Ward vs. Kovalev: Who's watching?

[handsofstone]

BS stoppage, still hard to tell where the punches landed but they looked OK to me but even if they were legal, the ref should've gave a count, he fvcked up big style IMO, no doubt Kovalev was feeling the body shots on the beltline and Ward did wobble him with the right hand just before the end but the ref was too quick to jump in, I had it even at the end, have HBO got a massive hard on for Kovalev?, it was a another close affair but Lederman had Kovalev about 13 rounds up, maybe they just hate Ward

How could he have given him a count? There was no standing 8 count option. Kovalev stopped fighting, didn't hit the canvas or take a knee. What exactly was the ref supposed to do? I thought the punches at the end were borderline but legal.

Think it was inevitable that Kovalev was on his way down as the ref jumped in, he was wilting clearly

[Covfefe]

What was with Ward's jumping position shift he did twice?

Never seen that before.

[TheLeprechaun]

What was with Ward's jumping position shift he did twice?

Never seen that before.

Hes done some moves like that in previous fights. Usually to get inside and start working the body. It's not something I've seen either. It's like he switches southpaw then back to orthodox really fast

[Covfefe]

What was with Ward's jumping position shift he did twice?

Never seen that before.

Hes done some moves like that in previous fights. Usually to get inside and start working the body. It's not something I've seen either. It's like he switches southpaw then back to orthodox really fast

I've never noticed him doing it before. It worked well first time then he got caught second time and didn't do it again. Just seemed an odd move.

[Bard of Boxrec]

Poor Riddick is getting worse!

What's your problem now chief?

[Stuarty]

Both Kov and Ward have a genuine right to feel aggrieved here. Kov more than Ward because Ward got the win. Ward was humped out the chance to genuinely stop Kovalev and do what nobody thought he could. Kovalev was robbed the chance to recovery and fight on in a close fight! It's a decision by Weeks that has fukked everyone out of a conclusion to a good fight.

Everyone makes mistakes and he was the closest to any of em in there but he let a few bad ones go beforehand and should've been more vigilant considering he's a top ref.

[Covfefe]

Both Kov and Ward have a genuine right to feel aggrieved here. Kov more than Ward because Ward got the win. Ward was humped out the chance to genuinely stop Kovalev and do what nobody thought he could. Kovalev was robbed the chance to recovery and fight on in a close fight! It's a decision by Weeks that has fukked everyone out of a conclusion to a good fight.

Everyone makes mistakes and he was the closest to any of em in there but he let a few bad ones go beforehand and should've been more vigilant considering he's a top ref.

Kovalev shouldn't have given him the chance to call the fight. You can't just stop throwing punches and bend over doing nothing at the ropes.

[mickey1975]

Poor Riddick is getting worse!

What's your problem now chief?

I've had to endure you telling me, no, insisting, Ward couldn't win for about a year! I knew he couldn't beat him!

[Tuan_Jim]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

[Covfefe]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Why would he fancy a third?

He was being broken down by a better fighter.

[Tuan_Jim]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Why would he fancy a third?

He was being broken down by a better fighter.

I said I DOUBT he fancies a 3rd. He was indeed on his way out.

[Covfefe]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Why would he fancy a third?

He was being broken down by a better fighter.

I said I DOUBT he fancies a 3rd. He was indeed on his way out.

No I know, I was agreeing with you. I could have worded it better. I didn't think Ward could do that to Kovalev I was Impressed this morning.

[Ricky_]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Kovalev proved to be a better fighter than Ward in the first fight. He's worthy of a top 5 p4p ranking (if you're into rating boxers in such a way). He'd be a big favourite if the Stevenson fight get's made, and would be 50/50 if he ends up going for the Ward trilogy.

I'm not so sure Ward would fair any better against top ranked Cruisers like Usyk than Kovalev would, he would have a massive size and weight advantage over both.

[Covfefe]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Kovalev proved to be a better fighter than Ward in the first fight. He's worthy of a top 5 p4p ranking (if you're into rating boxers in such a way). He'd be a big favourite if the Stevenson fight get's made, and would be 50/50 if he ends up going for the Ward trilogy.

I'm not so sure Ward would fair any better against top ranked Cruisers like Usyk than Kovalev would, he would have a massive size and weight advantage over both.

How did he prove he was better in the first fight? Even if you scored it for Kovalev it was razor thin. No one proved anything that night, the same can't be said for last night. Ward showed he's much the better fighter.

[Tuan_Jim]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Kovalev proved to be a better fighter than Ward in the first fight. He's worthy of a top 5 p4p ranking (if you're into rating boxers in such a way). He'd be a big favourite if the Stevenson fight get's made, and would be 50/50 if he ends up going for the Ward trilogy.

I'm not so sure Ward would fair any better against top ranked Cruisers like Usyk than Kovalev would, he would have a massive size and weight advantage over both.

How did he prove he was better in the first fight? Even if you scored it for Kovalev it was razor thin. No one proved anything that night, the same can't be said for last night. Ward showed he's much the better fighter.

Yes, the first fight was far too tight to claim Kovalev proved he was the better fight. And he was struggling with the pace in the second half in that one too.

[samwbr]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Kovalev proved to be a better fighter than Ward in the first fight. He's worthy of a top 5 p4p ranking (if you're into rating boxers in such a way). He'd be a big favourite if the Stevenson fight get's made, and would be 50/50 if he ends up going for the Ward trilogy.

I'm not so sure Ward would fair any better against top ranked Cruisers like Usyk than Kovalev would, he would have a massive size and weight advantage over both.

