BoxRec

The narrative since this epic fight concluded has unfortunately been about the questionable decision and which side you fall on as the actual victor. What I think is lost and not being considered yet is what we actually learned from this fight and I think that both guys will end up building up their legacy as a result and that's a result that is not common.

For Andre Ward: He stepped up in weight and didn't wait years to take on the monster in the division. It only took him a couple of fights. No one can question his heart for taking this fight. We can't gripe about him not honoring the rematch clause but let's talk about what we know right now. Ward showed amazing courage and heart and proved that he's a true champion. He took on the scary Kovalev and not only proved he belonged in the same ring but he proved that he could be just as good perhaps, maybe better, than Kovalev. That's huge.

For Kovalev: Fighting in a division rarely stocked with talent or opponents willing to test their metal like Adonis and his charade, we never really knew how good Kovalev was. We could only gauge his ability on the way he defeated inferior opponents. He not only belonged in the same ring with Ward, many feel he bested the HOF bound Ward. Kovalev IS as good as we thought he was. He may not have proved that he won the fight but he proved to all that he's elite and special.

It's sad that the story is more intriguing by dissecting the decision instead of appreciating the ability and performances of both boxers. Because it's rare that two fighters show up on fight night and prove that they are both as good as we all thought.

caldo2025 wrote:The narrative since this epic fight concluded has unfortunately been about the questionable decision and which side you fall on as the actual victor. What I think is lost and not being considered yet is what we actually learned from this fight and I think that both guys will end up building up their legacy as a result and that's a result that is not common.

For Andre Ward: He stepped up in weight and didn't wait years to take on the monster in the division. It only took him a couple of fights. No one can question his heart for taking this fight. We can't gripe about him not honoring the rematch clause but let's talk about what we know right now. Ward showed amazing courage and heart and proved that he's a true champion. He took on the scary Kovalev and not only proved he belonged in the same ring but he proved that he could be just as good perhaps, maybe better, than Kovalev. That's huge.

For Kovalev: Fighting in a division rarely stocked with talent or opponents willing to test their metal like Adonis and his charade, we never really knew how good Kovalev was. We could only gauge his ability on the way he defeated inferior opponents. He not only belonged in the same ring with Ward, many feel he bested the HOF bound Ward. Kovalev IS as good as we thought he was. He may not have proved that he won the fight but he proved to all that he's elite and special.

It's sad that the story is more intriguing by dissecting the decision instead of appreciating the ability and performances of both boxers. Because it's rare that two fighters show up on fight night and prove that they are both as good as we all thought.

What we learned was how corrupt the NSAC is in appointing an all-American team judges and referee... They're in your face with their partisan bias and judge appointees -- giving Floyd Mayweather his favorite referee for his last 3 fights and letting him skate on "inadvertent" PED usage several times, and also banned IV fluid injections -- in direct contravention to WADA guidelines... In Kovalev's previous fight in Russia, the Russian commission appointed an American referee and American judge, and 2 other judges from Hungary and Nicaragua to keep the fight totally neutral.

What we also learned is that referee Robert Byrd let Ward get away with illegal head use and running in with his head all night... But despite all that, we learned that Kovalev is a better boxer and puncher than Ward is... and that no member of the all-American HBO crew thought that Ward won.. They had Kovalev winning 114-113 to 116-111.. Add to that, Max Kellerman is the biggest Ward blower of all time, and the first question he asked Ward was "You seemed surprised when you got the decision." ... which was actually the only true thing he said in the interview other than saying "It's appropriate for Kovalev to feel that he was robbed in this fight."

caldo2025 wrote:The narrative since this epic fight concluded has unfortunately been about the questionable decision and which side you fall on as the actual victor. What I think is lost and not being considered yet is what we actually learned from this fight and I think that both guys will end up building up their legacy as a result and that's a result that is not common.

For Andre Ward: He stepped up in weight and didn't wait years to take on the monster in the division. It only took him a couple of fights. No one can question his heart for taking this fight. We can't gripe about him not honoring the rematch clause but let's talk about what we know right now. Ward showed amazing courage and heart and proved that he's a true champion. He took on the scary Kovalev and not only proved he belonged in the same ring but he proved that he could be just as good perhaps, maybe better, than Kovalev. That's huge.

For Kovalev: Fighting in a division rarely stocked with talent or opponents willing to test their metal like Adonis and his charade, we never really knew how good Kovalev was. We could only gauge his ability on the way he defeated inferior opponents. He not only belonged in the same ring with Ward, many feel he bested the HOF bound Ward. Kovalev IS as good as we thought he was. He may not have proved that he won the fight but he proved to all that he's elite and special.

It's sad that the story is more intriguing by dissecting the decision instead of appreciating the ability and performances of both boxers. Because it's rare that two fighters show up on fight night and prove that they are both as good as we all thought.

I can agree with this..

