Roy Jones vs Dariusz Michelczewski in 1997, or Ward vs Kovalev now? Roy and Dariusz were ranked 1 and 2 at lightheavy with all the belts on the line. Ward and Kov are both highly ranked p4p? Which is or would have been the better fight as well as more significant?
Ward hasn't beaten anybody at 175. Stevenson avenged his loss.
My humor must not translate through the internet. I was being facetious. With that said, I have little doubt Ward is one of the best at 175 and he is also one of the best p4p. Who ever wins it will be the best scalp on their resume. Should we dismiss Ward if Kov beats him because he hasn't beaten anybody at 175? That seems a little absurd in my opinion.
Did these two guys ever fought each other?...
I think you already know the answer to this which is why I phrased the question the way I did. Technically though, Kov and Andre haven't fought yet eother, so I believe it's an interesting comparison. Dan_cov makes a valid point though.
Roy Jones vs Dariusz Michelczewski in 1997, or Ward vs Kovalev now? Roy and Dariusz were ranked 1 and 2 at lightheavy with all the belts on the line. Ward and Kov are both highly ranked p4p? Which is or would have been the better fight as well as more significant?
Did these two guys ever fought each other?...
Jones vs Dariuz
Ward only has one fight at the weight and Stevenson is the lineal champion and arguably has a better resume than both at the weight.
He destroyed Dawson who beat a better, fresher B-Hop
He destroyed Bellew who is 1-1 with Cleverly & has bounced back better
Throw in Cloud, Fonfara, Williams Jr
The winner needs to beat Stevenson for me. I think he is the man at 175 until proven otherwise.
The one we're waiting for is the better fight on paper. Just look at how undecided people are on the outcome, there is no clear favorite and both are at a very high level with their respective styles.
I'm not betting on the winner (yet).
Jones is better than Ward but...who wins head to head? Micalzaewski or Kovalev? Dariusz is better all around IMO but his defense wasn't that great and Kovalev can bomb.
I think Jones is better than Ward as well. I also think Kov is better than DM making this a tougher fight to pick the winner. Looking back I have little doubt Jones would have handled DM pretty easily. I don't get that sense in either direction for Ward or Kovalev.
I didn't watch boxing then like I do now so my perspective is a bit limited, but having watched a lot of Roy fights, I think Kovalev/Ward is bigger, maybe only beaten by Jones/Toney.
As far as "better" goes, I don't expect Ward/Kovalev to be a great fight actually. However, I've beyond excited because of how important it is and what it tells us about each guy. Same thing with Crawford/Postol. I might never watch it again but I was super-excited for it, enjoyed the hell out of it while it was happening, and it was a very important fight.
I didn't watch boxing then like I do now so my perspective is a bit limited, but having watched a lot of Roy fights, I think Kovalev/Ward is bigger, maybe only beaten by Jones/Toney.
As far as "better" goes, I don't expect Ward/Kovalev to be a great fight actually. However, I've beyond excited because of how important it is and what it tells us about each guy. Same thing with Crawford/Postol. I might never watch it again but I was super-excited for it, enjoyed the hell out of it while it was happening, and it was a very important fight.
Jones is better than Ward but...who wins head to head? Micalzaewski or Kovalev? Dariusz is better all around IMO but his defense wasn't that great and Kovalev can bomb.
Problem is, nobody in the U.S knew Darius. He had zero exposure outside of Germany and Poland.
He was known in boxing circles and it still would have meant total unification of the titles. Him and Roy were clearly the best at the time. Posters may very well say the same of Ward today. I wouldnt, but there are plenty that day he "hides" in Oakland or won't fight outside the US. Personally I think that means nothing. Only 2 guys get in the ring and fight no matter where it is.
Roy Jones vs Dariusz Michelczewski in 1997, or Ward vs Kovalev now? Roy and Dariusz were ranked 1 and 2 at lightheavy with all the belts on the line. Ward and Kov are both highly ranked p4p? Which is or would have been the better fight as well as more significant?
Problem is, nobody in the U.S knew Darius. He had zero exposure outside of Germany and Poland.