I'm normally the guy who cries "Fix!". This wasn't a fix.

[////]

I believe boxing is deeply corrupt and that fixed fights (via connected judges & referees) are commonplace. I'm not the sort of guy who just dismisses fixed fight conspiracies off-hand. They happen.

I don't see many signs that a fixed fight happened here.

Canelo simply poached a vulnerable Kovalev at the negotiating table.

- He went 11 hard rounds with Yarde exactly 70 days prior. The standard pro boxing training camp is exactly 70 days long. I'm no math professor, but factoring for recovery, Kovalev barely trained for this fight. If at all.

- He had to weigh in 4 times to make 175. Even in his prime & with a full camp he was notorious for starving himself. You're surprised he gassed in round 6? I'm surprised he didn't gas half way through round 1.

- He hasn't looked the same since the Ward 1 decision & Ward 2 nut punch stoppage. If you want corruption, look no further than those two events (including the undercards).

- He hinted at retirement after the first Eleider fight. From a financial standpoint, he could not turn this fight down. His main challenge was recovering from Yarde, making it into the ring and getting paid. Winning was probably an afterthought.

- You think the cards were biased for Canelo? Duh. He's one of the most heavily promoted fighters in history. "A-side" judging is a big problem in the sport, but it doesn't mean the stoppage was fake.

- It looked like a "tired, slow sparring match"? Duh again. You were watching a broken fighter who had to weigh in 4 times VS a bulked-up middleweight. It would have been far more su****ious if they looked good in there.

[Lopez_Boxing]

Great thread

[Szef]

agreed...

kovalev is shot to ****, simple as that

[Doctor_Tenma]

The ref didn't allow Kovalev to get away with anything either, none of those head locks he used against Ward, it was that sort of stuff I felt was really going to swing the fight in Kovalev's favor but because he didn't utilize that Canelo was still strong throughout the entirety of the fight. Only thing Kovalev could have done was land some body shots but he isn't a body puncher and that's a difficult task against a smaller fighter.

Kovalev ain't in his prime obviously but there is a lot more to what went on than simply saying Kovalev is shot.

[Vlad_]

Really? Zero fix?

Why was Kovalev fighting like a limp from the opening bell? What was up with his jab? Had he went all in the first half trying to get Canelo out of there, that’s one thing, but he was holding back from the beginning. He had zero intentions of hurting Canelo.

[////]

The ref didn't allow Kovalev to get away with anything either, none of those head locks he used against Ward, it was that sort of stuff I felt was really going to swing the fight in Kovalev's favor but because he didn't utilize that Canelo was still strong throughout the entirety of the fight. Only thing Kovalev could have done was land some body shots but he isn't a body puncher and that's a difficult task against a smaller fighter.

Kovalev ain't in his prime obviously but there is a lot more to what went on than simply saying Kovalev is shot.

I believe he's at least-semi shot, but let's say he isn't. Let's say he's 100% prime.

Would it even matter?

He still had 10 weeks between the Yarde fight and Canelo fight. He still had to make 4 weigh-in attempts.

There was no "training camp" - he went directly from recovering from Yarde to lacing up against Canelo.

The bookies sure realized this.

[Combat Talk Radio]

Really? Zero fix?

Why was Kovalev fighting like a limp from the opening bell? What was up with his jab? Had he went all in the first half trying to get Canelo out of there, that’s one thing, but he was holding back from the beginning. He had zero intentions of hurting Canelo.

Watch it again. He TRIED. Every time he tried to throw the right, Carnelo was right there with either body work, a pull uppercut or a combo.

[4truth]

Kovalev was weak and dehydrated. He didn’t throw hard stuff because he didn’t have the energy to sustain anything more than short sharp punching and foot movement to try and stay out of harms way. He almost made it to the finish with that plan and it was the only real strategy available to him. He was in no condition to go to war.

[////]

Really? Zero fix?

Why was Kovalev fighting like a limp from the opening bell? What was up with his jab? Had he went all in the first half trying to get Canelo out of there, that’s one thing, but he was holding back from the beginning. He had zero intentions of hurting Canelo.

He looked better than he should have.

Even if Kovalev knew in advance that he was fighting Canelo, which he did not, then a full camp would have required him to start doing pushups on the airplane ride home from the Yarde fight covered in puke and bruises.

Reality: He had a few weeks to partially recover from Yarde, held 2 media workouts, then started starving himself again.

There was no training camp. He didn't magically pull 2-3 extra months out of his ass.

[travestyny]

I believe he's at least-semi shot, but let's say he isn't. Let's say he's 100% prime.

Would it even matter?

He still had 10 weeks between the Yarde fight and Canelo fight. He still had to make 4 weigh-in attempts.

There was no "training camp" - he went directly from recovering from Yarde to lacing up against Canelo.

The bookies sure realized this.

Honestly, I think you could have just stopped at, "Kov is well past prime."


He was like .25lbs over. I think his training was fine. He's just past it.