By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward weren’t exactly BFFs before their first fight.
There was more noticeable tension between them Monday, though, when the light heavyweights came to a Manhattan hotel to start promoting their June 17 rematch in Las Vegas. Kovalev was much more vocal about why Ward bothers him, but it was clear the feeling is completely mutual.
Russia’s Kovalev contends that Ward’s behavior after their November 19 fight made him strongly dislike the IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion.
“I lost a lot of respect for him,” Kovalev said. “With the way he acts, I feel like he’s walking with a crown on his head. He thinks he’s something. I don’t like him. There’s no reason to like him.”
The former light heavyweight champion feels as though Ward wasn’t honest about the highly competitive nature of their 12-round fight in Las Vegas.
“It’s not his fault that the judges gave him the fight,” Kovalev said. “So the right thing to do for Ward is to be a man in the ring. You know, ‘I didn’t deserve those belts. Have Sergey keep them. And we’re gonna have a rematch and we’re gonna see who’s the best in the rematch.’
“But instead, he acts like a coward, like he really won the fight, like he’s all that. And that’s what I didn’t like.”
Ward won their bout by the same score, 114-113, on the cards of all three judges (Burt Clements, John McKaie and Glenn Trowbridge). The 2004 Olympic gold medalist maintained Monday that he is certain he beat Kovalev, though he conceded that there were several difficult rounds to score and he at least respects the opinions of those that think he lost by a very small margin.
Nevertheless, Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) didn’t exchange any pleasantries when they were in each other’s presence.
“I just saw him in the lobby [Sunday] for the first time [since the fight],” Kovalev said Monday. “Then I saw him today. The way he looks at me, I just really wanna punch him in the head. … I don’t have nothing to talk to him about.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
