I think Ward was kind of shocked in the first fight when he was being out boxed from the outside. However, unlike Kovalev, Ward was able to rise to the occasion and take the fight to the inside and do enough on the judge's score card to win the fight, regardless of what the popular perception is. Even if Ward would have lost the first fight, it would have still been a close and competitive fight, primarily due to Ward's resilience and determination. Kovalev had no answer for Ward on the inside and expected to win the fight on the outside with his jab and right hand. In this fight, Ward shocked Kovalev by improving on the outside and taking away Kovalev's right hand. Unlike Ward, Kovalev didn't have a plan B to resort to, so he quit in the ring and Ward took the opportunity to finish Kovalev and he did. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.
