Comments Thread For: Kovalev-Shabranskyy: WBO To Rule This Week if Title is at Stake

[SchoolTheseCats]

Eating clean punches? He was being punched in the groin, ffs.

It was a groin punch that had him doing the stinky leg? Every time Ward went to body he cried his trainer admitted he can’t take body shots he gassed out 3 fights in a row after 7-8rounds he has nothing left in tank chilemba showed the gameplan on how to beat krusher Ward used it in first fight and executed perfectly in the second he lost get over it

[kafkod]

It was a groin punch that had him doing the stinky leg? Every time Ward went to body he cried his trainer admitted he can’t take body shots he gassed out 3 fights in a row after 7-8rounds he has nothing left in tank chilemba showed the gameplan on how to beat krusher Ward used it in first fight and executed perfectly in the second he lost get over it

Lol. And now your hero the fake P4P N01 has treated his fake fans and crooked promoter with the contempt they deserve by taking the money and the tainted wins and disappearing like a thief in the night!

[Tatabanya]

So far as I know, there is nothing in the rules of boxing that says it's ok to hit your opponent in the groin repeatedly if he "starts to fade"

You might have a good point here. But I am not calling those blows as "hitting the groin"; they were mostly on the belt line (where the protector usually does a good job). Plus, the final ones were thrown with Kovalev already squatting on the ropes and bent forward, thus their impact was definitely reduced.

That said - even if I think that Ward would have stopped Krusher in any case - the referee was not right. It was a premature stoppage. But any detached observer knows that those blows were not the deciding factor. It was Kovalev's willpower that crumbled.

[kafkod]

You might have a good point here. But I am not calling those blows as "hitting the groin"; they were mostly on the belt line (where the protector usually does a good job). Plus, the final ones were thrown with Kovalev already squatting on the ropes and bent forward, thus their impact was definitely reduced.

That said - even if I think that Ward would have stopped Krusher in any case - the referee was not right. It was a premature stoppage. But any detached observer knows that those blows were not the deciding factor. It was Kovalev's willpower that crumbled.

With respect, I think it's crazy to say that the punches which end a fight were not the deciding factor in a fight!

Kovalev didn't look in any danger of being stopped until the 8th round. The 8th was when Ward started to aim shots at the belt-line of Kovalev's trunks, which the ref had already ruled as illegal earlier in the fight (round 2)

[Tatabanya]

With respect, I think it's crazy to say that the punches which end a fight were not the deciding factor in a fight!

Again, I see your point. But let me ask you: had the referee let Kovalev continue instead of stopping the fight, what would have Sergey done? I don't think he would have quit.

Therefore, if he had continued to fight, those low blows would not have been the "deciding factor". Here's why I believe that the ref, and not the blows, was that factor (besides Krusher's diminishing strength and will).

Believe me, I really rooted for Kovalev, in both fights. I like him. But one has to be objective.

[kafkod]

Again, I see your point. But let me ask you: had the referee let Kovalev continue instead of stopping the fight, what would have Sergey done? I don't think he would have quit.

Therefore, if he had continued to fight, those low blows would not have been the "deciding factor". Here's why I believe that the ref, and not the blows, was that factor (besides Krusher's diminishing strength and will).

Believe me, I really rooted for Kovalev, in both fights. I like him. But one has to be objective.

Two separate issues here. First .. boxers often get tired in fights, then they get a second wind and come on strong again. Kovalev look tired and lost rounds 5/6 in the first Pascal fight, then he got his second wind and KO'd Pascal.

AJ was totally gassed in rounds 5-7 against Wlad, in much worse shape than Kovalev, but AJ recovered and came back to win the fight.

Groves against Chudinov is another example. It happens all the time in tough fights. How do we know Kovalev wouldn't have recovered and come on strong again against Ward, like he did against Pascal, if the ref had given him the chance?

Second issue is Kovalev reacting to low blows. The ref warned Ward for hitting the waistband of Kovalev's trunks in round 2. When he started targeting the same area again in round 8 Kovalev reacted by bending over and turning away..

Floyd did exactly the same thing when he was hit borderline low by McGregor. Was Floyd done and looking for an excuse to quit there? Hell no .. he was showing the ref he'd been hit low so the ref would do something about it. Same thing with Kovalev against Ward. Krusher was hurt by what he thought were low blows and he reacted the way boxers usually react when that happens.

[daggum]

You might have a good point here. But I am not calling those blows as "hitting the groin"; they were mostly on the belt line (where the protector usually does a good job). Plus, the final ones were thrown with Kovalev already squatting on the ropes and bent forward, thus their impact was definitely reduced.

