Comments Thread For: Ward Credits Unteachable Resolve for First Kovalev Win

[_Rexy_]

First fight was close, but I thought Kovalev built up too big of a lead over the first half and edged it. Not a robbery, but Andre knows he didn't win seven rounds.

Andre got knocked down. He needed eight to win.

[Gary Coleman]

I had Kovalev winning the first fight by a round, but SOG showed a ton of resolve and had seemingly figured Sergey out.

The 2nd fight, he bullied Sergey. Didn't respect his power at all and took it to him. That last sequence involved low blows, but earlier, Andre hurt Kova to the body and he faked them as low blows.

He was going to lose that fight regardless.

[hhh1200]

Ward vs Kov is nothing more than Teo vs Loma. Kov/Teo are front runners with their power in the first half of the fight. After they gas and their foot comes off the peddle, Ward/Loma make a run in the 2nd half of the fight. Now it comes down to the fan bases as usual, who is liked and hated.

Ward/Kov 2 was won with a right hand, not a low blow. This is the same as people complaining about rabbit punches from Beterbiev when guys go into a fetal position. He is supposed to stop punching and let them recover, LOL.

[elfag]

Ward is a pretentious twat. bragging about �unteachable resolve?for getting up after being knocked down by a jab

It was a flash knockdown, he wasn't even hurt

doesn't change the fact that Kovalev outboxed his ass and beat him in that fight

forgot all about the flash knockdown, yeah that is a 10-8 round for kov, which makes the judges decision even more atrocious because kov clearly won more rounds plus had a 10-8 round. no way ward won that fight with the knockdown

[Smash]

ward triggers people yes, but hes so damn smug that its inevitable that happens too & his fans think he some unbeatable ATG which adds to the issue, very good in the ring on his day but too many a-side homers advantages given to him to be universally liked i would say, he was also the only guy who had all his fights at home in the super six too, even tho he was the best guy in that as well but still, that was nice

[daggum]

Ward vs Kov is nothing more than Teo vs Loma. Kov/Teo are front runners with their power in the first half of the fight. After they gas and their foot comes off the peddle, Ward/Loma make a run in the 2nd half of the fight. Now it comes down to the fan bases as usual, who is liked and hated.

Ward/Kov 2 was won with a right hand, not a low blow. This is the same as people complaining about rabbit punches from Beterbiev when guys go into a fetal position. He is supposed to stop punching and let them recover, LOL.

More than a minute passed between the right hand and when the fight was stopped try again. Ward threw everything he had and kov was getting better not more hurt. Oh yeah and the final punches were clearly low but keep pretending it was one right hand lol

[daggum]

ward triggers people yes, but hes so damn smug that its inevitable that happens too & his fans think he some unbeatable ATG which adds to the issue, very good in the ring on his day but too many a-side homers advantages given to him to be universally liked i would say, he was also the only guy who had all his fights at home in the super six too, even tho he was the best guy in that as well but still, that was nice

Ward refused to join unless they gave him all home fights and now we know why. They should have given his spot to someone else instead of having a tournament where one guy has a the advantages but boxing is boxing and they helped create a monster. After the tourney he tried to fight nothing but bums as we found out until HBO finally stood up go him which is what Showtime should have done

[daggum]

I had Kovalev winning the first fight by a round, but SOG showed a ton of resolve and had seemingly figured Sergey out.

The 2nd fight, he bullied Sergey. Didn't respect his power at all and took it to him. That last sequence involved low blows, but earlier, Andre hurt Kova to the body and he faked them as low blows.

He was going to lose that fight regardless.

That's actually not true. There's a video debunking this which shows ward hitting kiv very low with a left then following up with 2 borderline shots and kov turns away in pain but it was a delayed reaction from that first very low blow. Very sick ward fans even made a clip of just the borderline shots and kov turning away so it looks like those are the shots but they made sure to leave out the original low blow

[Tag, You're Hit]

My two cents:

I like Andre Ward - as a person and a boxer. Though, his boxing style wasn't always pleasing. And I like Kovalev - as a boxer, not so much as a person. Though, his dedication to the sport and a proper lifestyle were his undoing.

Going into the first fight, it was 50/50 to me. I wasn't pulling for either guy, "let the best man win." Well, the best man in that fight didn't win. Kovalev should have been given the nod. It was a close, competitive fight for sure. Kovalev grabbed most of the early rounds and got the knock-down. Ward fought through (and grappled, though) while Kovalev gassed out in the second half of the fight. I had it 7 rounds to 5 for Kovalev. I could possibly, potentially, maybe, barely see 6-6, but no way 7-5 for Ward. And even at 6-6 with the knockdown, Kovalev wins. And Ward should have been deducted a point for holding, but this wasn't the first, nor the last time he would get preferential referee treatment.

Which brings me to the 2nd fight. Ward was kicking Kovalev's @ss. He was on his way to a dominant, knock-out victory, which I did not see coming. It showed Ward's strength of character (for quite a while, I felt Ward was scared to do the rematch), skills, boxing mind, and determination. But then, inexplicably, he resorts to the consecutive low-blows to get Kovalev out of there. That's bad enough. It's not something he should have done. Was he scared Kovalev would get back into the fight? Was Ward just tired because of all the focus he had to have for the performance he was giving and figured "let's get this fight over with the faster the better?" Only he and God know.

But, in the end, the referee - again (this time Weak-Ass Weeks - who used to be great back in Corrales-Castillo days) - didn't do his job. Not only did Weeks not give Kovalev time to recover, he called the fight. Weeks could have done his job and Ward would have eventually gotten the W, probably by legit KO. That, to me, was a robbery of a different sort: of Ward's legacy. There's a cloud over it, as reflected by the comments many are posting. But, Ward was complicit in that by delivering the low-blows in the first place. So, while I can't fault Ward for thinking he won the first fight (though he sure looked surprised to hear his name called for the W), he could have corrected it all in the rematch, left no doubt, but unfortnately that isn't how it played out.

[paulf]

I think I had an "all my points" bet with another poster on here that Ward would beat Kovalev.

After the fight, the other guy paid his debt to me. And then I returned it immediately.

One of the most disgraceful decisions in boxing history.