Can both sides be honest with themselves here?

It was a tense fight, a even one also like the first. I can't quite recall all the shots that are being questioned as to if they were low or ok. I think there was one at the end of the 7th which looked questionable. The right, left combo looked good shots, on the belt line. I thought at least 2 of the 3 in that final flurry looked low. Especially the last one..i was surprised to see the ref waving it off as i thought he would be stepping in to give Kovalev 5 minutes after that last one. I don't think Weeks covered himself in glory there. I'm surprised Kovalev didn't go low himself in the 8th. If he felt Ward was repeatedly going low, i'm surprised he didn't fight fire with fire.

I have to agree with the op. But honestly who can say, we have seen guys turn fights around in worse condition than kovalev was in, he was also approaching the end of the round, and has the power to turn things around. The night was ruined, it's not an excuse like some on here seem to think to state facts, ward could also do to watch his illegal activity if him and his fans dont want these things brought up.

This fight was just about dead even going into the 8th. Ward had a very strong 8th round and hurt Kov but didnt hurt him to the extent where the fight should have been waved off. Especially given the shots that landed just prior to the stoppage. I've been watching boxing since 1986 and this is the first time I've ever seen a fight stopped on low blows/body punches where the fighter didnt go down. We cant just assume that Ward would have stopped him anyway as I see many posters doing. These are 2 champs in a very close fight. Let it play out.

Ward was better, Kovalev was done, punches were low. Fight was a garbage. these guys have a good chance to become forgotten.

Get over the stoppage. If a guy was being pummeled in his face, about to fall through the ropes, NOT defending himself, NOT firing back....and the last punch MAY HAVE caught him behind the head.... You stop the fight for his sake. I think the biggest question here is if sht was the other way around, would you feel the same way about the stoppage? I can equivocally say if Ward was in Kovalev's position at that point in the fight, the ref made the right call. Ward fought valiantly, but had the fight beaten out of him. I'd congratulate Kovalev. The answer is yes, I would feel the same. And while the final punches being low added to the stoppage being bad, I thought it was bad timing for a stoppage. The example about being pummeled in the face is different. Brain damage is a much bigger risk in boxing than any internal organ injuries.

Get over the stoppage. If a guy was being pummeled in his face, about to fall through the ropes, NOT defending himself, NOT firing back....and the last punch MAY HAVE caught him behind the head.... You stop the fight for his sake. I think the biggest question here is if sht was the other way around, would you feel the same way about the stoppage? I can equivocally say if Ward was in Kovalev's position at that point in the fight, the ref made the right call. Ward fought valiantly, but had the fight beaten out of him. I'd congratulate Kovalev.

The blows were low. Its not kovs job to to tell ref they were low, its the refs job to see they were low. Kov shouldn't have to squirm on the floor like BH. Terrible stoppage. Ward was having a good roiund though. Next round kov might have been OK though hugh that just isnt true

ok. i retract any disparaging comment towards you..... (fan boys are quick to lose their shlt if they feel their guy is slighted). .....EXCEPT the ''kov isnt a puncher'' thing. you are COMPLETELY wrong there. I mean he can obviously punch but he is much more than that. A simple puncher would not have 20 basically even rounds with a top p4p fighter.

The blows were low. Its not kovs job to to tell ref they were low, its the refs job to see they were low. Kov shouldn't have to squirm on the floor like BH. Terrible stoppage. Ward was having a good roiund though. Next round kov might have been OK though Blows? 1 of them was slightly low and with Kovalev bent over like that it's no surprise it wasn't seen. People saying the blows were low are trying to further the falsehood that Ward was hitting Kovalev low all fight. He went to the body all fight and maybe 2 shots were at all low and not drastically low at that. The average fight has more than a couple blows lower than those. And you know what? A couple of Kovalev's body shots might have been a little low too. When you're working the body and occasionally punch is going to be a couple inches low. No punch came close to either fighter's junk.

That's just one scenario though. If Weeks had given Ward a point deduction instead of stopping the fight (I don't think a standing 8 was an option) it would have made it a 9 - 9 round and they would have still been at virtual parity. I too think that the fight was only going one way at that point, but wtf do we watch this sport for if not the amazing turn-arounds and comebacks that make the best fights truly memorable? OK probably Ward would have won. Quite possibly he would have stopped Sergei. But saying a stoppage is good based on our beliefs about what might have happened in the unfought rounds is just absurd. Even if Weeks had seen that last blow as low it wasn't egregious enough to warrant a point deduction. And Kovalev doubled over like that was also a factor. Kovalev was literally sitting in the ropes. I would have preferred the fight continue, but with a guy totally not defending himself and literally taking a seat it was hardly a terrible stoppage.

The blows were low. Its not kovs job to to tell ref they were low, its the refs job to see they were low. Kov shouldn't have to squirm on the floor like BH. Terrible stoppage. Ward was having a good roiund though. Next round kov might have been OK though

Good post. Boxing fans, particularly on this site, seem only to view things in binary terms. It can only be that Ward low-blowed to victory or that Kov got his soul taken. My opinion - they were clear low blows and the stoppage was ridiculous. But Ward was better last night and was the clear victor of the two in their rivalry overall - mentally tougher, superior conditioning, and the smarter fighter. The stoppage just cost us a clear ending. Good post.

