Video: Kovalev vs Ward - Preview & Prediction

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by Rumsfeld, Nov 10, 2016.


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  1. drenlou

    drenlou VIP Member

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    Why? Rummy does a good job, let's see you make one and see if you could do one better!
     
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    #31
  2. Gil Gonzalez

    Gil Gonzalez Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    Who do you have in this fight?
     
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 11, 2016
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 11, 2016
    #32
  3. UnleashtheFURY

    UnleashtheFURY D'oh! Full Member

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    Lost his edge? He was well on his way to losing the Rahman fight before the punch after the bell. Struggled with the mediocre Wooden, had to rally against Maskaev and Izon in ultra competitive fights... Tua was a dangerous puncher but very capable of being outboxed by pretty much any contender. I like Tua.... His left hook is rivaled by very few heavies, one of the best HW fights of the 90s with Ibeabuchi and one of the most satisfying highlights reels of any fighter ever... But he's definitely overrated as far as his skill and H2h ability. Definitely unlucky to have never won a title though.... There were certainly worse guys in his era and since that have picked up straps.
     
    UnleashtheFURY, Nov 11, 2016
    UnleashtheFURY, Nov 11, 2016
    #33
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  4. drenlou

    drenlou VIP Member

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    I think it's a 50/50 fight and I'm a fan of Kovalev and respect him as a fighter, but I've been following Ward since he came out the Olympics and hes one of my favorite fighters, so I'm riding with Ward. But if Kovalev beats him, he gets all the credit from me!
     
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    #34
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  5. Gil Gonzalez

    Gil Gonzalez Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    Good. I'll take Kovalev. Lifetime ban bet. Put up or shut up, Jennifer.
     
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 11, 2016
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 11, 2016
    #35
  6. drenlou

    drenlou VIP Member

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    Oh you're one of them cats!! LMAO
     
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    drenlou, Nov 11, 2016
    #36
  7. twopiece

    twopiece Pugilistic Ambassador Full Member

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    Good stuff, Mr. Rumsfeld.

    If I had to place a bet on this fight, it would be on Kovalev.... but you've provided an interesting -and detailed- assessment.
     
    twopiece, Nov 11, 2016
    twopiece, Nov 11, 2016
    #37
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  8. KiwiMan

    KiwiMan Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    It's a good video, thanks Rumsfield. I personally think Kovalev is going to win, but I can't wait for the fight!!
     
    KiwiMan, Nov 12, 2016
    KiwiMan, Nov 12, 2016
    #38
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  9. Rumsfeld

    Rumsfeld Moderator Staff Member

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    Well, you can't please all the people all the time.

    :smoking:
     
    Rumsfeld, Nov 12, 2016
    Rumsfeld, Nov 12, 2016
    #39
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  10. Rumsfeld

    Rumsfeld Moderator Staff Member

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    Yeah, I absolutely believe he lost his edge. I'm not saying Tua couldn't be outboxed, because he certainly could. I watched all of those fights you mention - Maskaev, Izon, Ike, Rahman, and I saw the Ruiz blowout, and I saw later efforts post-Lewis like Doc Nicholson and Fres Oquendo.

    Tua could be flustered and slowed down by a decent jab, and it needn't have been a particularly powerful jab either - just a steady 1.

    All the same, he was explosive, and his power did indeed bail him out several times. After the Rahman fight, he was definitely never as dedicated. His weight began ballooning upwards, and he stopped fighting good competition consistently - something he had been doing as an exciting young prospect. When he stopped training as hard and stopped fighting higher level competition, he started falling into all sorts of bad habits.

    When Holyfield and Lewis were settling their business, Tua sat on his ranking when he probably should have been pursuing fights like a rematch with Rahman or a showdown with Michael Grant - 2 fights which I believe were on the table for him. Instead, he fought a series of sub-par opposition, and in my honest assessment - he most certainly did lose his edge.

    He was never a master boxer. But he was powerful, durable, and explosive pre-Rahman. Between Rahman and Lewis, in 1999 and 2000, he only fought like 4 or 5 low quality rounds.
     
    Rumsfeld, Nov 12, 2016
    Rumsfeld, Nov 12, 2016
    #40
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  11. CST80

    CST80 De Omnibus Dubitandum Staff Member

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    You should have went all out, made another Golota like epic, after all this match has legit P4P ramifications for a change, or maybe you could have done two versions, one for this ADD generation and a Blu-Ray Director's Cut for us patient posters.:lol:

    I have my fingers crossed it ends in a Kovalev KO victory, in all likelihood that version will be far more entertaining than the version in which Ward UD's Kovalev. And also for the good of the sport, Ward is a brilliant technician, but ultimately Ward isn't going to make non fans into fans.
     
    CST80, Nov 12, 2016
    CST80, Nov 12, 2016
    #41
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  12. heerko koois

    heerko koois Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    This content is protected
     
    heerko koois, Nov 12, 2016
    heerko koois, Nov 12, 2016
    #42
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  13. Robney

    Robney ᴻᴼ ᴸᴼᴻᴳᴲᴿ ᴲ۷ᴵᴸ Full Member

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    Officials are known for the fight, and although the notoriously bad Glenn Trowbridge is one of the judges, nothing to be very worried about fortunately.

    Referee: Robert Byrd.
    Judges: Glenn Trowbridge, Burt Clements, John McKaie.

    No officials like Reiss, Walker or Caiz Sr. to screw things up.
     
    Robney, Nov 12, 2016
    Robney, Nov 12, 2016
    #43
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  14. DoubleJab666

    DoubleJab666 Dot, dot, dot... Full Member

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    For me, this fight rests with who controls the distance. Kovalev is an expert at doing this in setting up attacks - just out of range when defending, just in range when attempting to land. Ward is an expert at this in neutralising his opponent's offence - either too close or too far away for effective punching and then getting off his own point-scoring work. In the end, I feel it's easier to tackle this part of strategy with the intention of smothering the punches of opponents than it is with the goal of creating openings; that takes more precision. With that in mind, Ward has the edge and while he clearly does not have KO power, he hits hard enough to make opponents think twice about walking through him and can match Kovalev in terms of strength (Ward's strength is underestimated). This is key when taking the fight inside and using body position to smother. I don't think this fight will be easy on the eye, and it will be close. But for me, a Ward UD because he can take away Kovalev's control of distance.
     
    DoubleJab666, Nov 12, 2016
    DoubleJab666, Nov 12, 2016
    #44
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  15. Gil Gonzalez

    Gil Gonzalez Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    Well at least you weren't singing. I guess we should be grateful for that.
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2016
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 12, 2016
    Gil Gonzalez, Nov 12, 2016
    #45
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