Who won? Kovalev or Ward?

I haven't watched the fight in full yet, but I have just got through the first 6 rounds and have it thus far:
1 - K
2 - k
3- W
4 - K
5 - K
6 - K

It's not a very interesting fight so far. Ward is walking around or grappling and Kovalev seems to be half asleep, but at the half way mark Ward is 6 points down. He needs KD's to win this fight and he needs every round to get a draw. I will need a cup of tea before I watch the rest of this as it isn't very interesting. Ward earned 5 million for this? Boxing needs a long look in the mirror. These two hardly look like the best fighters in the world at this stage. Maybe the next 6 rounds will enlighten me. :p

7 - W
8 - W
9 - W
10- K
11 - W
12 - W

So, there you have it. A tale of two cities, a fight of two halves and a knockout to decide it.

I think Kovalev edged a very close fight. It was clearly the fight to show who the best in the division is, but all this talk of P4P is a bit corny IMO. Ward looked very flawed and lost half a fight, while Kovalev seems to have fallen asleep and given away half a fight. Top P4P fighters like Floyd or Manny don't do that. When you see Barrera against Morales you see close fights, but you see brilliant boxing not clinching or doing little for several rounds. That's the big difference. These are very good fighters in their class, but they are not the best PFP IMO. To be honest, I found the fight a bit tedious and my appetite for a rematch is reduced after seeing this.

Knockdown I mean, though I wish there had been a KO to end the tedium.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf

I think Kovalev edged a very close fight. It was clearly the fight to show who the best in the division is, but all this talk of P4P is a bit corny IMO. Ward looked very flawed and lost half a fight

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to be fair to ward he has gone up in weight to fight one of the best out there, he did have 2 fights at light heavyweight before this of course but they were really not the proper preperation to take on kovalev especially considering wards inactivity since beating froch, maybe that is wards faul maybe it isnt but I think he took on a great opponent with inadequate preperation and gave a very good account of himself, I think ward was definently surprised by kovalevs power and was not ready for it at all, I would like to see a rematch as i think kovalev won but ward was getting better as the fight went on. I had a similar scorecard as you, same scoreline but maybe not the exact rounds. I also thought this was a really interesting fight due to it being so close.

I think I was just expecting a bit more, but I have seen a lot of Ward fights, so I probably should have known better. He seldom gives a clean, fun fight. I was also disappointed with Kovalev, who seemed to fight very within himself and certainly in the second half should been upping the workload himself. A great fighter sees that the other guy has adapted and finds a different gear too and Kovalev looked a little one dimensional in that regard. You could see Ward adapting, but I didn't really see that in Kovalev. He was too conservative and if there is a rematch is the one that needs to show greater versatility.

When you think of the best fighting the best you have a lot of great fights in mind and this was more akin to a Wlad fight than any of that. Who can grabble the most? Who can throw as little as possible? Who can go for a walkabout the longest? It gets a bit dull.

I still haven't rewatched it, as doing so will be more out of curiosity in seeing if I can agree with he verdict. Since I didn't care who won I decided to do other meaningless stuff instead today. If you gave the 10th to Ward you'd wind up with exactly what all 3 judges had it, he didn't need a knockdown when you said he did, just to point that out.

It's one of those fights where if you took all the people crying robbery and asked them to score it, there would probably be different rounds they gave to Ward between them, and assuming you could find 7 it makes the uproar pretty easy to refute. My impresion watching it live was that all 3 judges gave Ward basically every round they could have, which does seem like they had a dog in it. I read earlier that Kovalev is with HBO and Ward is a free agent, make of that what you will, but it could be a powerplay in terms of keeping his purse smallish again in a rematch.

They are both really good fighter. Ward is just so good at adapting during the fight.

I'm not voting, I gave it to Ward initially but I have only seen the fight once so I'd like to see it again before saying for certain who I think won.

Only problem I don't think I can be arsed to watch it again.

