BoxRec

Teddy's Toupee wrote:

lefty wrote:

handsofstone wrote:Wasn't a great performance from Kovalev,he looked a bit flat and was one paced throughout,taking nothing away from Chilemba who made it hard for Sergey to land clean but even when Kovalev scored the KD and hurt Isaac he wouldn't or couldn't press,Barry Jones mentioned he thought Kovalev was tired and i thought that too but i dont know,he didn't look too bad so??

Still he won well,i had it 117-110,maybe could've been a bit closer but no doubting Kovalev was the winner but he did look a bit "old"

He's looked old for a while - he looks mid 40's ...In all serious though I know what you mean.

He still looks like a young Russ Abbot to me.

Haha don't. That brings me back to the Darren Barker- beavis/butthead days

TheLeprechaun wrote:

gilgamesh wrote:

TheLeprechaun wrote:Ward could actually rough him up all night if he wants too. Very underrrated skills and strength on the inside.

Its a total mismatch for me. Ward can pick and choose how he beats him.

Don't be surprised to see Ward get the stoppage either. He'll be landing big counters all night.

Ward's only ever stopped one big name fighter. He ain't stopping Kovalev. Ward definitely has strength on the inside, but he'll never have faced an opponent as strong as Kovalev, and he's never faced a hitter like Kovalev.

Kovalev will probably just lose a wide decision but it depends on whether or not he accepts that Ward is the better man like all of Wards opponents have. Both they and Ward then settle for Ward UD. Kovalev will have to settle for Ward UD or get knocked out. I get the feeling he will settle for Ward UD but some fighters would rather be knocked out than lose a decision.

I like Ward in that fight too, but perhaps you underrate Kovalev? You predicted that Hopkins would school him and seemed to suggest that Pascal had a realistic chance of cruising to a win. I believe you also stated that Sergey would be outclassed by Stevenson, which I think is unlikely going by the evidence.

As for the stopoage, Ward is s relatively light hitter and despite landing clean all night couldn't put down guys who've been dropped/hurt many times, like Allen Green and EdIson Miranda. To give another example, Edwin Rodriguez was all over the place after two rounds with Mike Seals and Thomas Williams, yet never even hurt by Ward over 12.

I also think Ward might get the stoppage. Here's why.....

1. Kovalev walks in in straight lines with his hands down.
2. He is easily countered.
3. He eats jabs.
4. He has zero inside game.
5. Ward will make Kovalev fight his fight.
6. Ward is a superb inside fighter.

And what about guys like Edwin Rodriguez, Allan Green, and Edison Miranda? Hell, Paul Smith was taking all those shots just fine snd never looked seriously hurt.

Kovalev will look a different fighter against Ward.

Ward to stop Kovalev?

I'm going to watch the Chilemba fight soon but I don't think it's a very accurate barometer of what will happen vs Ward. Noone stays out of trouble for 12 vs Kovalev, and I strongly believe Ward cannot withstand the trouble that's coming to him. It's all very well Ward upsetting Kova's rhythm but he actually has to work and throw punches as well as be elusive if he wants to win rounds. otherwise he's a sitting duck in survival mode. If he wants to win the fight Ward will have to take chances, and when he does he'll get clipped and it'll be over.

Thought it was an off night for Kovalev and a good performance from Chilemba (I had it quite close 115-113 I think).

Do think people maybe reading too much into it re the Ward fight though.

Does anyone think that Kovalev didn't have the killer instinct tonight? There were a few times in the fight I thought Kovalev could have gone for it and got the stoppage but didn't. Maybe because of the last time he fought in Russia at the same venue and his opponent died, it looked to me as though that was on his mind.

MattCoke wrote:Does anyone think that Kovalev didn't have the killer instinct tonight? There were a few times in the fight I thought Kovalev could have gone for it and got the stoppage but didn't. Maybe because of the last time he fought in Russia at the same venue and his opponent died, it looked to me as though that was on his mind.

