Comments Thread For: Kovalev: Canelo is a Real Fighter - Not Like Andre Ward!

[Rip Chudd]

Must suck to lose to a guy that isn't a real fighter. That must explain why he needed to seek God after the loss

[Citizen Koba]

Ward is a great fighter but Kovalev is right about his mentality. Ward had Kovalev hurt, but instead of finishing him like a champion, Ward punched himself out, then looked for a break from the ref or a way out throwing three low blows vs Kovalev.

Ward stamina was at zero. He was exhausted and worn down before he even hurt Kovalev. That's why he got so aggressive and desperate. It worked, he hurt Kovalev, but he lacked the power to finish Kovalev despite landing 10 more huge shots on a hurt fighter, and by then Ward must have been exhausted.

So he looked for a way out. The whole time, the Ward fans, and the Kovalev haters, have unfairly labeled Kovalev a quitter with no heart. He proved that wrong in the Yarde fight. Unless you punch his nuts over and over and leave him physically unable to stand, he is hard to get rid of, and he will come back and knock you out.

Maybe Ward knew that. Or maybe Ward just wanted a rest from the ref, but surprisingly got given the W instead. Either way, Ward blinked first, not Kovalev. Ward stopped fighting even though his opponent was hurt, not Kovalev. Kovalev was hurt but never stopped trying. Ward had his opponent hurt, but still showed mental weakness, still tried to get a rest from the ref by fouling right in front of him, repeatedly.

That's not the behavior of a real champion. In that moment, Ward fell short of that. Kovalev is right to be bitter. You would be too if the signature moment of your career was stolen by corrupt or incompetent officiating when you yourself never gave up and still had a good chance to survive and come back and win, like the Yarde fight.

Whut? I had Kovalev winning the first fight, despite allowing Ward too much control of tempo in the second half and I had the second fight pretty much level AFAIR prior to the stoppage round. I felt it was a bad stoppage, but I also felt that Ward had got Sergei's number and was just starting to take control in there... and yeah, can't say I noticed any particular sign of fatigue with Dre either. Dude tends to fight at a measured pace, conserves energy, although he's more than capable of turning it up a bit when he thinks the moment is right.

[Tecnoworld]

Ward was actually the best boxer.

[CaptainWalrus]

Andre Ward is about as real as it gets! The man was smart.

[CaptainWalrus]

Fair comment. Anyone ever re-watched a Ward fight? Thought not.

Watched a few. Great inside game and very clever fighter.

[markther]

What about the right hand that landed before the shots to the body before the stoppage? Did Sergey forget about the right hand? This short video tells the whole story, it was the right hand that landed. And Sergey was very competitive in that last round before he got caught with the “right hand.”

https://********/I_RCu-CGdfA

[Boxing_1013]

Those were low blows. and the first fight Kovalev won 8-4 no way you can give ward more than 4 rounds in the first fight not counting the knockdown.

Yeah I mean I gave Ward 4 rounds in the first fight...and felt I was being very generous to him...could have been 9-3 to Kov...8-3-1 or something was probably the right score...people defending that 'win' for Ward...I mean just hard to take them seriously lol

[Boxing_1013]

First Froch has been hating on Ward all decade, now Kovalev? Dam Ward passed out the salt before he retired. Regardless if the shots were low when it got stopped, he wasn't finishing the fight after what he looked like at that point. The first fight was a toss up at the end & Ward finished strong. He may not have been the most crowd-pleasing guy, but he always found ways to neutralize & dominate all of his opponents. Stop hating & move on.

Eeh man come on...that first fight was clear for Kov...I could see splitting the last 6 rounds 3-3...but people giving Ward all or 5 of those rounds...you are basically saying he should have won 10-2 to 12-0 if they whole fight was that way...just wild imo....you could just as easily have given Kov all of the close rounds in the first fight and he would have won 11-1 or 12-0...which is a bad card as well...8-4 or in that immediate range was the only real card, for Kov, in fight 1.

Also lol...I watched a lot of Ward's fights, most of them against the B level or above guys...I agree that, dirty tactics or not, he did well to neutralize a lot of his opponents...but he himself was also largely neutralized in those fights...almost every round he fought against anyone from Sakio Bika to the level of Kov, was more or less an even round, and he probably had as many clear round losses as he had clear round wins...he was good at mucking up rounds, but winning clear rounds, nah I never saw that my friend.

Also, I think the way Kov came back and beat Yarde shows that he may not have been done in that fight with Ward, and may have had a 2nd wind coming...low blows aside...Kov looked just as finished against Yarde in round 7? as he did vs Ward in the 2nd fight, around the same round.

[moltres.]

i only wish the rematch ended properly. crap stoppage, to me it was low blows, and then he could of got 5 mins. none of the fights was a clear win and its a shame. doesnt make wards resume look great to people who actually seen the fights.

[Boxing_1013]

I love how Losing to Ward is the ultimate Ether to Fighters ( Froch / Kovalev ) probably can throw Dawson in the mix as well , Years after they’re still shattered from the L Ward gave them



Kivs never ending list of excuses are great / I was drugged / It was illegal low blows / The stadium was too hot/ .None of those reason are why he quit in the rematch it has more to do with Ward beating his a.ss like like a
Drum and that right hand That Ward dropped on him in round 7 , that shook him to his core , probably still wakes up in the middle of the night dripping in sweat over that shot

Lol..bro...in Froch's case he lost a 7-5 fight, and he admits that...he wanted to run it back on his side of the pond, in a big money rematch...Ward never wanted to travel outside of home and fight...so it never happened, so Froch seems to like to needle him.

And I mean Kov imo is just keeping it real about those 2 fights...first fight was clear as day for Kov...2nd fight was certainly controversial...and with Dawson, he pleaded to not have to cut so much weight once he realized he was a dead man walking, and Ward didn't want to budge from the earlier agreed weight...so if he is sour a little bit over that I can understand.

I think a lot of fighters who fought Ward just don't really respect him...because he always had the cards stacked in his favor and never took real risks (getting away from home judges and refs) that would have given him a lot of respect...just my 2 cents...if he fought Kov in Russia, win or lose, Kov would probably respect him...if he did the same with Froch or Bute or Kessler, I'm sure they would as well...he just was pretty protected as a fighter so other fighters naturally are going to needle the 'teacher's pet' so to speak