Ward vs Kovalev - whos the favorite

This is not a 50/50 fight, it's more 70/30 and will probably get more lopsided the more I look into it, but I believe Kovalev's trainer is very good. If Ward is looking himself going into the fight (so far so good), Ward should be the favorite.

50 year old BHOP being Kovalev's best win isn't that impressive. BHOP is really just a gatekeeper, it's only because boxing is corrupt that he can fight for title fights but that's another subject. If people keep saying this is a 50/50 fight I might have to put some money on this one.

 

A few knockdowns in a one sided beat down sees Kovalevs hand raised

 

Your post is the most melodramatic one in this thread...

 

deal:deal

 

I'm not gonna strongly argue against your point. I find this a really hard fight to call and I don't think anyone can call this with any degree of certainty. It's why Ward v Kovalev is such a good match-up.

 

I concur... :deal

 

Without your 'contributions' this has been an intelligent thread with good points and counter-points made. There are loads of other threads on here, where you can troll to your heart's content. Just leave this one to the adults....

 

I think Wards OFFENSE- in terms of pulling the trigger and getting his shots in first- was way off against Barrera.

He spoke basically about not meeting his own standards and not being sharp enough during post-fight.

His countering was good and occasionally brilliant.

IMO, his defense was fine, perhaps improving- since he was rarely hit with big shots and seemed very difficult to hit cleanly.

I believe we will see him fight another, more difficult, fight before considering the fight with Kovalev. I think we all will have to see real improvement in multiple areas for Ward before that happens.

Overall:

I feel Ward is the better boxer in every way, BUT- despite a brilliant knock-down against Barrera... I did not see many signs of Ward carrying real power into that fight.

If he cannot hurt Kovalev, I am not confident he can hold him off through the entire fight. At this point the best he can do is frustrate Kovalev for an indeterminate length of time.

I'm not sure that's enough.

 

Ward just wants to secure another easy $2 million and make sure the Kovalev fight is his last fight on the HBO deal. This way he can renegotiate after another fight deal with HBO and if he were to beat Kovalev then he can demand concessions.

 

When you have as powerful a right hand as Kovalev's, the best punch to set that up is the jab.

The first punch a fighter is taught is the jab, its the ultimate setup punch, and with Kovalev, his jab lands with force wish makes it even more effective.
I'll take his jab and right hand anyday, the hardest punches to avoid are the straight shots.

 

50-50 fight

 

Boxer usually beats the puncher