By Edward Chaykovsky
John David Jackson, trainer for Sergey Kovalev (30-1, 26 KOs), does not expect Andre Ward to improve on his performance from last month's showdown.
At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) got off the floor in the second round to win a very close twelve round unanimous decision over Kovalev to capture the WBO, WBA, IBF light heavyweight world titles. All three judges scored it 114-113.
There was an immediate rematch clause in the contract, and Kovalev has already exercised his right to get Ward in the ring for a second time.
In several post-fight interviews, Ward has discussed his confidence in doing much better in the rematch. He believes that he'll be capable in securing a victory that will set the record straight by not making it close.
Jackson is throwing cold water's on Ward's claims. On the other hand, Jackson feels very good about Kovalev's ability to improve and fight much better in the second fight.
"If you really ask yourself, what can Ward do differently to really improve on the second fight? He can’t punch any harder, he can’t move any faster — because then he’s really running — he has to stand there and fight. He got knocked down and it wasn’t a solid hit, it was a bit of a flash knockdown, he didn’t get hit solid. What’s going to happen if he decides to stand and really fight with Sergey this time?," Jackson told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
"Ward didn’t fight the first time, he ran. How much more can Andre really improve on in the second fight? He can’t be a bigger puncher. Can he throw more shots? Yes he can but it leaves him even more vulnerable for counters. On the flip side, Sergey can improve more, he can improve on his conditioning, his selection of punches and cutting the ring off better. Sergey can improve but Andre can’t improve much on what he did."
But there are some experts who do agree with Ward, and they anticipate that he'll repeat with another win. Jackson thinks those experts have lost their minds.
"All these so called experts in boxing that are saying that Andre is going to improve more, they must be crazy. He can’t improve more. He doesn’t want to stand and punch with Sergey, he doesn’t want to move more because if he does, he’s running. How much more can he improve? If they feel they can do better, great, that means they’re going to stand and fight with Sergey more than they did the first time, and then you’re vulnerable for counter punching," Jackson said.