I did wonder about this myself. He certainly seemed very flat and unwilling to engage, certainly didn't see the much vaunted nasty streak.

Riddick Blowe wrote:Ward to stop Kovalev?

I'm going to watch the Chilemba fight soon but I don't think it's a very accurate barometer of what will happen vs Ward. Noone stays out of trouble for 12 vs Kovalev, and I strongly believe Ward cannot withstand the trouble that's coming to him. It's all very well Ward upsetting Kova's rhythm but he actually has to work and throw punches as well as be elusive if he wants to win rounds. otherwise he's a sitting duck in survival mode. If he wants to win the fight Ward will have to take chances, and when he does he'll get clipped and it'll be over.

Kovalev was just feeling a fiddler out. He'll send Ward to the emergency ward.

MattCoke wrote:Does anyone think that Kovalev didn't have the killer instinct tonight? There were a few times in the fight I thought Kovalev could have gone for it and got the stoppage but didn't. Maybe because of the last time he fought in Russia at the same venue and his opponent died, it looked to me as though that was on his mind.

Do you know what I thought exactly that at the time. That isn't Kovalev. Maybe he wanted rounds against a very tricky opponent, maybe his training camp hadn't been great, maybe he had the death on his mind? I don't have the answer but something didn't look right to me.

crusader wrote:

TheLeprechaun wrote:

gilgamesh wrote:
Ward's only ever stopped one big name fighter. He ain't stopping Kovalev. Ward definitely has strength on the inside, but he'll never have faced an opponent as strong as Kovalev, and he's never faced a hitter like Kovalev.

Kovalev will probably just lose a wide decision but it depends on whether or not he accepts that Ward is the better man like all of Wards opponents have. Both they and Ward then settle for Ward UD. Kovalev will have to settle for Ward UD or get knocked out. I get the feeling he will settle for Ward UD but some fighters would rather be knocked out than lose a decision.

I like Ward in that fight too, but perhaps you underrate Kovalev? You predicted that Hopkins would school him and seemed to suggest that Pascal had a realistic chance of cruising to a win. I believe you also stated that Sergey would be outclassed by Stevenson, which I think is unlikely going by the evidence.

As for the stopoage, Ward is s relatively light hitter and despite landing clean all night couldn't put down guys who've been dropped/hurt many times, like Allen Green and EdIson Miranda. To give another example, Edwin Rodriguez was all over the place after two rounds with Mike Seals and Thomas Williams, yet never even hurt by Ward over 12.

I did think Hopkins would beat him. I think Hopkins showed big signs of aging in that fight. I would have expected him to do better than Chilemba did but he did far worse. I thought Hopkins would have the angles and movement and feints/lead left hook/pot shot right hand/jab to offset Kovalev and keep him tentative. Turned out Hopkins had to be even more negative than usual after he felt Kovalevs power early. Seeing Kovalev vs Chilemba, you can see where I was coming from. Take the Hopkins who fought Calzaghe even (a fight I scored 6-6 with the knockdown giving Hopkins a one point lead) and I'd give him a big chance vs Kovalev.

I remember saying I thought Stevenson could outbox Kovalev and this was just after the Bellew fight if I recall. Stevenson had beat Dawson, Cloud and Bellew by stoppage and not lost a round and I thought he could keep himself on the backfoot and keep Kovalev tentative to throw and overextend. I was thinking Stevenson would get the KO actually but I didn't think he'd lose a round en-route. I still think thats possible. I'd take Stevenson to win that one. Stevenson has better movement and manages to land his fast left hand in pretty much every fight.

As for Pascal, that was another situation where Pascal hadn't ever been stopped and carried power and was faster handed than Kovalev so I was expecting him to be able to keep Kovalev honest but surprisingly to me, he crumbled every time he got hit. I took Kovalev in their rematch.

I still see Kovalev as limited but very powerful. If he can land, the fight is over. If a fighter can constantly offset him and is a good defensive fighter, then I think he can and will be made to look average.

