Did Ward Ruin Kovalev's Career?

Ward's cutman Stitch Duran said Kovalev was having so much problems with his wraps and gloves before the fight than he had less than 5 mins to warmup before the walkout. Also said Kovalev was complaining about being hit to the body in the dressing room which he relayed back to Team Ward.

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Good post breaking it all down.

I personally don't believe it was all a master plan from Ward, I just think he's a bit of an arsehole and that was the way it played out. Then again even if it was his plan, it makes him an arsehole anyway.

 

Exactly. Kovalev will have a hard time coming back, but because of what happened in the ring and having to deal with the loss, not anything during the buildup. Kovalev is a frontrunner who likes to be in control, and now that he's had to face defeat he'll have trouble regaining the confidence that's so important for him as a boxer. Ward took that from him. Especially that Kovalev was hurt for the first time as a pro has to affect him. I imagine his next fight he'll have problems mentally rising to his best level, and indeed will still have the stamina problems, defensive liabilities, and difficulty adjusting in the ring that Ward capitalised on. Considering his age, his stubbornness, and that the power will be there, his team should drive forward with the top opponents he can get over the next year or two. If he's going to reestablish himself as the great he almost was I don't see slowly rebuilding as the way to do it.

 

he seems just resigned during the fight because of the tolerated foul moves. he fought ward and weeks. make him fight outside the US or with another clean fighter and he will be back in good fighting mode. almost all opponents of ward have complained of his dirty fighting. boxing is being ruined by the cheaters who disregard the sport and focus on money and fake wins.

 

war did not ko kovalev.

kovalev koed himself. He self tkoval8ted

 

Duva ruined Kova's career. Duva cashed him out in the rematch and paid Kovalev peanuts

 

Maybe-just maybe-7 rounds to 5 in the first fight is feasible score that plenty of people had. Could be that's the answer instead of conspiracy theories that require Ward to be a Caneloesque superstar that he isn't.

 

This is an interesting thread. However, it begs the question — how mentally strong is Ward if he needed to go through the trouble of playing these rather extreme mind games? There are killers in the game — like Golovkin, Inoue, Rigondeaux, Crawford, Spence — that don't rely on mental warfare at all. Are they all mentally stronger than Ward?

 

Wrong! Ward is the most mentally tough fighter in the game hands down. He makes his opponents doubt themselves. These other guys don't do that, they just beat their opponents.

 

I would say that the guys I named are no less mentally tough than Ward.

 

wtf? calling black white and up down, are you standing on your head?

you are using his mental ability as a sign of weakness of mental strength? gtfo.

 

Tony Weeks set back Kovalev's career.

But SK is strong enough mentally to bounce back from this. He can take heart knowing that if he fought Ward inside a neutral venue with neutral officials, he'd have his hand raised at the end of the two bouts, without question.

 

I hope not. As much as I like to troll Kov's fans I wish nothing but the best for Kovalev. I'd still like to see Kov v Beterbiev, Kov v Stevenson and even Kov v Ward III to settle the series.

Who didn't see the firing of JDJ coming after his services were offered to the highest bidder?