Dan Rafael: Controversy nothing more than a manufactured excuse by Kovalev

[BoxingIsGreat]

Killer turned into a kitty!

[Boxing Goat]

Yes they are legal! The naval is not any kind of border line for low blows, the waist is, anything below the waist is low, several inches below the naval. The bottom of the belt line is totally legal when the belt is pulled up that high. Even that last blow was only border line.

Do people really think that anything below the belly button is an illegal blow? Your stomach keeps going well below the belly button. Anything above or at the pelvic region is fine and not a low blow.

And yeah, between the belly button and the bottom of the waist line is a painful legal place to get punched, that's why boxers target it.

Go look at post #22 in this thread and see the GIF that the guy has attached to his signature. That is one of the punches in the last sequence, which I believe to be the first one. It's clearly, very clearly right on the front of Kovalev's cup. Not on the band or anything, clearly under it. As that punch lands, he's not bent over yet. It literally caused him to crumple over in pain as the other shots come.

How anyone can dispute that is illegal is beyond me.

[Boxing Goat]

the only shot u all can legitimately argue is the final shot in wich kov was in an illegal position once again due to legal body shots. he was already finished and ready to give up after the right hand and those LEGAL body shots following. if ward turned his back on kov and faked low blows it would be the talk of the town but for some reason the only thing u all want to bring up is the final shot, nothing else that happened in the 8th is worth discussion huh?

Go look at post #22 in this thread and see the GIF that the guy has attached to his signature. That is one of the punches in the last sequence, which I believe to be the first one. It's clearly, very clearly right on the front of Kovalev's cup. Not on the band or anything, clearly under it. As that punch lands, he's not bent over yet. It literally caused him to crumple over in pain as the other shots come.

How anyone can dispute that is illegal is beyond me.

[Vlad_]

Would love to see Larry Merchant put on a cup, and have Ward punch him in the same place with the same full swing.

[Robbie Barrett]

Go look at post #22 in this thread and see the GIF that the guy has attached to his signature. That is one of the punches in the last sequence, which I believe to be the first one. It's clearly, very clearly right on the front of Kovalev's cup. Not on the band or anything, clearly under it. As that punch lands, he's not bent over yet. It literally caused him to crumple over in pain as the other shots come.

How anyone can dispute that is illegal is beyond me.

That's the last punch. That's the only one that is clearly low.

[Vlad_]

That's the last punch. That's the only one that is clearly low.

Yesss,and the one to really make Kovalev bend down below Ward's waist, yelling in agony, and prompting Weeks to come in and stop the fight.

[Deevel916]

That's the last punch. That's the only one that is clearly low.

Ok, so you're ok with the ref stopping the fight immediately after an obvious low blow lands?

It was a bad stoppage. That cannot be disputed.

[Robbie Barrett]

Yesss,and the one to really make Kovalev bend down below Ward's waist, yelling in agony, and prompting Weeks to come in and stop the fight.

Kovalev was already bent down. Which made it hard for the ref and Ward to see. Ward hurt him to the body earlier in the round. Kovalev was finished. He's lucky it ended like that, because now he has a bullshit excuse which is better than getting beaten brutally and stopped.

[Robbie Barrett]

Ok, so you're ok with the ref stopping the fight immediately after an obvious low blow lands?

It was a bad stoppage. That cannot be disputed.

Kovalev was already bent down. Which made it hard for the ref and Ward to see. Ward hurt him to the body earlier in the round. Kovalev was finished. He's lucky it ended like that, because now he has a bullshit excuse which is better than getting beaten brutally and stopped.

[Vlad_]

Kovalev was already bent down. Which made it hard for the ref and Ward to see. Ward hurt him to the body earlier in the round. Kovalev was finished. He's lucky it ended like that, because now he has a bullshit excuse which is better than getting beaten brutally and stopped.

Kovalev was bent down, possibly because the previous shot or two in that final sequence were also low, but he still had his head above Ward's waist. That final shot to the old sisters is what made him fully bend and sit on the ropes.