It wasn't a fun fight and I wouldn't want to watch it again either. I don't get why Kov didn't do more so that this would all be settled. Maybe he is so used to crushing that we didn't realise he fades down the stretch. It was a strange performance. Thought he just did enough but accept that he didn't do enough in half the rounds. You just cannot do that and expect to win.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment, but I thought it was a very interesting fight.
It was a high quality game of chess with a bit of power thrown in.
I love the tactical battles and seeing who imposes their fight on the opponent.
And just like the Mayweather/Pac fight, anybody who "expected more" either hasn't really studied the fighters or wasn't being realistic.
I'm not wanting to brag , but if you look at some of my comments before the fight, you'll see it went pretty much as I thought it would.
Not only are they 2 excellent fighters, they are also high class BOXERS, so a slugfest it was never going to be.

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Originally Posted by Primo Carnera

Maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment, but I thought it was a very interesting fight.
It was a high quality game of chess with a bit of power thrown in.
I love the tactical battles and seeing who imposes their fight on the opponent.
And just like the Mayweather/Pac fight, anybody who "expected more" either hasn't really studied the fighters or wasn't being realistic.
I'm not wanting to brag , but if you look at some of my comments before the fight, you'll see it went pretty much as I thought it would.
Not only are they 2 excellent fighters, they are also high class BOXERS, so a slugfest it was never going to be.

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From the sound of things Kov would have preferred a slugfest.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by Primo Carnera

Maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment, but I thought it was a very interesting fight.
It was a high quality game of chess with a bit of power thrown in.
I love the tactical battles and seeing who imposes their fight on the opponent.
And just like the Mayweather/Pac fight, anybody who "expected more" either hasn't really studied the fighters or wasn't being realistic.
I'm not wanting to brag , but if you look at some of my comments before the fight, you'll see it went pretty much as I thought it would.
Not only are they 2 excellent fighters, they are also high class BOXERS, so a slugfest it was never going to be.

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From the sound of things Kov would have preferred a slugfest.

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Of course he would , and he would definitely have won a slugfest. But that is why enormous credit has to go to Ward , because he never allowed that to happen.
Two excellent fighters in a very close contest with loads of Thought going into it. What more do we want?

Andre Ward survived a second-round knockdown to beat Sergey Kovalev on points and claim the Russian's IBF, WBA and WBO light-heavyweight titles.

American Ward, 32, won the battle of the unbeaten fighters by 114-113 on all three ringside scorecards in Las Vegas.

Ward landed some good punches but withstood pressure from Kovalev, 33, who was unhappy with the US judges.

"I agree they support their boxer but honestly, this is sport. Don't make it like politics," he said.

Asked whether he would face Ward again, Kovalev replied: "Sure - and I'll kick his ass."

But Ward felt he was worthy of his 31st professional victory.

"In a tight fight, he's going to feel like he got robbed. I'd have been been disappointed. But we got the belts tonight," he said.

"That was the first time in my career I got dropped. I'm pleased with the way I responded."

Kovalev's promoter Kathy Duva said she would use the rematch clause in the contract for a second fight.

"He won the first six rounds so I don't know how he could lose a decision,'' she said.


The clash between the skilful Ward and hard-hitting Kovalev was billed as the fight of the year, and lived up to expectations.

Ward had said he could finish the former super-middleweight champion early, but was left on the canvas in the second round by a stinging right-hander.

He eased his way back into the contest and landed a good left in the seventh round which jolted Kovalev.

Ward won all of the last six rounds on two scorecards, and five of six on a third , to inflict his opponent's first defeat in 32 fights.

"It was a fight of my life,'' said Kovalev. "I am disappointed in the judges' decision. He got maybe a few rounds, I agree with that. I kept control. I lost maybe three rounds the whole fight.''

The judges appeared to favour Ward's counter-punching against the aggressive style of Kovalev.

"We were a little careless with that knockdown in the second round, but we landed the cleaner punches,'' said Ward's trainer Virgil Hunter.

Andre Ward fights back to beat Sergey Kovalev on points in Las Vegas super-fight - BBC Sport

My first thought after watching it was a draw and maybe Kovalev if it had to go to one them.

But no complaints with ward getting it.

Rematch all the way

I had it 7-5 Kovalev, but could easily see it 6-6 with Kovalev getting the 114-113 nod.

But I can't see 7-5 Ward. Way too close to be called a robbery, but I think the wrong man got the nod.

