Now that the aftermath is over let's talk about what each guy accomplished

What I find interesting is that that Lampley said Kov did not have a KO after the 8th. That suggest stamina issues. Kov slowed down in the 2nd half and I thought it was because of Ward's body shots. But maybe Virgil was right and that Kov just loses steam as the fight goes on.

 

I expected kov to jab and right to the stomach but didnt happened. thought ward would be more difficult to hit but not really, especially against the jab. and ward took kov punches better than I thought after round 2.

 

Kovalev boxed Ward much better than I expected

I predicted Kovalev would catch and stop Ward only I assumed it would be later on and was shocked he did it early but wwas more surprised he couldnt capitalize and the window quickly shut.

very surprised on Kovalevs lack of a body attack,

Very impressed by both for one reason or another. Just cant see how Ward got the win especially after seeing how the official judges scored it round by round. that said and i even made a thread about it and i think kovalev does lose a rematch

That said I dont see how a draw is mathematically possible though I see people continue to say they scored it that way.

 

Great thread Blizzy

Both guys impressed me really
Yea, good question, where did Kova power go later in the fight ?

The fight was just like I expected, tight and dirty, but I dont like that one man didnt win confortebly and without controversy

The rematch is necessary, which suits HBO cuz the 2nd fight will do greater numbers

 

Kovalev has now beaten and outboxed Hopkins, Pascal 2x, Cleverly, And now Ward. He is on his way to ATG status.

 

Power usually fades as the fight goes on. I knew if ward could survive the early rounds he would have a chance.

I was surprised that Kovalev was able to stop ward for the most part from fighting on the inside.

Ward surprised alot of people with his toughness and heart but I always knew he had that and it was underrated.

These two brought out the best in each other and I can't wait for the rematch.

 

I don't believe Ward was hurt in the 2nd. I believe he was shook up from a punch he didn't see coming. Kov landed that punch clean, but it was very much smothered. If Kov would have caught Ward at the optimal range of that straight right or the right would have been a cross, I believe Ward would've been done. So Ward was still dangerous at that point, despite the fact that he was shaken by Kov's power. And I believe Kov understood this, thus, he didn't go in for the kill...

 

The fight went exactly how I expected it: too close to call! We all knew Ward would try holding, we all knew Kovalev had a good jab and a good right hand, we all knew he woud try to bully, we all knew Ward is great at getting a punch through here and there, while neutralizing the other. We didn't know who was the best, and we still don't know it. We knew Ward would have a hometown advantage if the fight was close.

What I didn't expect at all was seeing Ward in the same ring as Kovalev (and only with a referee). Respect to Ward, he took the fight while he could have gone in full escape mode!