By Keith Idec
Sergey Kovalev and his trainer, John David Jackson, insist it is Andre Ward, not Kovalev, that has something to prove in their rematch.
Ward won their light heavyweight title fight November 19 in Las Vegas, but Kovalev and Jackson think Kovalev deservedly has received more credit than Ward for the way he competed in their 12-round bout at T-Mobile Arena. Jackson challenged Ward during a conference call Tuesday to limit his holding when they meet again June 17 and criticized the defending champion for what Jackson considers a displeasing style.
“To be champion, you need to fight,” Jackson said. “If Ward really wants to prove that he’s the better fighter, then fight. Fight a good, hard fight – not do what you do best. He takes guys and maneuvers them around the ring strategically, but not in an exciting fashion. But for this fight here, to prove that you’re the champion and that you deserved the first decision that you got, fight.
“Stand in the ring and fight this man, and prove that you’re the better fighter. And show the fans that you deserve this title. So we’ll see what happens come the 17th. But when all is said and done, Sergey Kovalev’s hand should be raised and he should be the world champion once again.”
Ward won their first fight by the same margin on all three scorecards, 114-113, but his victory in their very competitive fight was commonly considered controversial.
The physical Ward wasn’t the only one that held during that rough, 12-round fight, though. Kovalev initiated his fair share of clinches, particularly once the Russian knockout artist began to tire.
“Yes, Sergey held somewhat himself,” Jackson said. “He got fatigued, so he did hold a lot. But we’re working on things for the second fight. In this fight here, he’s gonna be the better conditioned fighter. You’ve gotta think about this – when you have the power that Sergey has – this tremendous, natural, God-given talent, the power that he has – then it leads to [Ward] holding on the inside. If Andre wants to fight more on the inside this time, which I think they may try to fight more on the inside, then he has to be willing to gamble. And that gamble is can he take the body shots that Sergey’s gonna hit him with? Now if he can withstand that, then God bless him. He’s a hell of a man. But there’s no human being – your body’s not made to be prepared for that kind of punishment.
“So let’s see if he can stand on the inside – not grab and hold, but if he can fight on the inside and be willing to take the punishment. OK, then take it. As far as the dirty part, no, it’s not dirty. It’s smart tactics on his part. He gets away with it. And hey, that’s part of the game, so you have to give him credit for that. In this fight here, there’s certain things we had to work on to make the fight better for Sergey. And if he does the things that he needs to do, then he’s gonna prove no doubt he’s the better fighter all-around.”
While Jackson isn’t fond of Ward’s style, he emphasized that he never called the former super middleweight champion a dirty fighter.
“I never said Andre was a dirty fighter,” Jackson said. “The things that he does, they’re not fan favorites, because he does hold a lot. As far as the inside game, there is no real inside game for him. Listen, a true inside fighter doesn’t grab and clinch and hold the whole fight. He lets his hands free, he blocks shots and he counters back. That’s not what Andre does. He does hold a lot. But those things work for him and you can’t knock it if works for him and he’s been winning, and if he has fans from it, OK, let it be that.”
The 33-year-old Ward (31-0, 15 KOs), a native of Hayward, California, is a slight favorite over the 34-year-old Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) with barely a week to go before they’ll fight again at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas (HBO Pay-Per-View).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
