Is Ward capable of outboxing Kovalev on the back foot?

So many close rounds in which ward gets the benefit of the doubt and wins them all.yup no robbery.american ref plus 3 american judges There was only 2 maybe 3 clear rounds for Kovalev in my honest opinion - the rest were open to interpretation. That leaves 9 rounds if you give Kovalev the benefit of the doubt and say he won 3 clearly with the extra point of course. That means Ward needed to win 7 from 9, I feel like he also won 3 pretty clearly (although not as dominant as Sergey's) and that means you have 6 which were open to interpretation. You would have to give Ward 4 out of those remaining 6 to give him the fight, I can easily see that. Sergey would need 3 out of 6 to get the draw on rounds, but victory because of the 10-8 round, I can easily see that as well. I don't get caught up in things like where the fight was, etc. Just trying to score the fight, and I need to watch it again, but I don't think I'm far off with my breakdown. By the way I scored the fight 114-113 for Sergey, but I CAN see how Ward could have won. I need to watch it again without the emotion to score it properly.

Whilst that may be true, you insinuated a robbery. Which it definitely is NOT. So many close rounds, both guys did a good job of nullifying the other guys offensive game. Fights like that are always hard to score. So many close rounds in which ward gets the benefit of the doubt and wins them all.yup no robbery.american ref plus 3 american judges

I didn't care what the hbo crew said,i never do.I score the fight myself.Its easier to score this fight for kova than it is for ward imo.You have to give ward very possible benefit of the doubt to even come close.And this also isn't amateur boxing,where you play tag to get points. Whilst that may be true, you insinuated a robbery. Which it definitely is NOT. So many close rounds, both guys did a good job of nullifying the other guys offensive game. Fights like that are always hard to score.

Not a robbery - the only people I see calling this a robbery are the people who watched on the HBO broadcast, too many people influenced by 'experts'. Oh and by the way - on that front, lots of media and ringside observers had Ward winning. It was a close fight, and when that happens not everyone is going to be satisfied. I didn't care what the hbo crew said,i never do.I score the fight myself.Its easier to score this fight for kova than it is for ward imo.You have to give ward very possible benefit of the doubt to even come close.And this also isn't amateur boxing,where you play tag to get points.

He didn't need to outbox him he had the judges in his pocket the whole fight. Not a robbery - the only people I see calling this a robbery are the people who watched on the HBO broadcast, too many people influenced by 'experts'. Oh and by the way - on that front, lots of media and ringside observers had Ward winning. It was a close fight, and when that happens not everyone is going to be satisfied.

He didn't need to outbox him he had the judges in his pocket the whole fight.

If this fight is fought off the back foot...Kovalev might as well stay in the locker room. Like many you underestimated Sergey's boxing ability, what I like most about tonight is that both guys implemented a lot of their strengths, and no matter who you think won, they both showed how and why they are elite.

He doesn't work that way. He's always moving forward to counter and if he wants space after a counter, he fades to the side rather than going back, most of the time. His strong inside game gives him a lot of options and, most of the time, he'd rather close that distance than keep backing up. Kovalev relies on guys to back up and get cornered as he cuts off the ring so it will require some adjustment on his part. Sergey's biggest mistake in this fight was NOT cutting off the ring in my opinion.

I think he will be on the outside/back foot at times, but probably outside of punching range, so if Kovalev reaches he gets countered, I think Ward will mix it up by being outside and then inside, constantly changing distance and not ever letting Kovalev get comfortable. What Kovalev will need to do is maximise his windows of opportunity and crack Ward when he is on the way in or on the way out, or creating his correct distance by using footwork, he can also have success pushing Ward back by landing something hurtful and breaking Ward's concentration. I do expect Ward to hit the canvas at some point in the fight, but don't be surprised if he gets up, makes the necessary adjustments and dominates down the stretch. Can I just say that this is one hell of a prediction. Thank you I'm here all week. :boxing: :hail:

Ward is gonna win this 8 rounds to 4. Kovalev is gonna look like Froch did when Ward beat him

A lot is made of punching power but a fighters physicality must also factor in & Ward has some of the greatest physicality in the sport. He's immensely strong. He's bullish at times but has great athleticism.. Deadly combination!

Ward is a great athlete and an intelligent fighter... But Ward doesn't hold a "style", per se... Instead, Ward is capable of mimicking several styles... :) People always say this,but I ever only see him differ from his usual style of fighting for a round or two. I do think that he boxes from range a bit more since his return,but ultimately he is most comfortable fighting at close quarters where he counter effectively while smothering his opponents work rate. ... If not bothered by the opponent, Ward can turn a fight into a "fencing fest", condimented with his fast fluffy combos (see the Abraham fight)... But when pressured or bullied, Ward is able to turn the fight into the "dirtiest affair"... In my opinion, Ward's the "cleanest" fight was that vs. Froch -- whom he handled in close range with practically no healthy hands!!! It was a tour de force, literally!!!

