Did you catch Wards comments on Kovelev's toughness during the fight? I thought he was spot on

Ward lost first fight Should have been DQ'd in rematch He NEVER legitimately beat KOv

 

He didn't say that at all. He said Kovalev was a strong puncher but didnt' seem so physically strong, that there is a difference and he was surprised how easily he could grapple with him basically. He was sitting next to Bradley who is the opposite of that so it's well known they don't necessarily go together because punching power is about biomechanics too. He said nothing directly about mental weakness and didn't match it with that statement. He said Kovalev is a front runner and if you can take his power and take it to him he can be a very different fighter. He also commented that Bradley was basically the only guy with muscles who had stamina and that Yarde was like Joshua in that regard, that the muscles made him gas badly. They basically validated Kov's slim build as a better build for the sport. Ward also confirmed the jab was very nasty. Bradley was quite funny at the end because they both thought a hook had finished the fight but then Bradley was astounded to discover 'It was a jaaaaaab Dre!' A jaaaaab!' or something like that.

 

Basically you can be a great pitcher without having the brute strength to be a great wrestler. It's different types of power at work.

 

Ward said he was a hard puncher but wasn't as physically strong.

 

Of course Ward will always hype Kovalev

Now that he got 2 Ws on him...

It will be impressive to see Boxers admit to the capabilities of opponents they didn't face yet. Great Boxers can't do that, because it means psychological defeat. One of the few boxing champions who was rational about rating boxers was Thurman...The result you got a rational ending to his career, he thought Spence was superior (never fought him), he thought Pacman still got it (he lost)... Thurman is a punk in boxing fans eyes, because he was rational...a weak trait for a boxer at any level, with weight, size & everything matched so close, the mental edge is important, irrational beliefs allow a boxer to overwhelm the (fear of death) obstacle that most peasants are enslaved with...So naturally a Great boxer will be a Narcissist suppressing his rationality for Greatness...or in few cases a Genuine Fearless Psychopath (unconditional bravery), those few great boxers are ATGs who average humans fear/despise especially if they understood their real lives. Normal humans are the offspring of weak defeated governed breeds incapable of withstanding the hardships of Elite-level boxing...

Irrational boxers with Narcissist mindsets (majority of world champions are bigger than life Narcissists, the rest are embattled Sociopaths & very few unique Psychopaths), Narcissist world champions are the best and easiest to market as they have enough traits to connect them to the masses & pass as a mainstream Celebrated figure...they get a chance to fight for what they think is true (their irrational greatness) in the ring...A great Narcissist boxer can keep growing on as long as they are not clearly defeated (they can make excuse for close loses), empowered by Peasants fans & enabled by Elites who want to see the show go...A Narcissist boxing Champion resembles an Emperor in his prime, a true Alpha male... If the Boxing Champion superiority is tarnished...he develops a self-assuring Sociopath layer to his personality & falls into that category....

 

I think the "mentally weak" critique is a bad rap. Kovalev immediately re-matched Alvarez after suffering a vicious KO, something many other fighters throughout the history of the sport have avoided doing, and proceeded to shut the guy out with a boxing clinic. That doesn't compute with an overly fragile psyche.

 

Exactly. I thought it was great commentary from ward

 

If Kovalev had been mentally weak he would have never made it as a big name boxer in America. Remember he fought for 3 years (18 fights) without having a promoter. He didn't make any profit from boxing in that time, his purses only covered his training and the cost of living for him and his family in America. How many people would have done that?

 

Thats not what he said. He said kov is not strong physically despite being a big puncher.