What round would Sergey KRUSH Ward?

Before the Hopkins fight, i tought Kovalev would lose to any elusive fighter.

Instead he (or his trainer more likely) showed smartness, patience, timing, speed.

The way he dominated the fight makes it clear he would dominated Ward too, and possibly stop him even early.

Ward doesn't have Hopkin's chin.

 

50 year old Hopkins does nothing better than current Ward. Nothing.

 

I still do not see HOW Kovalev beats Ward. Ward is strong and slippery on the inside, far better than today's Hopkins. A better pure boxer than Kovalev. Ward will see virtually everything coming.

I think people just mentally masturbate over Kovalev's power too much, and maybe even his skin colour.

 

9-10, Ward will have his moments, but Kovalev is just too big, too much power and too intelligent compared to some of Ward's best wins (Bika, Abraham, Froch)

 

Ward would have to fight a perfect fight to win. It is no disrepect to him--he is a great champ. It is just that Kovalev is a a naturally bigger man and a beast of a puncher. Very hard to overcome that.

 

You know how easy it would be to spin this the other way? What you just said provides close to zero insight.

 

Probably.

Most posters who complain about other posters being racist because of who they support walk the color line themselves in who they support.

But more than that it comes down to the power. Fans worship boxers with power and those that fight like drunks. Kovalev certainly is sharp with great technique so the drunken aspect doesn't apply. But it is the power which I think makes most slightly overrate, or I guess more overstate, his ability. He is not invincible. He has not proven to be some master without flaws against impeccable competition. He just isn't. I really like him. I rate him quite highly. But people get too emotional about the whole thing. Time and time again, power is often shown to be a mirage when fighters face the best man they've ever competed with (especially when said best man they've ever competed with uses skills that counteract the power or are opposite of a powerful puncher).

 

Hey, I have it close enough to a 50/50 fight but I type what I type because the representation on this board isn't accurate when looking at the way people break it down or attempt to reason their thought. Too often it is clearly a case of being a fan first and then developing the rationalization later (and usually, no real rationalization).

 

Do people not realize that Hopkins' inside game is nowhere remotely close to Wards' (50 year old Hop)? Do people not realize that Ward will actually want to fight much of the bout on the inside, pitted onto Kovalevs' chest? And that Kovalev hasn't shown to be the greatest inside fighter ever? And that Ward is ace in the pocket?

There's 30 seconds of my thoughts...

 

Eh, "very" might be a stretch.

But I'll give you a pass. And a solid "B" for effort.

 

Rounds 7-8, maybe 9-10. I think that Ward will have some success on the inside and will be able to smother Kovalev early. But in the later rounds I think that Kovalev will adjust and begin picking him apart. I don't see a plan B for Ward and once Sergey finds the range, his battleship-sized salvoes will destroy Ward. If Kovalev only had power Ward could win. But he's a smart, vicious fighter with a chin. Sorry, Ward.