Abel Sanchez says he asked Kovalev to leave because he was "stubborn" and "difficult to train"

Kovalev has the physical traits, but lacks the brains. He could've easily KO'd Ward if he were a bit smarter.

 

Kovalev is very talented but a bully and a mental midget. If he were a more mentally tough fighter he could have beaten Ward.

 

If a boxer is going to make a trainer feel like an unnecessary potted plant then it's best he train himself. So I don't blame this dude.

 

I don't know about that. Who is to say that Ward wouldn't have adjusted to a "smarter" version of Kovalev?

 

Personally I think that, Kov looks anemic, feeble and ill compared to the way he looked for earlier fights. His body language is one of exhaustion in the locker room even before the fight starts. He doesn't convey a coiled spring about to unleash stored energy. Instead he conveys the image of a man who will have to dig deep into reserves that might peter out because they are on the brink. Whether this is due to faulty training, diet, or being fed something wrong in his food I don't know. But something is definitely not right.

 

lol If Kovalev had knocked Ward out, he would have looked like Godzilla to you. It's amazing to see people trying to rationalize Kovalev getting his butt kicked.

 

Not surprising. It says alot he was able to keep on pretty much even keel with Andre for 19 of the 20 rounds they fought, but it did look like he's got a little bit of Hopkins in him where he doesn't adjust the greatest and looks for a bit of a way out when he can't bully his opponent. Kinda weird because he finished the first fight OK after being outhustled in the mid-rounds.

 

Boxing is far more mental than physical, As long as you have enough agility, fitness and power to be effective the rest is mostly mental. Kovalevs mental game plateaued, fighters like ward constantly get better even when the physical declines

 

No, he would still look the way I describe. I am not a fan of either of those two guys.

BTW
Anybody can kick but by breaking the rules. No big deal.

 

While I'm not the biggest Ward guy out there, his ring IQ and adaptability is exceptional. I think he's one of the best in the sport in that regard.

 

Your interpretation ignores the depressing mental effect that getting hit in the nuts with the approval of the ref has on the fighter's mentality.

 

He adapts by hitting low?

 

Kovalev is a great boxer but really an average athlete in my opinion