*****Video: Sergey Kovalev vs Andre Ward - Post Fight Recap*****

I tend to like tactical chess matches with tactical battles for positioning. I will also add this fight had tension, a great clash of styles, numerous momentum swings, and involved 2 warriors eager to face each other in a day and age where all too often the best do everything they can to avoid a true challenge. These are all things I admire. Maybe I overstated it's degree of greatness in the context of those fights you mentioned. But in the aftermath of the Floyd-Pac era this was a tremendous breath of fresh air.

 

It's not, though! Close rounds - 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and 12. I gave Ward 3 of those close rounds, and Kovalev the other 3. If I had given Ward every close round, then I'd have had it 117-110 for Ward.

Of course, some people would argue that some of those rounds weren't close, and some might argue that other rounds I didn't list were close. But all that really goes to show is - THERE WERE A LOT OF CLOSE ROUNDS!

But I keep seeing people sharing your view, saying the only way you can get 114-113 for Ward is if you "give him all the close rounds". I strongly disagree, and view that as a faulty premise to start with.

 

While I appreciate the kind words, I'd politely note that you probably haven't been paying close enough attention. I really DKSAB. I just watch a lot of it, and have a fairly decent memory. But I don't really know much about the art of the sweet science.

I'm just a guy who likes boxing and has his own worthless opinion, just like anyone else.

 

I have a question for you @CST80 - did you expect Kovalev to try and work the body more against Ward going into this fight? And do you think he may have invested in the body more during the fight if he didn't score the nice 2nd round knockdown?

This question goes for everyone, too.

Kovalev sometimes does devastating body work. But other times he tends to go into headhunting mode. Against Ward, I could see the pros and cons of trying a consistent body attack, so I wasn't really sure which way they (Kovalev and JDJ) would go with that. I was still surprised to see Sergey throw so few body shots on the whole. And it's something I think he had success with towards the end when he did launch the rare body shot. This is one area I personally think Kovalev can improve on in a rematch.

Curious to hear some thoughts.

 

Yeah, I was wondering if perhaps part of their game plan was to actually neglect the body for that very reason.

 

He did at times also get away from the jab, I thought, kind of like the first Pascal fight. I think he will try and do a lot of those things you mentioned in the rematch, but one area where I honestly believe Kovalev will have more trouble in the return bout is with the range. Early in this fight Kovalev was finding his distance, but he had more and more trouble with this it seemed as the fight moved along.

That's where I think Ward learned the most of either fighter in this bout personally.

But all the same, Kovalev adding body shots into the mix in a more measured manner could prove interesting.