Kovalev game plan for Ward?

[elina jhon]

Ward still feels like he should be able to take a tune-up to get ready for the Kovalev fight later this year.

[Redd Foxx]

Its Ward who has to show me something if a guy as slow and as basic as Barrera can land regular I don't like his chances vs Kovalev.

Playing fast and loose with the facts there...
12% of jabs thrown and 15% overall is now "land regular"? Need we make the next logical comparison about the Chilemba fight?

Clearly, Barrera isn't Kovalev and Chilemba isn't Ward, but let's not just start making shyt up that didn't happen.

[dan_cov]

Playing fast and loose with the facts there...
12% of jabs thrown and 15% overall is now "land regular"? Need we make the next logical comparison about the Chilemba fight?

Clearly, Barrera isn't Kovalev and Chilemba isn't Ward, but let's not just start making shyt up that didn't happen.

I don't deal with compubox I seen with my own 2 eyes that Ward was getting with shots he shouldn't of. Barrera is the slowest LHW I've maybe seen ever and is as basic as you can get, if that guy can hit him quite a lot then Kovalev will.

Besides a percentage doesn't tell you the whole story which is why guys like you prefer to use it.
% of what? 1? 150? 900? 1872? Not that is matters a great deal because it reverts back to compubox, three monkies pressing a button.

[bojangles1987]

Kovalev needs to trust his skills. I know he isn't more skilled than Ward, but if he plays too much the aggressor he will play right into Ward's hands. Ward would love to fight an overly aggressive Kovalev. He could keep him off balance, make him miss, tie him up, and frustrate him into fighting even worse.

Trust his jab, trust his power, trust his counter punching. He has the skills and power to at least hang with Ward. He has shown he can feint smart fighters into mistakes. Make Ward feel pressured to make the first move sometimes and land that power.

[SnakeVen0m]

Two of my favorite fighters! Damn, I hate it when this happens. The obvious pick is a Ward UD but if KOv can control the distance and use his reach he could keep Ward honest by landing clean shots and not allowing Ward to work on the inside. Ward's best chances are to stay close to KOv and not let him set up anything big.

[Redd Foxx]

I don't deal with compubox I seen with my own 2 eyes that Ward was getting with shots he shouldn't of. Barrera is the slowest LHW I've maybe seen ever and is as basic as you can get, if that guy can hit him quite a lot then Kovalev will.

Besides a percentage doesn't tell you the whole story which is why guys like you prefer to use it.
% of what? 1? 150? 900? 1872? Not that is matters a great deal because it reverts back to compubox, three monkies pressing a button.

That's the go-to when the facts don't support the argument. I think you're above that.
I'll be sympathetic in that looks were deceiving in that fight and many punches I initially thought landed were misses when I watched more closely. Ward has an insane economy of motion in the way he parries and slips punches. They often just graze by, hit a shoulder, get deflected, etc. Happened a lot in the Barrera fight. It's the same with Mayweather fights where people tend to give credit for punches that didn't land. It's a lot easier when you're ringside and you can not only see it more closely, but hear when the gloves are landing.

[Weebler I]

Don't let him hold, and just be Kovalev.

[_original_]

Not let Ward get on the inside where he has shown he has no skill or fight there. If Ward gets inside, believe me, people are gonna be shocked how easily Ward will be able to control the fight.

[Boxfan83]

Don't box with him and look to get off first always.

Kovalev cannot stand off and give ward space he need to employ the tactics maidana used against Floyd and hope for a ko on the first half of the fight

Ive never seen Kovalev throw in volume, doing so against a guy like Ward would/could be disastrous to try out. Ward is the only current boxer I feel that can emulate Pernell Whittaker by staying in your chest and making you miss right in front of you. I dont think Kovalev needs to change anything except for being able to box off the back foot more. With Ward he will need to move back constantly to maintain that distance without getting countered or being forced to fight on the inside and get smothered. Honestly I have not seen this from Kovalev and I dont think this is in his arsenal which is why I think Ward wins by UD in a competitive fight (although I am very bias on this fight). Just coming forward doesnt beat guys like Ward, fighting off the back foot to be able to slip counters and getting tied up is a must and is way easier said than done.

[Boxfan83]

This idea that some have, that Kovalev can pick Ward apart from the outside, doesn't make a lot of sense. What's the one area in which Kovalev excels above all else? Power. Power is limited at the end of your range and you don't want to over extend against a power puncher who can cover distance quickly. Not only can Ward move but he can throw effective combinations while doing it.

If you want to see what picking Ward apart from the outside gets you, watch the Dawson fight. If rangey Chad's 5" reach advantage was ineffective, Kovalev isn't going to find it any easier with 1".

Again, Kovalev has 1 clear advantage here, power. His challenge here is to get that power on Ward's chin as cleanly. He's got to get him to open up. Kovalev is unlikely to do that via slick defense so he's got to do it offensively.

Exactly, like I said in my post, Kovalev would have to use that back foot more than he ever has to maintain distance. and you are right about 2 punch combos, that has to be an all night thing, throwing more will just get him countered and tied up. Ward closes distance so quick and changes levels better than anyone in the game. People dont really pay attention to how ward basically covers the strike zone like a Cy young winning pitcher does with his level changing. He can go from as low as 5'5" to 6'2" and hit you in the same spot all while in front of you. People also dont realize how difficult it is to change levels, IMO its ranked as an EXPERT boxing move because it requires A TON of balance and eye hand coordination.