MachoTime wrote:

caldo2025 wrote:The narrative since this epic fight concluded has unfortunately been about the questionable decision and which side you fall on as the actual victor. What I think is lost and not being considered yet is what we actually learned from this fight and I think that both guys will end up building up their legacy as a result and that's a result that is not common.

For Andre Ward: He stepped up in weight and didn't wait years to take on the monster in the division. It only took him a couple of fights. No one can question his heart for taking this fight. We can't gripe about him not honoring the rematch clause but let's talk about what we know right now. Ward showed amazing courage and heart and proved that he's a true champion. He took on the scary Kovalev and not only proved he belonged in the same ring but he proved that he could be just as good perhaps, maybe better, than Kovalev. That's huge.

For Kovalev: Fighting in a division rarely stocked with talent or opponents willing to test their metal like Adonis and his charade, we never really knew how good Kovalev was. We could only gauge his ability on the way he defeated inferior opponents. He not only belonged in the same ring with Ward, many feel he bested the HOF bound Ward. Kovalev IS as good as we thought he was. He may not have proved that he won the fight but he proved to all that he's elite and special.

It's sad that the story is more intriguing by dissecting the decision instead of appreciating the ability and performances of both boxers. Because it's rare that two fighters show up on fight night and prove that they are both as good as we all thought.

I can agree with this..

X2. Excellent post.

We already knew that they are both good. We learned that Kovalev is better, but he has a lot of room for improvement (which I also knew). I don't think Ward can improve, as he just became slower at this weight and didn't add any power.

Another Ward/Kovalev thread. (about the 60th)

I personally didnt think Kovalev could outbox Ward from the outside and i didnt think Ward would be able to get up from getting hammered and rebound to win rounds

we leanred that ward is an elite super middleweight, but no elite light heavyweight.

we also leanred that kovalevs condition is good, but far from great, he should have had enough energy to close the show.

we learned slappin soggy does not know how to throw a fake bolo punch

Kalan wrote:

caldo2025 wrote:The narrative since this epic fight concluded has unfortunately been about the questionable decision and which side you fall on as the actual victor. What I think is lost and not being considered yet is what we actually learned from this fight and I think that both guys will end up building up their legacy as a result and that's a result that is not common.

For Andre Ward: He stepped up in weight and didn't wait years to take on the monster in the division. It only took him a couple of fights. No one can question his heart for taking this fight. We can't gripe about him not honoring the rematch clause but let's talk about what we know right now. Ward showed amazing courage and heart and proved that he's a true champion. He took on the scary Kovalev and not only proved he belonged in the same ring but he proved that he could be just as good perhaps, maybe better, than Kovalev. That's huge.

For Kovalev: Fighting in a division rarely stocked with talent or opponents willing to test their metal like Adonis and his charade, we never really knew how good Kovalev was. We could only gauge his ability on the way he defeated inferior opponents. He not only belonged in the same ring with Ward, many feel he bested the HOF bound Ward. Kovalev IS as good as we thought he was. He may not have proved that he won the fight but he proved to all that he's elite and special.

It's sad that the story is more intriguing by dissecting the decision instead of appreciating the ability and performances of both boxers. Because it's rare that two fighters show up on fight night and prove that they are both as good as we all thought.

What we learned was how corrupt the NSAC is in appointing an all-American team judges and referee... They're in your face with their partisan bias and judge appointees -- giving Floyd Mayweather his favorite referee for his last 3 fights and letting him skate on "inadvertent" PED usage several times, and also banned IV fluid injections -- in direct contravention to WADA guidelines... In Kovalev's previous fight in Russia, the Russian commission appointed an American referee and American judge, and 2 other judges from Hungary and Nicaragua to keep the fight totally neutral.

What we also learned is that referee Robert Byrd let Ward get away with illegal head use and running in with his head all night... But despite all that, we learned that Kovalev is a better boxer and puncher than Ward is... and that no member of the all-American HBO crew thought that Ward won.. They had Kovalev winning 114-113 to 116-111.. Add to that, Max Kellerman is the biggest Ward blower of all time, and the first question he asked Ward was "You seemed surprised when you got the decision." ... which was actually the only true thing he said in the interview other than saying "It's appropriate for Kovalev to feel that he was robbed in this fight."

Kalan, I can't argue with a lot of this. It was definitely one of the worst performances by a ref in a big fight that i can remember. But I don't think that Byrd's ineffectiveness was due to dirty money or Americanism. I think the guy ran out of gas quickly and was either too old to keep up with the level of control required in this one or too out of shape. He was calling it effectively for 3 or 4 rounds and then just couldn't maintain the peace in there.

I also couldn't agree more with the commentators and I'm mostly talking about Max. I have grown tired of this guy's act and his love affairs with certain fighters that blur his vision of fights happening right in front of him. He's more concerned about predictions than being fair to the action right in front of him.