Good post. Boxing fans, particularly on this site, seem only to view things in binary terms. It can only be that Ward low-blowed to victory or that Kov got his soul taken. My opinion - they were clear low blows and the stoppage was ridiculous. But Ward was better last night and was the clear victor of the two in their rivalry overall - mentally tougher, superior conditioning, and the smarter fighter. The stoppage just cost us a clear ending. This is the absolutely perfect, unbiased summary of the fight. Props to you sir.

1. The stoppage was dreadful and those shots were definitely low. 2. Ward had taken over that round and Kov was going to lose. If it wasn't by stoppage, he was going to win on points. The fight was about even in rounds at that point and Kov was not only hurt but clearly fading again. Ward had looked much better in the preceding two rounds BUT That stoppage was brutal even if those punches were legal. Which they weren't they were all low, some of them very low. This is pretty much how I see it. That said - you just never know. The momentum was absolutely in Dre's favour, and I'm 95% sure he would have taken it, but boxing is replete with moments in which a single punch or a single round changes everything. The stoppage was - if you'll forgive the pun - utter bollocks. Probably Weeks should have delivered a point penalty to Ward and given Kovalev a 5 minute respite. I doubt it would have made the difference, but really, who knows?

That's fair. Ward was winning in 2 of the 3 cards. They give Kovalev an 8 count and I doubt he makes it out of the round and if he somehow did he'd have been down 77-74 on 2 of the cards with 4 rounds to go. That fight was over whether Weeks stops it or not. That's just one scenario though. If Weeks had given Ward a point deduction instead of stopping the fight (I don't think a standing 8 was an option) it would have made it a 9 - 9 round and they would have still been at virtual parity. I too think that the fight was only going one way at that point, but wtf do we watch this sport for if not the amazing turn-arounds and comebacks that make the best fights truly memorable? OK probably Ward would have won. Quite possibly he would have stopped Sergei. But saying a stoppage is good based on our beliefs about what might have happened in the unfought rounds is just absurd.

yeah the stoppage wasnt the best i wished it didnt happen that way but Kov turned his back on ward, cried to the ref over legal blows and IMO wanted out of the fight, bending the way he was bending is illegal. ill give u the last shot as a low blow but it wasnt GOLATA low as some are saying and its not why kov was damn near out. Kov was fading badly and just didnt want any more. Ward landed alot of legal body shots in that round that these posters are acting like never happend. But u simply cant turn your back on your opponent and bend down crying to the ref over everything. ANYONE WHO BOXED BEFORE KNOWS THIS.... His body language and actions led him to lose. And honestly if he made it out of that round he would have been finished.

Kovalev wasn't knocked down but he wasn't protecting himself. Fights get stopped like that all the time. You can't give that type of quitting body language to a ref. Kov only has himself to blame but he's a ***** and looks to blame everybody else for his demise.

1. The stoppage was dreadful and those shots were definitely low. 2. Ward had taken over that round and Kov was going to lose. If it wasn't by stoppage, he was going to win on points. The fight was about even in rounds at that point and Kov was not only hurt but clearly fading again. Ward had looked much better in the preceding two rounds BUT That stoppage was brutal even if those punches were legal. Which they weren't they were all low, some of them very low. i agree with this ,Ward was takeing over ,some shots was low doe

im a fan of both guys but having to pick one, id pick sog.... 1) guys fall into the ropes all the time and theyre not called kd's. refs just position themselves closer, ready to step in. 2) what ?!?!?!? maybe they were ''low'' because of how his own body was positioned ?!?!? 2 of the shots were on the belt. 3) are you saying i have brain damage ? if so, dont be so salty. if not i dont get what you mean by ''man with brain damage''. why is it fan boys get so emotional when their hero is somehow ''dissed''. again, IF you are saying i have brain damage because you feel i slighted your hero, kov wouldnt give 1 shlt if i called you an idiot. anyway, if you watch the benn vs gman fight, benn wasnt landing any truly thudding shots. even the shots behind the head appeared to be grazing shots. kovs instant reaction appeared to be a call for help, SO, ''OMG'', SETTLE YOURSELF. 4) fan boys are crying bloody murder as if those ''low'' blows were game changers. ''omg, he will never have kids now........and i was so looking forward to seeing them grow up.......''. from his own mouth he said he ''felt them'' but were insignificant. let grown men fight already, damn ! 5) did you see how fast the fight changed for jlc vs chico 1 (another weeks fight) ?!?!? 1 second he was landing crisps combos, the next second hes a helpless punching bag. 30 seconds could be long as fnck. 6) moving on..... 7) no youre not allowed to bend your body to such an extent that youre forcing your opponents punches to land illegally. refs will tell a guy to not bend so low or to keep his head ''up''. 8) let the refs handle so called ''low'' blows. obviously they know how boxers use those opportunity to catch a break. 9) whats kovs ko % again ?!?!? and compared to sog's ?!?!?!? do tell me you think kov is more slick brova than a slugging KRUSHER. take up needle point. you wont get as frustrated. Don't feel like going point for point again, but I'll clarify the brain damage comment. No, I was not saying you have brain damage. I meant "come on" for mentioning that this was stopped to prevent Kov from getting brain damage. And the "man" was like "come on, man". I guess the correct way would have been "come on with mentioning brain damage, man"

1. The stoppage was dreadful and those shots were definitely low. 2. Ward had taken over that round and Kov was going to lose. If it wasn't by stoppage, he was going to win on points. The fight was about even in rounds at that point and Kov was not only hurt but clearly fading again. Ward had looked much better in the preceding two rounds BUT That stoppage was brutal even if those punches were legal. Which they weren't they were all low, some of them very low. Good post. Fair points made.