It'll come down to Kovalev's jab, the ref, and Ward avoiding enough punishment on the way in. If Kovalev was a little more straightforward this isnt a contest in Ward's favor. The issue is that Kovalev has quick feet and anticiption and even though he seems like he's just concentrating on going forward/being offensive we've seen him anticipate and lead people into coming at him and he leaps back and counters. Kovalev has some really good nuances to his game and he's very skilled. Ward can't just rely on getting inside the entire time because Kovalev can throw deceptively short and compact when he's countering while going backwards. Ward will have to counter Kovalev and be unpredictable in his approach to closing the distance in that he will have to make Kovalev respect him from all ranges not just inside. You can't have a guy like Kovalev only worry about someone closing the distance because he hits so hard that he will eventually time you coming in while himself stepping out due to being longer. Ward is luckily an amazing athlete and has the iq and attributes to empose as much of his skill as possible. Will Ward fight so well (even if its just in spots) that Kovalev is completely unsure if Ward even WANTS to be on the inside at certain times thus opening up angles to get a hold of him? I honestly see each scenario where Ward is both sharp and unpredictable enough to make it his fight or where Kovalev is just a stone cold killer who never loses focus or gets frustrated and shows his pedigree as well. What a fight

It'll definitely take some adjustments on both sides,whoever manages to control real estate, likely wins. Yea, I've been saying this one comes down to who controls the distance. Kovalev is too fast and long for Ward to dodge and counter like he usually does. Ward has spent his life developing his inside game and Kovalev is not going to learn how to out work him on the inside from one training camp. If Kov can't keep him off, he's done. If Ward can't get inside, there's other options but they are limited and unfavorable. This will be a game of inches.

Ward is a great athlete and an intelligent fighter... But Ward doesn't hold a "style", per se... Instead, Ward is capable of mimicking several styles... :) People always say this,but I ever only see him differ from his usual style of fighting for a round or two. I do think that he boxes from range a bit more since his return,but ultimately he is most comfortable fighting at close quarters where he counter effectively while smothering his opponents work rate.

I think he will be on the outside/back foot at times, but probably outside of punching range, so if Kovalev reaches he gets countered, I think Ward will mix it up by being outside and then inside, constantly changing distance and not ever letting Kovalev get comfortable. What Kovalev will need to do is maximise his windows of opportunity and crack Ward when he is on the way in or on the way out, or creating his correct distance by using footwork, he can also have success pushing Ward back by landing something hurtful and breaking Ward's concentration. I do expect Ward to hit the canvas at some point in the fight, but don't be surprised if he gets up, makes the necessary adjustments and dominates down the stretch.

He doesn't work that way. He's always moving forward to counter and if he wants space after a counter, he fades to the side rather than going back, most of the time. His strong inside game gives him a lot of options and, most of the time, he'd rather close that distance than keep backing up. Kovalev relies on guys to back up and get cornered as he cuts off the ring so it will require some adjustment on his part. It'll definitely take some adjustments on both sides,whoever manages to control real estate, likely wins.

He could. Until he gets caught by that quick right hand. Then he could be in trouble. But if he can avoid getting fuked up by that right, he probably can. I don't think that he could,it just isn't his style. He has really short arms and prefers to fight at close quarters,not to mention that he would be running the risk of ending up on the wrong end of Kovalev's power.

Ward isn't a traditional boxer like Mayweather, I don't think that his style translates as well when fighting as the smaller man. This fight will definitely be interesting. Ward is a great athlete and an intelligent fighter... But Ward doesn't hold a "style", per se... Instead, Ward is capable of mimicking several styles... :)

I'm a bit skeptical to say the least. I think Kovalev is being flagrantly overlooked by some Ward fans. I think that if Kovalev proves to be too strong for Ward on the inside that this fight could be over before it begins. Ward's best and possibly only"real" chance at victory is to attempt to smother Kovalev on the inside. 100% right, ward is going to win this fight based on his strength and inside ability to smother opponents. That's all he needs to do. I honestly believe Kovalev doesn't have that much strength in those situations. People tend to forget that in the first pascal fight that Kovalev was getting pushed back on occassion and looked completely unsure in those situations It didn't happen often but it happened enough for even the biased commentators to take note lol