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Okay guys I just finished watching the fight and here's what I saw.
The knockdown- Obviously the biggest point in the fight as Kovalev beat Ward to the punch with a straight right as Ward was throwing his own. After the knock down Ward's right hand disappeared on the outside. I don't think he threw a right to the head until round 9.
Kovalev looked much bigger and stronger then Ward and was able to move him in the clinch quite a lot easier than I expected. Part of it is size and part of it was the type of clinch he was using. https://********/P6osFyv_pgs
The double underhook clinch that Sergei kept on going to allowed him to put Ward into the ropes a lot and stifle some of his inside game. That and the elbow on the neck as Ward ducked in low.
Ward did a lot of good body work on the inside though. It slowed Kovalev down quite a bit and is probably responsible for him getting back into the fight after dropping a few of the early rounds. That and the reemergence of the right hand late. Dealing with a jab or body jab is one thing, dealing with the right hand following it is a different story. Ward was just a bit too cautious with it.
Oh and speaking of the jab, Ward never really had an answer for it. Very few attempts to counter it at all, it would have gone a long way to stopping Sergei from taking at least a couple of those middle rounds if he had to think before he threw it. Ward just used it as an opportunity to get to the inside where he was a bit better off, but Sergei jab was sharper and it made a case for him controlling the fight.
I thought a point should have been taken from Ward when he grabbed Kovalev's legs as he pushed him back. That was a blatant foul.
Overall I had Kovalev up by 3 points. A bad decision in my view but not a totally blatant robbery.
Thoughts?
The knockdown- Obviously the biggest point in the fight as Kovalev beat Ward to the punch with a straight right as Ward was throwing his own. After the knock down Ward's right hand disappeared on the outside. I don't think he threw a right to the head until round 9.
Kovalev looked much bigger and stronger then Ward and was able to move him in the clinch quite a lot easier than I expected. Part of it is size and part of it was the type of clinch he was using. https://********/P6osFyv_pgs
The double underhook clinch that Sergei kept on going to allowed him to put Ward into the ropes a lot and stifle some of his inside game. That and the elbow on the neck as Ward ducked in low.
Ward did a lot of good body work on the inside though. It slowed Kovalev down quite a bit and is probably responsible for him getting back into the fight after dropping a few of the early rounds. That and the reemergence of the right hand late. Dealing with a jab or body jab is one thing, dealing with the right hand following it is a different story. Ward was just a bit too cautious with it.
Oh and speaking of the jab, Ward never really had an answer for it. Very few attempts to counter it at all, it would have gone a long way to stopping Sergei from taking at least a couple of those middle rounds if he had to think before he threw it. Ward just used it as an opportunity to get to the inside where he was a bit better off, but Sergei jab was sharper and it made a case for him controlling the fight.
I thought a point should have been taken from Ward when he grabbed Kovalev's legs as he pushed him back. That was a blatant foul.
Overall I had Kovalev up by 3 points. A bad decision in my view but not a totally blatant robbery.
Thoughts?
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