Is Ward capable of outboxing Kovalev on the back foot?

[sunny31]

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.

[sunny31]

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.

[sunny31]

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.

[ippo]

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

[sunny31]

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.

[ippo]

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.

[sunny31]

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.

[ippo]

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

[sunny31]

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.