Comments Thread For: Ward vs. Kovalev: Two Fights, Two Unique Outcomes

[nycsmooth]

Basic ring rules as long as it was not an intentional foul the referee's call Will Stand... even if it continued I doubt if it would have gone past the 9th...

[BattlingNelson]

I wasn't talking about your exact example. The point is refs miss calls, blow calls ALL the time in football. Sigh. Be more original. Stop whining. Suck it up cupcake. Everyone wants to be fans of the tough killer. But then that killer has the fight beat out of him and all we hear is whining. The two don't add up.

The example I gave was examples of blatant fouls, Forward passes. Low blows.

[Kagami Taiga]

The example I gave was examples of blatant fouls, Forward passes. Low blows.

Lol you can try to twist it how you want. This type of stuff happens all the time. Fans cry about it. Life goes on. You put yourself in the position of leaving your fate up to a missed call. That's what Kovalev did. He gets no sympathy from anyone but his whiny ass fans looking for excuses for him.

[Deevel916]

Lol you can try to twist it how you want. This type of stuff happens all the time. Fans cry about it. Life goes on. You put yourself in the position of leaving your fate up to a missed call. That's what Kovalev did. He gets no sympathy from anyone but his whiny ass fans looking for excuses for him.

So you're ok with the outcome of the fight being decided on a blown call because "this type of stuff happens all the time" in sports.

Cool.

[Kagami Taiga]

So you're ok with the outcome of the fight being decided on a blown call because "this type of stuff happens all the time" in sports.

Cool.

I'm not ok. I don't think that's what happened at all. I think the last shot was definitely low. But I don't think that's why the ref called the fight. It was his whole attitude and body language that suggested he wanted out. Turning his back to Ward once a day kneeling over to avoid body punches not once but twice. But you guys want to blame it on a missed call. So have at it. Like I said, no sympathy from anyone but his fans.

[BlakBread904]

I gotta ask...

why is Bye Bye Jennings in the pic?

[Ake-Dawg]

I'm not ok. I don't think that's what happened at all. I think the last shot was definitely low. But I don't think that's why the ref called the fight. It was his whole attitude and body language that suggested he wanted out. Turning his back to Ward once a day kneeling over to avoid body punches not once but twice. But you guys want to blame it on a missed call. So have at it. Like I said, no sympathy from anyone but his fans.

Excellent post. The ref did NOT call the fight based on the ONE punch that video shows was low. The ref has to make a judgement call on the fighters condition and disposition. Kovalev was in trouble BEFORE the three punch body blow sequence and was NOT responding in the corner. Combine that with the previous antics from punches that video shows were clearly legal, and it's easy to see why the ref stopped the fight.

It's not about agreeing with the stoppage, but understanding why it happened.

[Metho_4u]

He is so consumed with racism that he's become delusional... I actually believe in his mind that he saw a shot to the ball sack being a shot right to the abs. There are people like this who can recreate history in their own minds.

Well I'm white, and I saw multiple shots land on the belt where the ref called them LEGAL at the start of the fight. The gifs that have been posted show this as well. I have seen one posted that strayed low where the ref DID NOT call it or halt the fight, kovalev was also bent forward so Ward could not see where the punches where landing, he was trying to get a stoppage. Quit your b1tch whining and hope the next euro fighter that comes along can beat Ward.

[HarvardBlue]

probably because these punches were even lower? 2 hit him in the letters and the other hit his leg before landing in his stomach. how do we know its a tactic? maybe he was doubled over in pain and thats all he could do? i think its pretty silly to blame the guy being fouled for not reacting in the right way. just follow the rules ref. and boxing should have instant replay but that wouldnt be good for getting away with "mistakes" like this. these type of judgement calls that always favor the a-side wouldnt be as easy to screw up.

My point is the ref wasn't buying it, whether it was a tactic or not. He told to Kovalev to keep fighting after the earlier low blow and when he kept turning around. The ref gave him ample warnings. The final straw came when he bent at the waiste and stop fighting. The ref saw what he thought was a beaten fighter and stopped the fight. Low blows are an unfortunate part of the game. If the ref took a point at any point we would probably be having a different conversation. However, that doesn't negate the fact that Kov gassed AGAIN. Ward hit him harder and hurt him. The low blow were irrelevant in the final outcome of the fight.

[theface07]

The fight didn't end on a foul and the ref didn't even call one. The fight ended because a badly hurt fighter stopped defending himself and left the ref no other choice but to save him from further damage.

You're just plain wrong. It's not rocket science. It's the sweet science. If you're even a remotely dedicated fan, you would know a low blow when you see one. The fight did end on a low blow and Tony Weeks didn't call a foul because he was bought off. I think that's pretty easy to deduce, especially based on the conclusion of the previous bout with Rigondeaux and Flores.
Tony Weeks is a well respected and accomplished ref. He certainly knows better but unfortunately he was compromised.
Of course, NSAC is contemplating changing the Rigo KO to a NC which would be appropriate. Of course, there's no chance that will happen with the Ward KO because he was holding all the cards and was slated to win the fight any way possible before the first bell rang.
Before all you bias Ward fans pull the race card and immediately claim racism, think about this:
I've loved the sport of boxing for virtually my entire life and there have been many more black fighters through the history of the sport that I have been an ardent fan and supporter of, more than any other race of fighters because they have simply been dominant and consistently the best in boxing history but I can't support an outcome like that, regardless of who is on the receiving end.
It's about being objective and impartial and seeing it like it is. This is honestly how I saw it and nobody is going to convince me otherwise.