Ward has to take the fight to Kovalev to beat him.

Ward can't beat Kovalev on the outside. Ward is almost robotic and mechanical at times on the outside, and does his best work inside.

If Hopkins, who is smooth and rhythmic on the outside got picked apart, Ward doesn't have a chance, even if Hopkins happened to be 65 1/2 years old in that fight.

Don't get me wrong, if Kovalev starts getting greedy and jumping in, it's possible a Ward left hook could catch him coming in, but I think Ward's best chance is to keep it close and attempt to rough Kovalev up.

Ward's best punch will be his left hook.

Anyway, interesting fight if it happens.

 

But he's shorter and Kovalev has good footwork and will keep his distance, like he did against Hopkins.

Ward just isn't as smooth as Hopkins. Hopkins makes it look like he's just taking a stroll in the park. Ward has more of a Klitschko look on the outside, just not as comfortable as Hopkins.

Still, Ward's hand speed will benefit him on the inside, and if Kovalev jumps in, it will give Ward an opportunity to counter him. Like I said, look for Ward's left hook to be his best punch in the fight.

Would not surprise me if he knocks Kovalev down with a left hook.

At the end of the day though, unlike Mayweather who was scared of Margarito, got the **** beat outta him by Maidana, and ran in the 12th round against Maidana, and ran against Baldomir for 12 rounds, and got beat up by Pacquaio buy somehow won the fight, and uses testosterone and TUEs, and is ascared of Margarito...

Ward won't be able to use the run away tactic to win this fight. He doesn't have the reach nor the ability to box ascared at the level of guys like Mayweather.

*Hopkins does not box ascared.

 

There are a lot of guys younger than Hopkins. Hopkins' style doesn't necessarily rely on speed. It relies on footwork and intelligence. Hopkins just had a gift of having amazing rhythm.

Ward doesn't have that kind of rhythm. Quick feet could serve him well if he fights explosively like Pacquaio in this fight, and that's a possibility, but he's not going to be able to fight at range like that scared ass dude, named Mayweather who was ascared of Margarito.

 

Look at him vs Abraham and Rodriguez. He's Klitschkoesque, and I don't mean Vitali. Ward is kind of mechanical on the outside.

 

The most fluid guys in boxing right now are Lomachenko, Rigo, and Hopkins if he still fights. Those guys have rhythm that you can't teach. Ward is not in the same category.

 

Mayweather had the reach advantage in 100% of his fights I think. He also paid dudes literally millions of dollars not to wear sanction approved gloves.

His medical records also proved he was using a cream to cover up his testosterone usage. The fact that he was caught using a TUE emphasizes this point.

Mayweather made a living out of touch and go boxing, and even when he lost (Maidana and Pacquaio) he still won due to corruption.

For what it's worth, Mayweather was very talented at ensuring a fight didn't break out.

Ward just doesn't have that ability Mayweather does. The comparison to Mayweather just doesn't hold up.

This doesn't mean Ward can't win. Ward is more versatile than Mayweather because he can also fight going foward and do what he can to knock people out.

Mayweather was too scared to do that. He ran from ****ing Baldomir.

Ward is a more exciting fighter than Mayweather, but he's simply not as good at Mayweather is at stinking out a fight by fighting ascared. If he does that, Kovalev will win.

Ward will have to FIGHT Kovalev to win.

That's what's great about this fight. You know Kovalev is coming to fight, and Ward will have to fight to win. This fight has the potential to be a classic.

You know if Mayweather "fights" anyone, he will do whatever he has to do to stink out the fight.

 

That's the problem with people on this forum. They think boxing is all about running away playing tag like a *****.

That's not boxing. That's bull****.

Boxing is also getting inside, and whuppin your opponents ass with counter shots, ala Toney, ala Duran, ala dozens of other greats who managed to do that.

Boxing is also using a Pacquaio like style, quick with the feet, get in, land a shot, change directions.

There is more than one facet to boxing. People have it confused.