This is a guy with great timing and power. And that is enough for him to break down the vast majority of fighters within 6 rounds. He still has one critical flaw to his game though. He's a very low stamina fighter. I fear that any top level defensive fighter that can last into the 2nd half of the fight is going to have a major advantage against him. For whatever reason god just didn't bless this man with a gas tank. And from what I've heard Kovalev has never been a lazy trainer. It's just a natural problem for him. And at 34 his tank issues are only going to get worse. The tank declines after 30. I mean Kovalev is already 34 years old.
I totally agree, but we already knew that he could. He's a guy who is a nightmare from rounds 1-6. Rounds 7-12 he tires. He just doesn't have the tank.
This. Beating Shabranskyy doesn't prove anything, since every top fighter at 175 would also beat him. Shabranskyy can punch, but lacks any type of defense or timing and is still very green and shouldn't have been fighting for a title.
He knew he had the power so he should have waited before taking the guy out. He needed the rounds to build his confidence and test his tank. Instead he just confirmed the already confirmed; his power and finishing instincts are ferocious. Look at his rival in Artur Beterbiev in contrast. Beterbiev could have taken out Koelling in 2 rounds also but his lack of activity needed addressing first so he blew off the cobwebs and tried new things before confirming that his power carries late and he doesnt fade either. Kovalev got a confidence boost for sure BUT he did not help himself by testing himself. Also, his biggest rivals now - Bivol and Beterbiev - are well schooled power punchers too so if Kovalev faces them and gets gassed in the 2nd half of a fight, someone like Beterbiev is going to chin him and spark his lights out.
If you can slip his shots and keep the fight up close where he can't leverage his power, you've got a good chance of beating him. But at range, you're gonna struggle against someone who hits so hard. We have learnt something new though, he clearly isn't finished. He's probably the best LHW out there today and would be a favourite over Stevenson and Barrera. Beterbiev or Bivol are harder to say.
kovalev is weak mentally and cant take shots to the body also has **** stamina he was huffing and puffing against a 51 year old hopkins this will never change
He was throwing some shots with a lot of bad intentions. Maybe a little excited to prove he was still the Krusher everyone feared at 175? He still looked very good overall. I wasn't too concerned about the balance to be honest. He looked like a man on a mission
He looked rather too emotional. I mean Shabranskyy was having an easier time landing jabs than Ward did. I thought he fought reckless and it showed, as he got rocked off balance twice by just a jab. But other than that, Kovalevs shots looked sharp and accurate, as usual. I just hope that he gets his **** together and fights smarter the next time. Composure is something the Krusher is lacking.