This seems highly unlikely. Pretty much everybody has known for quite a while now that Kovalev is very good. Ward would have known this by the Hopkins fight at the very latest.
I don't think this rematch will happen either because the $$ is going to be a huge problem. There is no way the investors did not lose money on the first fight. No way Ward takes a second fight with a pay cut. I hate Ward but only a sucker would fight Kovalev a second time for less money. Ward is just going to sit out until Kovalev breaks the rematch clause. I don't see how it goes any other way.