Umm bit of an early stoppage no? Kova was throwing back. Only a low blow had him bent over, which should've been called as it was clear as day.
Yes, obviously he should have had a proper count. Im certain the outcome would have been the same regardless though, but it just gives all of the crybabies even more ammunition for their broken-heart-threads (which are already created ad nauseam).
Should have given kovalev 5 minutes to recover from low blows and deduct a point from ward. Best decision imo.
NO REFEREE IS GOING TO ALLOW A FIGHTER TO JUST CROUCH IN THE CORNER AND GET BEATEN. KOVA COULD HAVE TAKEN A KNEE HE WANTED TO QUIT , AND HE QUIT!