How did you score the first fight?

Ward has nothing to prove going up another weight but if he did I'd still fancy him to get the job done.

[Ricky_]

At least the controversy has given Krusher a handy out. I doubt he fancies a third fight with Ward. Where on earth does he go from here? Pursue Stevenson with a diminished aura and standing? Or go cruiser where they are bigger and will be less susceptible to his power.

Kovalev might have reached the end of the road.

Kovalev proved to be a better fighter than Ward in the first fight. He's worthy of a top 5 p4p ranking (if you're into rating boxers in such a way). He'd be a big favourite if the Stevenson fight get's made, and would be 50/50 if he ends up going for the Ward trilogy.

I'm not so sure Ward would fair any better against top ranked Cruisers like Usyk than Kovalev would, he would have a massive size and weight advantage over both.

How did he prove he was better in the first fight? Even if you scored it for Kovalev it was razor thin. No one proved anything that night, the same can't be said for last night. Ward showed he's much the better fighter.

Kovalev dropped him and won more clear-cut rounds. Ward didn't really win any of the rounds convincingly, i think i gave him 4 close rounds in fight 1. There really wouldn't have been any need for a rematch had the fight been scored properly. The rematch also put Kovalev at a disadvantage, he essentially took it knowing he had to get the KO as the old boy's club (Morreti, feldman, etc) were never going to give him it. At the time of stoppage he was losing the fight by Split Decision, even the the concensus online among boxreccers and the more respected journos (Dan Rafael etc) had Kovalev up. (I've yet to rewatch the fight myself, i missed the first few rounds).

[Stuarty]

Both Kov and Ward have a genuine right to feel aggrieved here. Kov more than Ward because Ward got the win. Ward was humped out the chance to genuinely stop Kovalev and do what nobody thought he could. Kovalev was robbed the chance to recovery and fight on in a close fight! It's a decision by Weeks that has fukked everyone out of a conclusion to a good fight.

Everyone makes mistakes and he was the closest to any of em in there but he let a few bad ones go beforehand and should've been more vigilant considering he's a top ref.

Kovalev shouldn't have given him the chance to call the fight. You can't just stop throwing punches and bend over doing nothing at the ropes.

You can't fight a fight worrying what the ref might do mate. You've enough to worry about.

[Tomasino]

Kovalev had everything his own way his whole career and thus cannot cope with the resistance he meets when he fights Ward. The body language last night, Ward will have no doubt noticed, was all negative, a man thrashed mentally and physically. We see it again and again. GGG suddenly had his hands full when Daniel Jacobs introduced him to a proper boxing contest, and I think the Kazakh will have an even worse night against Canelo. Someone will capitalise on Joshua's appalling stamina soon, covering up under the attack then taking him out with some well-placed shots when he's gassed. We need to stop being so surprised when these punchers come unstuck.

God only knows how Kovalev would have coped with Michael Spinks. A physically bigger man than Ward, and Kov for that matter, every bit as awkward, but with humongous power in either hand and frightening accuracy.

I said the same to my dad. Spinks, Saad, Eddie Gregory, Qawi would all have broken Kovalevs heart.

[tobyh5]

He also refused face offs in the build up to the fight and acted in a way that suggested he was either seething with anger which was hard to control or he was hugely rattled and slightly mentally beaten by Ward. With how the fight ended up with (controversial low blows or not) him being broken down and fading, it appears that his heart was already taken before the first bell

[CaptainSpacerod]

He also refused face offs in the build up to the fight and acted in a way that suggested he was either seething with anger which was hard to control or he was hugely rattled and slightly mentally beaten by Ward. With how the fight ended up with (controversial low blows or not) him being broken down and fading, it appears that his heart was already taken before the first bell

I disagree, I think it's purely down to a lack of stamina. He's never demonstrated that he has the stamina to fight 12 hard rounds. The Hopkins fight was too one sided to count and Chilemba was too limited to take advantage of it. I think the first Ward fight showed Sergei that he couldn't last the pace and regardless of running less in camp or hiring a different conditioning coach he wasn't gonna find new levels of stamina at 34 years old.

Last night he gave it all he could for 5 or 6 rounds, struggling to free his arms and throw shots every time they clinched but once he hadn't bombed \ward out by halfway he probably knew the writing was on the wall. Ward saw this and carried on working downstairs. Had the ref not stopped it I think Sergei was absolutely done anyway.

[ScottDetonator]

Another black eye for boxing.

HBO should refund the PPV sales.

I was disgusted with Tony Weeks last night. Beyond a joke.

I won't watch another Ward fight.

To add - Adam Smith is the worst boxing commentator I have ever heard in my life as well. Shut up screaming dribble!

[Boxerbeetle]

Another black eye for boxing.

HBO should refund the PPV sales.

I was disgusted with Tony Weeks last night. Beyond a joke.

I won't watch another Ward fight.

To add - Adam Smith is the worst boxing commentator I have ever heard in my life as well. Shut up screaming dribble!

Finally something in this thread we can all agree on

[lefty]

Another black eye for boxing.

HBO should refund the PPV sales.

I was disgusted with Tony Weeks last night. Beyond a joke.

I won't watch another Ward fight.

To add - Adam Smith is the worst boxing commentator I have ever heard in my life as well. Shut up screaming dribble!

Finally something in this thread we can all agree on

I commented on that last night. I'm starting to find that I find his spiel so irritating that it's starting to actually put me off watching the fights. Luckily I can just mute him but I wish they would bring someone else in and instead he just sticks to his 'head of boxing' role.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Man do I wish I skipped that farce of a card.