Gandalf I had it exactly the same as you, only I gave Kovalev the 12th round.

Even the ref agrees with the majority.

Doug Fischer (from The Ring website)

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I think we need to be outraged when judges play favorites. I don’t think it should be a problem when American judges are assigned to a fight between an American and foreign fighter. It shouldn’t have to come down to nationalities.

Boxing officials should be professional and fair regardless of where they are from. We just need better, more honorable judges.

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Amen.

It was a close fight. In a situation like that everyone needs to be paying close attention, but it does say something when the vast majority of writers and posters think Kovalev won and yet 0% of the judges think Kovalev won. There is a discrepancy there and frankly it is all too common in an unregulated and probably corrupt sport like boxing. You saw it on the undercard more glaringly and then in the main event too. Where there is money the cards are likely to follow.

Is Ward really that much more marketable than Kovalev though? I don't know why he'd be worth putting the fix in for when you look at how often the guy's been fighting, who else is out there for him to fight, the numbers he's previously done etc.

What really sucks is I've had no inclination or want to rewatch it. Not the norm for a fight of this magnitude. No matter my fan favorite still think Kovalev earned the victory.

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Originally Posted by p4pking

Is Ward really that much more marketable than Kovalev though? I don't know why he'd be worth putting the fix in for when you look at how often the guy's been fighting, who else is out there for him to fight, the numbers he's previously done etc.

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Probably so based upon being the great American hope. Now he has the win his stock is back up, people are saying how amazing he is, and now he can go and have a rematch. If Kovalev won the demand for a rematch would be much less. With Ward winning and many not thinking he won, there is also a narrative to drive up the hype again. Personally I thought it was dull, but if you can make more money with yet more clinching, then you have to take it. Ward has made the bigger share of the money, has the win, and American boxing is winning too. What's not to love? I hope Kovalev destroys him next time out.......oops, I am falling for it already.

Kovalev Got Robbed In Sin City after Horrendous Decision by Judges -

I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Unlike some, I thought it was a fantastic fight. I understand why some people disagree, because there was only one glancing knockdown, a lot of mauling and then a somewhat controversial decision with no clear winner.

This was a real chess match, you could see both fighters thinking on their feet in there and the quality of the work was exemplary.

Kovalev was excellent. His power clearly shocked Ward at the beginning (I mean, buckling an elite fighters legs with a JAB!) and he was clearly on top in the first half of the fight. His stamina was very good, considering the amount of clinching and wrestling there was, although he did slow down a bit later on. Excellent power, relentless advance and he showed he is much much more than just a banger. Some of the feints he produced were top drawer and he varied his attack quite nicely. He is the only fighter I have seen who could tie Ward up inside properly.

If there is a rematch, I thought his feet were the worst thing about his performance. He does have slow feet, and I definitely thought that there were times when he was chasing Ward around the ring rather than cutting him off. He allowed Ward just a bit too much space and time in the second half of the fight. He also looked like he could walk through Wards best shots all night.

Thos was a career defining performance from Ward. Rocked, busted up and knocked down, you could see he was physically shocked by Kovalev's power. I suspect there was a bit of ring rust to get knocked off too.

Hats off to him, you could see him thinking on his feet in there, playing very fine margins and adjusting the game plan on the hoof. Only the very best fighters in history have been able to do that. Wards ring intelligence was extraordinary. This wasn't quite Ali/Foreman, but I really respect how Ward dig in, sucked it up and ground his way back in.

hand and foot speed, technique and bravery in spades from the guy. He landed eye catching shots in the second half of the fight.

He is also a 'mysterious' fighter, like many of the great old timers; every time you clinch the guy, his elbow is mysteriously in your face. If he misses with a shot, his forearm mysteriously follows through and hits you. Whenever he is close to you, his head is mysteriously rubbing against your face. 😗
I ABSOLUTELY see why there is disagreement about the decision. The truth is there wasn't a clear winner and whoever lost the decision had every right to feel shortchanged. Kovalev with his early dominance Andy constant pressure and aggression (who was never obviously hurt) ..... or Ward with a gutsy comeback, fighting ugly, picking nice shots and setting the template for the 'distance' the fight was waged at.

