By Keith Idec
Andre Ward and his trainer, Virgil Hunter, have a healthy respect for Sergey Kovalev.
They won’t allow the obvious animosity among the light heavyweight rivals to detract from Kovalev’s skills. But after spending 12 rounds in the ring against the Russian knockout artist, they’re more confident than ever that Ward is the better fighter.
Ward said during a conference call Wednesday that, contrary to Kovalev’s claims, he doesn’t have anything to prove when they meet again June 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Hunter went even further when he stated that the heavy-handed Kovalev will get “smashed” in their HBO Pay-Per-View main event a week from Saturday night.
“So once again, we respect Kovalev,” Hunter said. “We respect Kovalev on what he has done and what he is capable of doing. And it’s healthy respect, but it’s not a respect that’s gonna stop him from getting smashed June 17th.”
Ward tasted Kovalev’s power in the second round, when Kovalev’s right hand landed directly to the center of Ward’s face and knocked him to the canvas. The resilient two-division champion overcame that trouble, regained his composure and methodically made adjustments that neutralized Kovalev’s jab and right hand later in their 12-round fight November 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Watching Ward withstand the adversity the 2004 Olympic gold medalist encountered that night confirmed Hunter’s conviction about the former super middleweight champion’s ability to thrive against elite light heavyweights.
“There wasn’t any fear or trepidation going into the first match,” Hunter said. “You can’t have that. Of course you’re aware of what the opponent brings. We’re aware that you have a bigger opponent, a stronger opponent, an opponent that can punch. We’re aware of all of that, but we’ve been through that before.
“When he fought in the Olympics at light heavyweight [178 pounds], people don’t know or they never acknowledged the fact that he was 170 pounds. He was giving up weight, height and size there, so he’s used to it. He’s accustomed to it. And because of his physical strength and his stamina and his IQ, he’s able to overcome all these so-called advantages that the other fighter might have.”
The 33-year-old Ward (31-0, 15 KOs), a native of Hayward, California, is a slight favorite over Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) as their 12-round rematch approaches.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.