I think so too. Ward is a great boxer, very technical, can adapt to anything... But at this point these Eastern European boys are just too athletic (by athletic I mean power + durability + intensity) and too big for him. There's no way he would have walked through Bivol, Beterbiev and Gvozdyk without a loss.
Let's face it, Ward could have easily lost that decision against Kovalev in their first fight. He's not invincible at 175 and his body has had more wear and tear than anyone's of the top contenders there. Ward only looked convincing against Kovalev after he spent like 18 rounds with him in the ring. Had the judges gave that 10th round to Kovalev, there would have been no rematch and Ward's legacy would have been viewed quite differently with a 30-1 record. He proved to be the better fighter over the 2 fights but got lucky that he got the opportunity to be in the ring long enough with Kovalev to figure him out.
The thing about Ward is that he has the skills and the ring IQ to figure out all three of the guys I mentioned, but he needs time for it and would lose rounds and possibly get KOd before he figures out the right gameplan and the right adjustments.
The difference between the prime 168 Ward and the 175 Ward is that the 168 Ward had the speed and intensity to start the fights strong while at 175 he is more cautious and more of a slow starter, as evidenced in the first fight against Kovalev.
Man what the hell, this is too much of a jump for Gvozdyk, he should do with Barrera-Bivol and Beterbiev first befoe jumping with Kovalev. Going from Craig Baker to Sergey Kovalev is definitely NOT a great move.
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