You are entitled to your opinion but I don't think there are too many boxers in the hof that didn't have a pfp ranking at some point in their career since the advent of pfp ranking.
I think Ward wins by UD. I think he will keep it in close range and make it a rough dirty fight not allow Kovalev to get his bombs off. Ward just too skillfull has so many sides and dimensions and i can see him winning a very close fight in which he may get dropped as well.
I cannot wait to see all the pathetic excuse threads from team white power when Ward shutouts Kovalev.
Different fighters. Hopkins chin is better than Ward's no matter what age and his defense is also better than Ward's. He always keeps his chin stuck to his chest.
Ward's chin has never been really tested. For example he has never been hit with a clean one-two combo. But he only has 28 fights on his record and a lot of fighters make it that far without getting hit hard. Boone caught him with a nice uppercut that send Ward onto the canvass on his belly. Its was a monstrous uppercut but it was ring on the point of the chin.
Kovalev has the height and reach along with enough boxing skills to negate Ward's lunge, hit and hold. Ward will attempt to fight Kovalev exactly like he did with Kessler. There were over 80 clinches in the Kessler vs Ward fight. And dozens of head butts.
This is the one of the things that makes skeptical about Ward. He has not fought enough consistently to gauge if he is actually that good or did he just get lucky. You don't have to fight killers in every fight but by fighting 3-4 times a years shows a fighters consistency and if he's in good shape. Let me give you and example of inactivity and nobody knowing. When Mosley fought Floyd he was off for 18 months. But people were still harping on his destruction of Margarito like it was yesterday and that he was going go knock Floyd's head off. But we all saw that Shane was shot.
If/when Ward starts fighting dirty, Kovalev will get angry and reply with the same. A couple of rabbit punches from Krusher, and Ward will have a permanent brain damage.
If Ward ever fights Kovalev its over for Ward. The only way he'd take that fight is as a swan song. Go in Bale out take the check & retire Ward can fight in Oakland or Okinawa it wont make no difference. If Ward does his billy goat impersonations it'll just make Sergey mad & he'll demolish Ward even quicker