Comments Thread For: Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev II - HBO 24/7 - Debut on June 2

[NYG]

LMAO. "He's a good fighter and that's it...". The Olympics just give medals just because!

Most industry acknowledge he hasn't been beaten since 12... Didn't realize lacing it up was a walk in the park!

Is he anything more than a boxer to any of us here? Therealpugilist has a huge man crush on him so i wonder why he has it, he acts like Ward is his pimp or something. He is a BOXER, not a ****ing god. Pugilist gets angry when people insult him, its scary

[Lester Tutor]

Is he anything more than a boxer to any of us here? Therealpugilist has a huge man crush on him so i wonder why he has it, he acts like Ward is his pimp or something. He is a BOXER, not a ****ing god. Pugilist gets angry when people insult him, its scary

Comes with the territory. He has the right to his opinion just like any other to theirs. He even laces up so it's logical for him to defend a professional boxer that won Olympic Gold. Basically boxing isn't easy. It takes a lot to take a solid punch. The fact that many didn't give Ward the benefit of the doubt from that knock down and literally perform better the second half whereas Kova didn't shows that Olympic pedigree in him.

[NYG]

Comes with the territory. He has the right to his opinion just like any other to theirs. He even laces up so it's logical for him to defend a professional boxer that won Olympic Gold. Basically boxing isn't easy. It takes a lot to take a solid punch. The fact that many didn't give Ward the benefit of the doubt from that knock down and literally perform better the second half whereas Kova didn't shows that Olympic pedigree in him.

I dont really care for Ward or Kov, i'm just intereste in knowing why pugilist contradicts himself and makes himself look like a fool

[peakbay]

I don't need to act intellectual when it's clear my IQ is higher than your own and my grasp of English is better than your own.

We're done here aren't we ? :bukkake:

wow you really are are dou,che bag! yes you were trying to come off as intellectual (if not then why did you bring it up) stop trying to deflect all the time is that all you've got ?? come on then Ernestine how have you gathered that your IQ higher or are you just deflecting

[SUBZER0ED]

Kovalev vs Ward II, June 17, 2017. May the best man win. End thread.

[Curt Henning]

bu bu bu bu but ward didnt show up for the taping of a 5 minute segment that only hardcore fans, who are already going to buy the fight, are going to watch!!!!

[bojangles1987]

I really hope the bad blood shows, because it's making this rematch so interesting. I mean, besides probably the p4p 2 best rematching for supremacy of a division.

[Porter's Dad]

That is pretty close to how I see it playing out as well. I think Kovalev became a little complacent thinking he was winning the boxing match so he didn't need to take chances. Ward also did some good body work. I think in the rematch, he will have more of that focused hate we've seen before

I agree with your thinking that he will come in with more focused intentions to hurt Ward, and will take more chances to get it done. He demonstrated that he can hit and hurt Ward, but he never really pressed it in the first match out of respect for Ward's skill and infighting abilities. This time, he will pursue that avenue more aggressively (and probably put in more body work as the fight wears on).

On Ward's side, I think his reflexes probably aren't as sharp as they were at his peak. That is why I think Kovalev will be successful in utilizing more aggression. He is still a very slick boxer, but he will get hit. I also don't really see any significant adjustments he can make.

I'm going out on a limb to predict a KO by Kovalev. I like Ward too, and hell he could prove us wrong. This is what I'm seeing though.

Yeah, I agree. It's funny, there seems to be more a consensus that Ward will win this fight than there was for the first fight, probably because of the sense that Ward has now adjusted and it will be a continuation of the first fight.

Honestly, Ward looked REALLY bad in that first fight and had to use every trick and reserve of mental strength to come back (in some way, it was a remarkable feat for him to make the fight so close after that awful start). He was flat-footed and there was no fluidity or bounce in his legs. His legs were/are always key to his style.

People keep saying that the boxer always wins the rematch - but is there an argument to be made that Kov was actually the boxer in the first fight? He had the better fundamentals, the better jab, the cleaner shots. I guess it depends on your definition of boxer. But again, Kov is getting pretty much overlooked for this fight.

I think Kov is fully dialled into this fight - he has said that in the first fight, he overrated Ward and that Ward has no power. If he's coming into a fight with that mindset (and I don't think he really talks BS when it comes to that kind of stuff), you know what his mentality is. At the very least, I expect him to get at least 1 KD again, and for him to get a decision this time if he does. But I can't shake the feeling that it might be a KO/TKO and the fight might get ugly for Ward.

[Edward90]

I'm not sure why I go to the comments believing that there will be engaging discussion about the finer points of this fight or how the previous fight plays a role in it. Nope, just a bunch of crying and immature insults.

Anyway, I'm amped about this fight. So much so that I'm flying to Vegas to see it in-person. I expect Ward to win more convincingly and solidify his spot at #1 P4P. He is more familiar with what Kov is bringing to the table and he has felt his power, which Kov has been able to get his opponent out with. As the first fight progressed, Ward's jab found the money better and better. Kov kind of concerns me. He can improve his stamina, but I would be surprised if he changed his habits and I expect him to gas as he did before. Also, who is coming up with the gameplan? I have heard numerous times from writers that Kov almost seems to train himself. That's not good and it showed in the first fight. However, if he can get Ward in trouble and finish the job, that is his best bet to win. The longer the fight goes, the more it favors Ward. Great, high IQ fight against two top notch fighters. May the better boxer win.

[Mukuro]

Yeah, I agree. It's funny, there seems to be more a consensus that Ward will win this fight than there was for the first fight, probably because of the sense that Ward has now adjusted and it will be a continuation of the first fight.

Honestly, Ward looked REALLY bad in that first fight and had to use every trick and reserve of mental strength to come back (in some way, it was a remarkable feat for him to make the fight so close after that awful start). He was flat-footed and there was no fluidity or bounce in his legs. His legs were/are always key to his style.

People keep saying that the boxer always wins the rematch - but is there an argument to be made that Kov was actually the boxer in the first fight? He had the better fundamentals, the better jab, the cleaner shots. I guess it depends on your definition of boxer. But again, Kov is getting pretty much overlooked for this fight.

I think Kov is fully dialled into this fight - he has said that in the first fight, he overrated Ward and that Ward has no power. If he's coming into a fight with that mindset (and I don't think he really talks BS when it comes to that kind of stuff), you know what his mentality is. At the very least, I expect him to get at least 1 KD again, and for him to get a decision this time if he does. But I can't shake the feeling that it might be a KO/TKO and the fight might get ugly for Ward.

Yeah I don't really buy the notion put forward by some that Ward figured him out and will pick up where he left off. Ward hustled his ass off to get back in the fight, and he was doing it by the skin of his teeth. He wasn't exactly dominating at the end either, Kovalev won some of those late rounds.

I agree that Kovalev more played the role of the boxer. He was very intent to shut down Ward's inside game and focus on boxing at range, but as a result he refused to engage inside most of the fight and would usually clinch. I think he will take more trades this time. It can pay off as long as he is smart about it. One thing I'm looking for is left hook to the body to counter Ward's lead right-clinch combo. He hurt Ward pretty good with that in the 12th round.

The thing for me is Kovalev floored him, hurt him a few times, and arguably deserved to win just straight up boxing and being smart the first time. I don't see what Ward can do to improve on his performance, but I see A LOT that Kovalev can do to improve on his.