while but his chin will is suspect and Kovalev will find it at some point and end it. I think that he's got a better shot against Ward because that bout will be more technical. But Kovalev will get rid of him.

[Andrew Kearney]

Jeez, is this for real?

Kovalev destroys him, knocks him spark out, possibly early. Think it would look like Kovalev-Sillakh with Badou Jack unconscious over the ropes.

Ward also schools him and wins a shutoiut decision.

[Enlightened-One]

Badou Jack can't beat Ward or Kovalev. He struggled with Groves.

[jujigatame]

He's not even gonna beat DeGale, let alone Ward or Kovalev.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jeez, is this for real?

Kovalev destroys him, knocks him spark out, possibly early. Think it would look like Kovalev-Sillakh with Badou Jack unconscious over the ropes.

Ward also schools him and wins a shutoiut decision.

Let's not deny Ward has the aggression to knock opponents out too..

[boxing_rocks]

Jeez, is this for real?

Kovalev destroys him, knocks him spark out, possibly early. Think it would look like Kovalev-Sillakh with Badou Jack unconscious over the ropes.

Ward also schools him and wins a shutoiut decision.

Let's not deny Ward has the aggression to knock opponents out too..

Just doesn't have power to do so

[Kalan]

Jeez, is this for real?

Kovalev destroys him, knocks him spark out, possibly early. Think it would look like Kovalev-Sillakh with Badou Jack unconscious over the ropes.

Ward also schools him and wins a shutoiut decision.

Let's not deny Ward has the aggression to knock opponents out too..

He doesn't have an impressive KO record because he's not that interested in getting guys out... It's kind of like Gene Tunney... He said he didn't try to knock anyone out but didn't purposely hold them up either.. He just tried to score and not get hit.. That way he got a lot more rounds in, and hopefully developed much more skill in the process.. He was knocked down once in his career just like Ward, but never stopped.. I don't think Kovalev particularly wanted to KO his last opponent.. He didn't show the usual killer instinct after he knocked him down or hurt him.. I think Golovkin carried Martin Murray for 10 rounds.. He never seemed intent on putting him out until the 11th.. a round he never saw before.

Nothing wrong with going 12 rounds.. Mayweather and Pacquiao didn't knock anyone out in several years.. and look how much money they were paid.. I don't see any shutout by Ward.. It'll be very close.. Ward could get knocked out, but I think he'll survive.

[Lackeos]

If Jack doesn't beat DeGale, then he has no business seeking the winner of Kovalev - Ward. Beat DeGale, you can call out whoever you want. If the DeGale fight gets called off, then don't think that you can still call out the Kovalev - Ward winner like the math didn't change. But considering that Jack didn't conclusively beat Bute, I don't expect him to conclusively beat DeGale either.