I thought Ward shaded it, but this fight was a toughie to score. So many rounds were close that we could have had a razor fine unanimous decisions, a draw or even a hugely lopsided decision to either guy.

I really don't see that the loser's stock has fallen at all with this defeat. Sometimes you are on the wrong end of tight decisions.

The real scandal, which has been lost in the ether, was the unbelievable draw that the US fighter got in the previous bout!

@Paul Kevin is disgusted in the decision

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Originally Posted by erics44

@Paul Kevin is disgusted in the decision

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'With' the decision. If you're gonna start reading an intellect like Paul Kevin's post, you're going to have to be more grammatically correct. ;)

I thought Ward would win the fight more convincingly, I thought Kovalev would find Ward a far tougher competitor than he anticipated, likewise Ward would find Kovalev a far better boxer. Watching the first two sessions I thought Ward was going to get busted up and manhandled out of it, he adjusted brilliantly (you dont have to like it) to go on and make the fight competitive. I had Kovalev by a couple of rounds but I dont have a problem with people seeing it Wards way, it was no robbery, unless it was the best robbery ever. I do think each judge scoring the last 7 rounds 6 - 1 to Ward is ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by Primo Carnera

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Originally Posted by erics44

@Paul Kevin is disgusted in the decision

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'With' the decision. If you're gonna start reading an intellect like Paul Kevin's post, you're going to have to be more grammatically correct. ;)

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youre right sorry

@Paul Kevin is disgusted cunt the decision

It's not even the actual closeness (or not) or the fight. It's the complete and utter predictability of the decision. Let's say we could've stopped time immediately after the fight and before the decision was announced. Let's say that during that pause we took two polls from fans. One poll to see who everyone thought actually won the fight.... and the other poll to see who the fans thought was going to get the decision. I'd be willing to bet the polls would be something like this: 80-90% of fans would probably say they thought Kovalev won the fight....... while 99-100% of fans would vote that Ward would get the decision. There's something inherently wrong with this.

https://media.makeameme.org/created/kov-never-seen.jpg

I had the general feeling Kovalev won. Couple of times I shook my head when Macklin/Paulie said "Ward round."

However, there were so many tight rounds I wasn't shocked in the slightest Ward got it. He definitely controlled the second half and could have easily nicked some early rounds, regardless of what the cry baby robbery merchants say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPqaG8sVDE

I'm going to take some time and watch this fight and score it....we'll see if my eyes pick a winner or a draw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bTutj3kIX5w

I have never heard so many people say they can't be arsed to watch it again.

I feel the same way and find it hard work having to watch the hugging and throwing from both sides.

I refuse to watch it again, just bring on the rematch ASAP so we can close this forever.

Ward is not pound for pound after that performance but does deserve props for surviving the knockdown and winning the majority of the 2nd half.

Kovalev seemed to really feel those body shots and found it hard to land that right hand later on in the fight..perhaps that alone deserved a tad more praise in wards direction in breaking the champion down.

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Originally Posted by imp

I have never heard so many people say they can't be arsed to watch it again.

I feel the same way and find it hard work having to watch the hugging and throwing from both sides.

I refuse to watch it again, just bring on the rematch ASAP so we can close this forever.

Ward is not pound for pound after that performance but does deserve props for surviving the knockdown and winning the majority of the 2nd half.

Kovalev seemed to really feel those body shots and found it hard to land that right hand later on in the fight..perhaps that alone deserved a tad more praise in wards direction in breaking the champion down.

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I think that Ward proved that he is still a top p4p fighter. Kovalev is one of the best (if not the best) fighters in the world right now and ward made it a very close fight. Ward would beat any other person at 168 or 175 easily.

I can not see how Ward won with the Knock down happening that means you have to give him 8 rounds out the 12 for him to win. Kovalev lost because the Us went with there fighter he going to have to knock him out.

The fight could have gone either way, but I had it for Ward just as the judges. In the rematch, I see Ward boxing 12 rounds like he did in the second half of this fight. I feel like Kovalev caught him like that in large part because of Ward's long time period between fighting quality opponents. This Ward clearly is not as athletic as he was pre-injuries, but his ring IQ is on another level than most fighters.