As far as Ward stopping him, I know there is a difference between amateur and pro but Kovalev was amateur into his early 20s and got well and truly STARCHED very heavily in a fight that I think it available on youtube. I think his chin might be far from granite. Funnily enough, I remember warren and cleverly referring to that fight and I believe that footage was the main reason Warren and Cleverly were so confident in taking that fight.

MattCoke wrote:Does anyone think that Kovalev didn't have the killer instinct tonight? There were a few times in the fight I thought Kovalev could have gone for it and got the stoppage but didn't. Maybe because of the last time he fought in Russia at the same venue and his opponent died, it looked to me as though that was on his mind.

No chance for me. Kovalev is a nasty f*ck. I don't think he's too bothered that the other bloke died. He'll be telling himself that thats boxing and it wasn't his fault and it could just as easily have happened to him.

TheLeprechaun wrote:

crusader wrote:

TheLeprechaun wrote:

Kovalev will probably just lose a wide decision but it depends on whether or not he accepts that Ward is the better man like all of Wards opponents have. Both they and Ward then settle for Ward UD. Kovalev will have to settle for Ward UD or get knocked out. I get the feeling he will settle for Ward UD but some fighters would rather be knocked out than lose a decision.

I like Ward in that fight too, but perhaps you underrate Kovalev? You predicted that Hopkins would school him and seemed to suggest that Pascal had a realistic chance of cruising to a win. I believe you also stated that Sergey would be outclassed by Stevenson, which I think is unlikely going by the evidence.

As for the stopoage, Ward is s relatively light hitter and despite landing clean all night couldn't put down guys who've been dropped/hurt many times, like Allen Green and EdIson Miranda. To give another example, Edwin Rodriguez was all over the place after two rounds with Mike Seals and Thomas Williams, yet never even hurt by Ward over 12.

I did think Hopkins would beat him. I think Hopkins showed big signs of aging in that fight. I would have expected him to do better than Chilemba did but he did far worse. I thought Hopkins would have the angles and movement and feints/lead left hook/pot shot right hand/jab to offset Kovalev and keep him tentative. Turned out Hopkins had to be even more negative than usual after he felt Kovalevs power early. Seeing Kovalev vs Chilemba, you can see where I was coming from. Take the Hopkins who fought Calzaghe even (a fight I scored 6-6 with the knockdown giving Hopkins a one point lead) and I'd give him a big chance vs Kovalev.

I remember saying I thought Stevenson could outbox Kovalev and this was just after the Bellew fight if I recall. Stevenson had beat Dawson, Cloud and Bellew by stoppage and not lost a round and I thought he could keep himself on the backfoot and keep Kovalev tentative to throw and overextend. I was thinking Stevenson would get the KO actually but I didn't think he'd lose a round en-route. I still think thats possible. I'd take Stevenson to win that one. Stevenson has better movement and manages to land his fast left hand in pretty much every fight.

As for Pascal, that was another situation where Pascal hadn't ever been stopped and carried power and was faster handed than Kovalev so I was expecting him to be able to keep Kovalev honest but surprisingly to me, he crumbled every time he got hit. I took Kovalev in their rematch.

I still see Kovalev as limited but very powerful. If he can land, the fight is over. If a fighter can constantly offset him and is a good defensive fighter, then I think he can and will be made to look average.

As far as Ward stopping him, I know there is a difference between amateur and pro but Kovalev was amateur into his early 20s and got well and truly STARCHED very heavily in a fight that I think it available on youtube. I think his chin might be far from granite. Funnily enough, I remember warren and cleverly referring to that fight and I believe that footage was the main reason Warren and Cleverly were so confident in taking that fight.

Kovalev has actually always looked chinny to me. I don't think it will take a 'puncher' to stop him, just someone who can land frequently. Which I think Ward will.

