Comments Thread For: Kovalev Says He Was Sick During Training Camp for Chilemba

[r1onnie2]

I like Kovalev and would respect him more if he just said he had a off night, none of this I was sick ****. I Ward said something like that everyone would be trying to crucify him.

[TexasCowBoy]

This is not good......I had Kovalev as a favorite in the Ward fight but after this excuse it makes me wonder.....when it comes to Ward ...you gotta handed to Ward because he methodically dismantles his opponents...

[Redd Foxx]

I don't think he should have said this. These type of statements NEVER bring anything good... even if it's the truth.

Very true, though I think the exception is when the fighter wins. Like Ortiz beating Jennings when he clearly had the flu, Calzaghe beating Lacy and Ward beating Froch with injured hands. I'll admit, that kind of victory while injured/sick always impresses me.

What's sad is that if Kovalev loses to Ward, most of these cats that have been riding his d1ck the last couple years are gonna turn on him. But most of these guys aren't real fans of his. Kovalev has been nothing more for them than a personal bodyguard for GGG. Protecting him from big bad Ward. And when Ward beats him. Most of these cats are gonna flip the script and claim Kovalev was nothing more than a hypejob that GGG used to beat up in sparring.

So true. I think Mattysee is the poster boy for how fickle fans are. Kovalev is very sharp for a guy that delivers that much power. His technical ability, which borders on slickness, was mostly absent yesterday. I've criticized his past competition but I don't think his skill should ever be overlooked or forgotten about, no matter what happens in Nov.

[PunchyPotorff]

Agreed he looked tired to me, was blowing his nose a lot. If he was sick, that could explain it, but if this has something to do with meldonium, or Kovalev is getting old now at 33, boxing fans will be disappointed again come November, potentially.

This is why fighters like Ward wasting years in the courtroom, then demanding two years of tuneups after they get back, ruins the sport. Fans claim they want both guys at their best but Kovalev is 33 now because Ward took so long, and Ward himself is 32. We know from every other competitive sport that an athlete's prime is mid to late twenties, so why would it be any later in a sport where you literally take extra damage from the sport itself on top of the body slowing down from age? You can argue both are already on the downslope at 33 and 32, which just shows how absolutely absurd May-Pac was with them at 36 and 38.

All I know is unless Kovalev catches Ward with a few 100% clean bombs early that knock him out, which is unlikely, he's going to have to wear Ward down, and that's going to take having more than 400-500 punches in his arsenal all night. He needs to get back to having the energy to throw 600 minimum, but that energy may not be there anymore at 33. We'll see in November but fight fans clamoring about how the top two guys are finally fighting each other in their primes is not really true. They done conned us again. This fight should have happened two years ago when Ward was fighting Edwin Rodriguez.

I agree on the age thing, ESPECIALLY with Pac/Floydie. Ward has declined some, just as Kovalev has. IMO it will be a 50/50 fight if both come in the best they can be. Which is what we all hope for, I would imagine.

[PunchyPotorff]

I can buy cerebral fighters getting better in their early 30s. But what about guys like Pacquiao or Kovalev? What makes these guys great is their ability to put superhuman amounts of force, and energy, onto their opponents. Some fighters have power, some have speed, some have stamina, but from a biological perspective, it's very difficult to have all of those things in one fighter, for 12 rounds, because each one requires its own amount of energy. And to be able to impose this style against the best defensive fighters in the world, who know how to hold you and tire out your arms, you really have to be in peak, superhuman condition, and at your prime age. That's why the elite boxer usually beats the elite puncher because it's very rare that those things all come together for the puncher.

Pacquiao of course had all those things. Kovalev in the NBC Sports net days had just superhuman power, and much more stamina than you usually see with that kind of power. He didn't need to build giant muscles like Shannon Briggs to have that power. He just had that rare combination of amazing power, good stamina, and even very good combinations back then. Go rewatch the Cleverley fight and the speed and combos he puts on Cleverley are amazing to watch.

It's those certain moments in time you can see it coming together where as much as boxing favors the boxer, you see a puncher so special and at the top of his game that even the elite boxing tricks are not going to stop him. Pacquiao in 2009, you could see why Mayweather wanted no part of him at that time, he had all those things going at an elite level on all cylinders, and I don't think anything was going to stop him. And then Kovalev, when he first came over the US, and then as dominant a world title fight as you will ever see against Nathan Cleverley, throwing combinations that made him look more like a Manny Pacquiao than just another power puncher. At that moment in time you could see a peak physical specimen in boxing where intelligence and boxing trickery were not going to be enough to stop him. He also had it going on all cylinders to the point where biology would take over in any fight and Andre Ward, as talented as he is, was not going to beat a wrecking ball like that.

I'm not sure I see that guy anymore... guys who don't rely on superhuman athleticism can get better well into their 30s. I'm not sure guys like Kovalev can, and if the Chilemba fight is the start of a trend, I'm pretty sure he's already getting worse.

