Is Kovalev really that far gone?

I was impressed with Canelo last night...his power seemed to affect Kov more than vice versa, which regardless of what one thought going in to the fight, had to be kind of surprising. Canelo's quickness and counters probably made it tough for Kovalev to sit on his jab and really snap it...though Kov being long in the tooth and susceptible to counters/worn down in general made it an easier fight for Canelo. I am just perplexed a bit as to how much credit Canelo really deserves here...Kov had almost nothing on his punches, gassed out early for no real reason, and was KOed by the first 1 or 3 good clean shots Canelo really landed. Adding to that the fact that Canelo couldn't KO Jacobs or Chavez Jr or Cotto, or GGG twice...yet now he goes up to 175 and KOs a good fighter who had some good wins in his last few fights, regardless of whether he is a shell of his former shelf. Overall I feel like the word has probably been out on Kovalev, through sparring etc, that his power is fading, with the jab and all other shots, and his stamina is worse, his legs/movement are declining, and he still doesn't like it to the body. Basically things many on here have been suggesting, but I think other fighters hear this stuff and reallly know it is the truth...they see the decline in sparring and know he isn't the same fighter...that word spreads. Because the truth is Kov has looked decent enough in his last few fights, decent enough to beat a MW coming up 2 weight classes anyway...but the word was probably out on Kov that he can't really hurt you anymore, and that is probably why Canelo jumped on the fight...he knew that worst case he could go 12 rounds. I think that's why Yarde was so eager/ready to take that fight when otherwise it seemed too soon for him...it also may explain why Canelo wanted to X Yarde out and get to Kovalev before Yarde did....and as we saw in the Yarde fight, he did almost get Kov. So yeah I am just trying to piece all this together...from why Canelo and his A-side would really want this fight, and also try and make sense of the performances from last night...will be interesting to see what Kovalev and Canelo do in the future.

Comments (20)

He gassed out and lost to a guy who actually threw power punches That is actually true.

6y ago

tritium_arma

Yes, he's done.

6y ago

Real_King_Kong

Yup. Kovalev looked like garbage from the opening bell. Sone are trying to spin it as a lack of a full training camp. Really? Kovalev couldn’t throw a decent power jab because he didn’t have a full camp? The quick turn around didn’t help. I would not underestimate the effect of a 36 yr old having back to back training camps with a tough fight in between. Not to mention he was likely concussed in the yarde fight. He shouldn’t have been in the ring less than 3 months later.

6y ago

JakeTheBoxer

Kovalev was obviously not the best 175 before Canelo fight.

6y ago

Real_King_Kong

He’s not he was the best LHW before canelo beat him he was coming off stopping a young undefeated ko artist in Yarde but the haters will tell you he was 65 yrs old and had zero left smh Did he not look like garbage in the fight tho? No way to spin that.

6y ago

KillaMane26

Yarde is looking like crap right now. He got beat by a shot fighter. Not only that he got KOed by a jab. He gassed out and lost to a guy who actually threw power punches

6y ago

Rip_Chudd

Dude hasn't been the same since Ward hit him with that right hand that had him shook. His chin has only gotten worse since then

6y ago

AWolf

Tbh I don't think I used any triangle theories in that post. I think there is some nuance to those times as well...ie that version of the elite bigger guy was not always his best version...Martinez with the knee and at 159...I agree that it can happen though...I just think Canelo stopping a 175 pounder when he couldn't stop most guys below that weight is a bit head-scratching and I start to think of why. As I said I agree it's clearly suspect. And it wasn't the only thing that was suspect.

6y ago

Boxing_1013

I think Canelo wasn't doing that much but he still forced the pace and had Kovalev backing up. I think a fighter loses his punch resistance as he ages but maybe that's because Alvarez is not my favorite fighter. :-) Seriously though, Canelo hasn't KO'd any top fighter. Yeah I will say I was impressed with Canelo even before the KO...I think he was more getting out pointed rather than dominated or hurt...to go up 2 weight classes and even more or less hold your own vs a guy with a real belt is impressive to me... and his shots were more damaging seemingly than Kov's were even before the 10th round...something about how Kov looked just takes away a bit from the win right now.

6y ago

muslimer12

Kovalev took this fight two months after almost getting KOd by Yarde. He was trying to cash out and it worked. That’s why Teddy Atlas was so sure that Canelo was going to ko kovalev. He knew what this was.

