Kovalev tried to win without throwing a single power punch?

Kovalev had little time from his last fight.

 

that was a pathetic dive

 

I had Kovalev up three points going into the 11th. I think he used the best strategy given his age and declining physical condition. He just fell two rounds short.

 

This.

The most blatant I've ever seen. He was inviting left hooks all night long. The commentary were literally expecting it, they declared the KO almost as soon as Canelo's first connected.

 

This forum knows I dislike the Soviets but not like that. This was crazy. Kovalev blocked that hook that he literally ate all night and now it totally crippled him? C'mon now!

 

Considering he ran out of gas again, It was the right decision for him to not fully sit on his punches.

 

the sport is fake as ****...

 

Kovalev throwing love taps that wouldn't hurt a fly. He looked about a foot taller and wasn't putting any power behind his punches. The crowd was booing Kovalev for most of the fight.

 

Until the knockout and few punches leading up, canelo was mostly covered up. Maybe he really was biding his time on kovalev's older engine.

 

Was McGirt really thinking Canelo was too stupid to figure out an arm jab with nothing on it? Canelo didn't even need to do much body work - Krusher tired himself out out-throwing Canelo by so much with no effect. After that it was just a matter of time before Canelo caught him with a temple shot or liver shot and then finished things off upstairs.

 

Nah, **** that Mayweather was 36 and he mopped Canelo. Pacquiao use to smoke meth and he just beat up a few young welters at nearly 40. Kovalev didn't fight at all like in any fight he has ever had before. He NEVER threw a power punch.

 

I get that he was being cautious, but Kovalev had other options (hooks to the body & around the guard, feinting in order to draw and time Canelo's counters, throwing in uppercuts, etc.) that could have been more effective than trying to get through Canelo's guard w/ tentative jabs... that didn't work for GGG either and GGG was throwing much harder. There was one round (8, I believe) where he tried to change things up by going to the body and using bully tactics, but that was it.

Unless McGirt was expressly telling him not to fight like this (I wasn't listening), this is on him.

 

He just cannot afford to throw power punches anymore! Damn, even in his prime he used to almost punch himself out.

 

He was weary of getting countered to the head or body. I didn't think he would pay canelo that much respect.