I'll take Kovalev's word for it that he was sick... because he definitely looked like it. But then I'll change my tune if he's that lethargic vs Ward.

[Boxing Logic]

Very true, though I think the exception is when the fighter wins. Like Ortiz beating Jennings when he clearly had the flu, Calzaghe beating Lacy and Ward beating Froch with injured hands. I'll admit, that kind of victory while injured/sick always impresses me.


So true. I think Mattysee is the poster boy for how fickle fans are. Kovalev is very sharp for a guy that delivers that much power. His technical ability, which borders on slickness, was mostly absent yesterday. I've criticized his past competition but I don't think his skill should ever be overlooked or forgotten about, no matter what happens in Nov.

Man really? And what happens if Ward gets iced by Kovalev? His only appeal is that he has a claim to being the best and he's black so biased black fans can get a superiority high watching him win even though he's boring as hell. What happens if he no longer has a claim to being the best? You think his fans will stick around just for the boring ass fights? Get out of here. You ask black boxing fans about guys like Curtis Stevens after the GGG fight, and they say "he doesn't count."

Most boxingscene fans are into elite boxing. If Kovalev as a puncher can't break down and get his power punches off against the elite defensive fighters in the sport, then what value does his power have? What value does his skillset have at the highest level if he's going to run into that same wall every time? If he loses to Ward, and loses the rematch, and proves he just can't do it, then fans will still follow him for entertaining action fights, and still like him like they like Matthysse, so I don't know what you're talking about. Will they still see him as #1 pound for pound? Well if he proves he can't beat the other best fighter in his division, then he wouldn't be #1 pound for pound, so of course not, that's only natural. But don't act like the same thing wouldn't happen on the other side. If Floyd had lost the decision to Oscar and Castillo, fought Pacquiao in his prime and gotten knocked out in 4 rounds, would he have the same following he has today? Of course not.

[Boxing Logic]

I agree on the age thing, ESPECIALLY with Pac/Floydie. Ward has declined some, just as Kovalev has. IMO it will be a 50/50 fight if both come in the best they can be. Which is what we all hope for, I would imagine.

Problem is that's the same excuse Floyd fans used with Mayweather Pacquiao. In reality, everyone knows the offensive fighter declines first. Kovalev is a year older than Ward, and the offensive fighter.

[Boxing Logic]

Translation: I'm scared my latet GWH is outta his league with Ward. So I'm a go ahead and lay the groundwork for my excuse if he gets clowned.

Why do you have to bring race into it? Ward is white anyway. He has a tanned white dude complexion. He has like an Italian complexion and they're considered white.

But seriously it has nothing to do with race. I mean I don't like ***** and he is white too so it has nothing to do with that. His mom was white and his dad was black, but he grew in his mom's womb so that breaks the tie, I consider him white as well, although I also have deep respect for his being half black and the black influence in his life through his father and the dreams of his father.

[Redd Foxx]

Man really? And what happens if Ward gets iced by Kovalev? His only appeal is that he has a claim to being the best and he's black so biased black fans can get a superiority high watching him win even though he's boring as hell. What happens if he no longer has a claim to being the best? You think his fans will stick around just for the boring ass fights? Get out of here. You ask black boxing fans about guys like Curtis Stevens after the GGG fight, and they say "he doesn't count."

Most boxingscene fans are into elite boxing. If Kovalev as a puncher can't break down and get his power punches off against the elite defensive fighters in the sport, then what value does his power have? What value does his skillset have at the highest level if he's going to run into that same wall every time? If he loses to Ward, and loses the rematch, and proves he just can't do it, then fans will still follow him for entertaining action fights, and still like him like they like Matthysse, so I don't know what you're talking about. Will they still see him as #1 pound for pound? Well if he proves he can't beat the other best fighter in his division, then he wouldn't be #1 pound for pound, so of course not, that's only natural. But don't act like the same thing wouldn't happen on the other side. If Floyd had lost the decision to Oscar and Castillo, fought Pacquiao in his prime and gotten knocked out in 4 rounds, would he have the same following he has today? Of course not.

Help me understand exactly what you are disagreeing with me on. Please be concise as your post rambles a bit.
I'm saying it would be a shame if the fans abandoned Kovalev like they have so many others. There's no shame in losing to Ward.

[PunchyPotorff]

Problem is that's the same excuse Floyd fans used with Mayweather Pacquiao. In reality, everyone knows the offensive fighter declines first. Kovalev is a year older than Ward, and the offensive fighter.

Floyd/Pac comparison though has nothing to do with this situation. And yes some but not all offensive fighters do decline earlier than safety first boxers. But most of those are offensive fighters who have taken too many big punches. That isn't the case with Kovalev, plus IMO he certainly hasn't flatlined. If anything, with the exception of the Chilemba fight, he's progressed every time. I'll go with Kovalev being better vs Ward, for an UD win. That's my opinion.