6y ago

STREET_CLEANER

Yarde is looking like crap right now. He got beat by a shot fighter. Not only that he got KOed by a jab.

6y ago

JakeTheBoxer

Look, yesterday Canelo was a guy that couldn`t knock out old washed up Cotto or Trout or old GGG or Jacobs. He arguably lost against Lara. And now is Canelo a killer of champions at 175? So, yes, Kovalev is pretty much very very bad.

6y ago

ruedboy

Yep I more or less agree...I wasn't actively scoring but felt Kovalev was more or less in controlling the fight even without much on the jab...I think the fatigue just kind of made him a sitting duck..how much that had to do with Canelo in the first 10 rounds, I am not sure. I think Canelo wasn't doing that much but he still forced the pace and had Kovalev backing up. I think a fighter loses his punch resistance as he ages but maybe that's because Alvarez is not my favorite fighter. :-) Seriously though, Canelo hasn't KO'd any top fighter.

6y ago

Boxing_1013

Kovalev was fading in the last couple of rounds. Which is why he ended up on the ropes more frequently. Any time a fighter is fatigued the first thing they do is lean on the ropes. He was out-boxing Canelo for ten rounds (I gave Canelo 2 maybe 3 rounds), but his stamina faded. I don't know how Kovalev of two years ago does against Canelo. Buddy did some good work with Sergei developing his jab. Yep I more or less agree...I wasn't actively scoring but felt Kovalev was more or less in controlling the fight even without much on the jab...I think the fatigue just kind of made him a sitting duck..how much that had to do with Canelo in the first 10 rounds, I am not sure.

6y ago

Boxing_1013

Ko'd by the girst 2-3 good shots? Kovalev was eating flush bombs all night. Him getting stopped wasnt surprising. Canelo's power, surprisingly, was seemingly better than Kov's all night...but yeah neither guy landed much of note really until those final few shots...not sure how anyone could see any 'flush bombs' landing all night really...even those last couple shots before he was wide open, were not exactly thunderous shots.

6y ago

GhostofDempsey

Good posts, thanks...I think Kov on his day was a very formidable challenge, good power and jab, and good enough punch resistance...his power and stamina seem to have faded, and with that his punch resistance, certainly late in a fight. Kovalev was fading in the last couple of rounds. Which is why he ended up on the ropes more frequently. Any time a fighter is fatigued the first thing they do is lean on the ropes. He was out-boxing Canelo for ten rounds (I gave Canelo 2 maybe 3 rounds), but his stamina faded. I don't know how Kovalev of two years ago does against Canelo. Buddy did some good work with Sergei developing his jab.

6y ago

SplitSecond

Ko'd by the girst 2-3 good shots? Kovalev was eating flush bombs all night. Him getting stopped wasnt surprising.

6y ago

Jsmooth9876

Question: When was Kovalev ever great? Who were his best wins prior to his fights with Ward? Pascal, Hopkins. Beating him is a good win, not necessarily a great win. The guy arguably beat Andre Ward who was considered at least top 2-3 P4P at the time. So we really should just separate the past Kovalev from the current one that Canelo knocked out. Same guy but 2 very different points in his career...

6y ago

Boxing_1013

Question: When was Kovalev ever great? Who were his best wins prior to his fights with Ward? Pascal, Hopkins. Beating him is a good win, not necessarily a great win. It was fairly obvious to anyone paying attention that Kovalev was a faded guy from.the one who fought Ward a bunch of years back but he still had the name and aura surrounding him as a big hitting KO artist 15 lbs above Canelos weight. The reality is Kovalev was probably the 4th best LHW champ before the Beterbiev-OG fight and would have been stopped by those 2 and Bivol. Canelo gets credit for going up and fighting him but it's not close to Mikey going to fight Spence when someone moves up and faces a prime elite talent. Good posts, thanks...I think Kov on his day was a very formidable challenge, good power and jab, and good enough punch resistance...his power and stamina seem to have faded, and with that his punch resistance, certainly late in a fight.

6y ago

DuckAdonis

It was more the rehydration clause and the fact that Kovalev didn't have time to recover from that Yarde fight (where he was almost KO'd) that caused his punch resistance to be sheeit

6y ago