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How would Floyd have fought Kovalev differently from Ward (ignoring weight class)
Close fight but I don't think a fighter like kovalev should have lost his belts that way..
What extra skills does Floyd have that would have made this a better performance over Ward.
You can't ignore weight class, it's everything. I think Ward is either past his prime or not as effective at 175, probably both. He's been a damn fine boxer, but he's not Mayweather and it's not close. Take any great fighter who maxed out at 147 and make them a light heavy while pretending they wouldn't sacrifice everything that makes them great, and they'd be a complete freak of nature, that's just how it goes.
Ward looked good in his previous fights..kovalev was the bigger man with the bigger punch but kovalev showed his ring brain as well.
This is the limit for Ward and you won't see him following his idol roy jones and moving to heavyweight..no way.
Ward will come back even stronger but I see Kovalev doing more of the same.
I don't think Ward did look that good in his previous 2 fights, it seems like his balance and timing have left him just slightly. I thought maybe it was ring rust and that he'd settle into the weight, but if he was going to pull it all together it would have surely been on display tonight. He could win a rematch, it wouldn't surprise me, but it would have to be down to tactics imo.
I think Ward's timing looked all off for the first 6 or 7 rounds and his work looked forced. Credit to him for getting back into it and winning but I do think Kovalev lost that more than Ward won it. He allowed Ward off the hook and I actually think he should have put the hammer down as soon as he had Ward hurt because Ward couldn't actually cope with Kovalev's power and timing.
Ward is no Mayweather, I think that much was clear. A rematch would be interesting because Kovalev would have a different mindset. I get the impression he thought he was ahead all the way. That said, it would still be a pick em. It was a good fight. Not as great as some have made out on Social Media but it was intriguing and gripping, especially early doors when it looked live Kovalev might stop him.
Ward looked better than I expected. He hasn't fought top guys since 2012 and has only fought 5 times total in 5 years and he is adjusting to a new weightclass still.
Now he remembers how to fight at the top and what it takes to be ready to fight at the top. He should look better at 175 going forward.
What he should have done is thrown the check hook. I imagine he didn't because he was shook up by the right early. But when Kovalev turns his body to get power on the left the check hook is there. Perhaps Ward didn't trust his accuracy or perhaps he just was shook because it was there all night.