Comments Thread For: Kovalev: Better if Ward Himself Had Stopped Me, Not The Ref

[N/A]

It's very clear Kovalev quit in the second fight. He left the ref no choice. It's easy to quit and then immediately after the stoppage act like you were fine. Guys do it all the time. This is nothing new.

[Citizen Koba]

It's very clear Kovalev quit in the second fight. He left the ref no choice. It's easy to quit and then immediately after the stoppage act like you were fine. Guys do it all the time. This is nothing new.

Whether he wanted to quit or not (which is surely a matter of opinion and not as clear cut as you're making out) the fight was still stopped immediately after a low blow. Had Weeks seen the low blow the rules leave no doubt as to how he should have acted - you can't just ignore a foul because you think that a guy is on the way out - or even if you believe a guy is looking for a way out.

I'm 99% sure Ward would have won anyway, but that doesn't change the fact that Weeks acted incorrectly.

[N/A]

Whether he wanted to quit or not (which is surely a matter of opinion and not as clear cut as you're making out) the fight was still stopped immediately after a low blow.

There may have been a low blow in there because Kovalev was bending over and refusing to fight, but most of those punches were clearly on the belt line that the ref said would be legal at the start of the fight. Kovalev was running away, refusing to fight and looking for a way out. Weeks had to stop it. When you've been doing this a long time, you learn the non-verbal cues fighters give you when they don't want to continue anymore. This was a classic case of that.

[Citizen Koba]

There may have been a low blow in there because Kovalev was bending over and refusing to fight, but most of those punches were clearly on the belt line that the ref said would be legal at the start of the fight. Kovalev was running away, refusing to fight and looking for a way out. Weeks had to stop it. When you've been doing this a long time, you learn the non-verbal cues fighters give you when they don't want to continue anymore. This was a classic case of that.

You have reffing experience, too? That is interesting to know. I imagine Weeks didn't see the low blow because Kovalev was doubled over, but nonetheless if Weeks had seen it, my understanding would be that he essentially had no choice but to call a foul since the fight had not yet been stopped. If he had stopped the fight before the final low blow occured it probably would have been considered a little premature, but I would have considered it legitimate... stopping it in favour of the transgressor immediately after a foul has been commited surely runs counter to the rules however... what's your take - as a general principle rather than vis-a-vis this particular fight?

[N/A]

You have reffing experience, too? That is interesting to know.

No. Thankless job with **** pay. But talk to any experienced ref (I'd recommend buying them a beer or two) and they will tell you all sorts of ways they know when a fighter wants out. Kovalev is desperately looking for an escape at the end of that fight. If you're not intelligently defending, the ref will stop it. Kovalev ran away for a while and then just gave up.

Yes there is a blow in there that under other circumstances you might halt the action, but Weeks is already going in to stop the fight before that blow is thrown, which is part of why he didn't see it.

[Citizen Koba]

No. Thankless job with **** pay. But talk to any experienced ref (I'd recommend buying them a beer or two) and they will tell you all sorts of ways they know when a fighter wants out. Kovalev is desperately looking for an escape at the end of that fight. If you're not intelligently defending, the ref will stop it. Kovalev ran away for a while and then just gave up.

Yes there is a blow in there that under other circumstances you might halt the action, but Weeks is already going in to stop the fight before that blow is thrown, which is part of why he didn't see it.

Well you're in good company, my man.

And I guess we'll just agree to differ on this one... ain't so much this fight (which I think Dre was on his way to winning anyway), more the principle of the thing. I'm not gonna say it's OK to ignore fouls because of what you're intending to do or because of how you thing the fights gonna go.

And I saw Kovalev badly hurt rather than actually giving up, but I won't pretend I got some kind of special insight into what was going on in the guys mind.

[Ray*]

Sorry but you quit. I hate it when fighters get stopped by the ref and then they complain later. A boxer that doesn’t want to quit would protest seriously when they are stopped by the ref, Carlos Takam as a recent example when the ref stopped him against AJ.

[yoshik]

Unless Kov has ovaries, those shots were nowhere near his balls. More like lower abdomen.

Jesus, then you must not have a package sweet pea. Ever wore a boxing cup? Probably not since apparently, you don't know where the scrotum is.

[yoshik]

Sorry but you quit. I hate it when fighters get stopped by the ref and then they complain later. A boxer that doesn’t want to quit would protest seriously when they are stopped by the ref, Carlos Takam as a recent example when the ref stopped him against AJ.

How did he quit? Telepathically spoke to Weeks and say "Stop it." You Wardaholics are something to behold. Ridiculous. #casualfanboys

[yoshik]

It's very clear Kovalev quit in the second fight. He left the ref no choice. It's easy to quit and then immediately after the stoppage act like you were fine. Guys do it all the time. This is nothing new.

How old are you boy? 20? You don't know **** about the game. You just don't. You say some of the dumbest **** that anyone with a boxing IQ would know right away was absolute bias. Listen, go to Boxing24 where they would love a guy like you. Please.