That said - even if I think that Ward would have stopped Krusher in any case - the referee was not right. It was a premature stoppage. But any detached observer knows that those blows were not the deciding factor. It was Kovalev's willpower that crumbled.

it was round 7 when ward started to go low over and over. that was the round where he hit kovalev with a low blow(theres video of this that you obv missed) and then 2 borderline shots right after but kovalev gave a delayed reaction and turned his back from the first shot and everyone thoght it was from teh borderline blows when in reality it was the punch that hit him square in the nuts a half second before. every time kovalev got hit low he reacted as anyone would. he never faked being hurt from border line shots as some people claim. they shold be saying why was ward hitting kovalev so low but instead they are blaming kovalev for reacting to being hit low? you make the claim that kov was reacting to body shots but please show me a legit body shot that made him turn his back or complain to the ref? you are making the claim so the burden of proof is is on you. i can show you all the low blows he got hit with. blows that the ref himself said were low pref fight and during the fight yet suddenyl in round 7....

they were the deciding factor. they were the entire reason the fight was stopped....kov was basically recovered and was dodging all of wards punches at tat point so its a puzzling thing you are saying. what is subjective is asking did ward get kovalev to lose his focus with all those low blows and enable him to land that big right hand? he had just hit kovalev with another low blow right before that so maybe but to say they werent the deciding factor just makes no sense. the ref messed up badly and he messed up over and over in that fight and instead of correcting his mistakes he kept letting ward cheat.

[daggum]

Two separate issues here. First .. boxers often get tired in fights, then they get a second wind and come on strong again. Kovalev look tired and lost rounds 5/6 in the first Pascal fight, then he got his second wind and KO'd Pascal.

AJ was totally gassed in rounds 5-7 against Wlad, in much worse shape than Kovalev, but AJ recovered and came back to win the fight.

Groves against Chudinov is another example. It happens all the time in tough fights. How do we know Kovalev wouldn't have recovered and come on strong again against Ward, like he did against Pascal, if the ref had given him the chance?

Second issue is Kovalev reacting to low blows. The ref warned Ward for hitting the waistband of Kovalev's trunks in round 2. When he started targeting the same area again in round 8 Kovalev reacted by bending over and turning away..

Floyd did exactly the same thing when he was hit borderline low by McGregor. Was Floyd done and looking for an excuse to quit there? Hell no .. he was showing the ref he'd been hit low so the ref would do something about it. Same thing with Kovalev against Ward. Krusher was hurt by what he thought were low blows and he reacted the way boxers usually react when that happens.

and against judah. i guess that was really a judah ko because floyd had no willpower?

[Tatabanya]

Kafkod, Daggum:

Sound reasoning from both of you. Still, I feel that Kovalev was not the same Kovalev of the first fight to begin with. He was more nervous, less precise, wasting more energy. In a word, less solid altogether. When the low/borderline blows started to come, that became an unconscious excuse for Krusher to justify an eventual loss. That's how I see it and of course I might be wrong.

In Holyfield-Tyson 2, Tyson started the fight with the intention of knocking out Holyfield and - in my opinion - that is what would have happened had Mills Lane not allowed Holyfield to headbutt Iron Mike. When Tyson realized that the referee was allowing Holyfield to do as he pleased, then he snapped.

On the contrary, Kovalev - for what I see in the second Ward fight - did not even begin the fight with his usual mentality.

Again, this does not justify the premature stoppage. But I do not think that that "second wind" was coming for the Krusher. It was not the same as in the Pascal fight you mention. He was finished in the eight, and you could see it coming as the previous rounds progressed.

[SweetPbfAli]

it was round 7 when ward started to go low over and over. that was the round where he hit kovalev with a low blow(theres video of this that you obv missed) and then 2 borderline shots right after but kovalev gave a delayed reaction and turned his back from the first shot and everyone thoght it was from teh borderline blows when in reality it was the punch that hit him square in the nuts a half second before. every time kovalev got hit low he reacted as anyone would. he never faked being hurt from border line shots as some people claim. they shold be saying why was ward hitting kovalev so low but instead they are blaming kovalev for reacting to being hit low? you make the claim that kov was reacting to body shots but please show me a legit body shot that made him turn his back or complain to the ref? you are making the claim so the burden of proof is is on you. i can show you all the low blows he got hit with. blows that the ref himself said were low pref fight and during the fight yet suddenyl in round 7....

they were the deciding factor. they were the entire reason the fight was stopped....kov was basically recovered and was dodging all of wards punches at tat point so its a puzzling thing you are saying. what is subjective is asking did ward get kovalev to lose his focus with all those low blows and enable him to land that big right hand? he had just hit kovalev with another low blow right before that so maybe but to say they werent the deciding factor just makes no sense. the ref messed up badly and he messed up over and over in that fight and instead of correcting his mistakes he kept letting ward cheat.

This fight seems to have affected you the same way that the May-Pac fight destroyed spoons life. It's over. Nothing is going to change the outcome no matter your reluctance to accept it. Kovalev was a broken and beaten man.