What chin problems has he shown as a pro? Anything comparable to Rodriguez being heavily dropped twice by Seals or flattened by Williams? Miranda being iced early by Bute? Green being terribly hurt by clubfighter Donnie Mcrary? Do we know of him being stopped aside from that one amateur fight?

Again, Ward has landed loads of clean shots on people without good chins, yet the only one he's seriously hurt since he stopped facing clubfighters was drained Dawson, who still went 10 rounds (though only 75 seconds and 3 punches in his next bout). This reminds me of how there are still always a fair number of predictions that Mayweather will stop his opponents....is it nifty to pick the light hitter by stoppage?

When i see predictions for Ward to beat Kovalev with no problems i do wonder if the predictors are imagining a Super Middleweight Ward of 2011 looking exactly the same at Light HW in 2016.

I haven't seen this fight yet but the IBF have the new rule that fighters cannot gain more than 10lbs at the 2nd day weigh in. Kovalev only gained 7lbs. Maybe it was a miscalculation as i think i read he usually rehydrates to around 190. This could explain why he looked lethargic.

Shirow wrote:When i see predictions for Ward to beat Kovalev with no problems i do wonder if the predictors are imagining a Super Middleweight Ward of 2011 looking exactly the same at Light HW in 2016.

Right. I saw Ward against Smith and Barrera and I just don't think he was that impressive.

Kovalev looked hurt at times in the first Pascal fight. Hopkins stunned him in the 12th of their fight. Reports of Boone dropping him heavily in their first fight although that fight has miraculously disappeared from the internet. The amateur fight can't be overlooked either as Kovalev wasn't a kid back then. Golovkin supposedly dropped him heavily in sparring but thats coming from Golovkins trainer and of course we know Golovkin is a big puncher. I don't think he was badly hurt by caparello but it wasn't entirely a balance thing when he went down either.

When did Hopkins stun him? You mean the sequence where their feet got tangled? That was very clear on the replay and Kov didn't subsequently act like a hurt fighter. Same goes for the Caparello KD....Kov gets his foot stepped on, loses his balance, but resumes fighting like nothing happened. Kov didn't look too good in spots against Pascal, but was he really ever in that much trouble? Before they fought you talked about Pascal laying him out, so I guess he showed a better chin than you expected.

I don't recall the Boone knockdown being described as heavy, and Boone is a good puncher who stopped Adonis and dropped many prospects, including Ward. To my knowledge that fight was never posted in the first place, although despite not having seen it I presume that it would show Kovalev's most noted sign of fragility as a pro.

I certainly dont think his chin is particularly good, but he's been hit enough that I think he would've shown more pronounced signs of fragility if he were gkass chinned. I don't see much reason to believe that he's more likely to be stopped than Green Rodriguez, Miranda, or Barrera. Someone like Stevenson coukd cery well catch him and put him out, but light hitting, safety first Ward?

I think the idea Ward stops him is pretty fanciful, Ward's not that kind of fighter, he won't go looking for Kovalev, he'll tie him up, work the angles, steal the exchanges, and frustrate Kovalev.

It's obviously possible, but very unlikely.

Go to around 56:25 and watch the view from above....does anyone think Kov was hurt by that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXyEnrne0vY

crusader wrote:Go to around 56:25 and watch the view from above....does anyone think Kov was hurt by that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXyEnrne0vY

a bit. Tangled legs too. He can be hurt, they all can but I don't think he will get stopped by Ward but I think it will be a wide decision.

Really?? I don't understand how anyone who saw their legs tangle could think the stumble is indicitive of Kov being hurt by that weak, glancing jab (might be a generous description of it).

crusader wrote:Really?? I don't understand how anyone who saw their legs tangle could think the stumble is indicitive of Kov being hurt by that weak, glancing jab (might be a generous description of it).

His legs looked to dip a bit before it. It's not a big deal he didn't go down or look in any danger of ever losing the fight.
He said he was in poor health for this latest camp, he was blowing hard between rounds quite early I thought.