By Carlos Boogs, Ryan Burton
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas - Newly crowned WBO, IBF, WBA light heavyweight champion Andre Ward (31-0, 15KOs) does not believe Sergey Kovalev (30-1, 26KOs) was the biggest challenge of his career after going twelve rounds with the feared puncher.
Ward recovered from a second round knockdown to win a very close twelve round unanimous decision to capture Kovalev's titles before a crowd of over 13,000 fans.
All three of the official judges scored the fight 114-113, with Ward clinching the victory after two of the three official judges had scored the twelfth and final round in his favor.
Earlier in the week, Ward credited Edison Miranda as being the biggest puncher that he ever faced, and he also viewed that fight as being one of the toughest - if not the toughest- fight of his career.
He says the Kovalev fight was challenge, but he doesn't agree that it was the "biggest challenge" of his career.
"[The fight with Kovalev] was obviously a challenge but I've been in some really tough fights man. I really have. Believe it or not, the Edison Miranda fight was probably one of my toughest fights of my career. And a lot of people on paper write him off, but you have to remember that he was an old grizzly veteran and he wasn't all the way done. He was on the verge of being done and he need a victory against a young fighter like me," Ward said.
"He was probably one of the hardest punchers that I ever faced. This was tough fight [with Kovalev] but it wasn't anything that I haven't faced before. He punches well. I literally smiled when he knocked me down and I got up."
When asked if Kovalev was the biggest puncher that he ever faced - Ward couldn't agree with that statement and believes he's felt shots in the past that were just as hard if not harder.
"I can't say that [Kovalev is the biggest puncher that I've faced], I can't say that. He had a hard punch but it was nothing [that I haven't felt before]. Did ya'll see me running tonight? He’s a strong puncher, but there was nothing in his punches that made me feel like - 'man, I can’t engage with him at all,'" Ward said.
