Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
Sergey Kovalev vs Chilemba - full fight Video 2016 WBA
Kovalev was dominant but Chilemba did land some shots. He's tough as nails Chilemba and would be a fight for anybody at 175. I think ward will be watching this thinking he does have a chance to beat Kovalev. It's going to be a very interesting fight. Kovalev did get hit a bit to be fair, it could of been the fact he's waiting for the Ward fight and it's signed too.
The weight won't be the problem , I think Ward was always a LHW waiting to happen.
He's tough and strong too, and this is something that is usually overlooked.
I don't see Kovalev stopping Ward and Ward is capable of doing enough to win the rounds because he doesn't get hit much. This could frustrate Kovalev.
The main thing is whether Ward still has his timing. It's difficult when you have been as inactive as he has.
Kovalev showed how limited a fighter he is against Chilemba.
Ward will wreck him and make it look easy.
This is easily the worst I've seen kovalev look, but he still won pretty easily. I think going bacl to Russia and waiting for the ward fight were both distractions. I could be wrong, but it happens all the time. The tune up fight is harder than anticipated because your actual focus is your future fight. It was good practice for ward though.
I think that Ward should easily be #1 p4p, but he didn't look extraordinary in his last outing either. I think that both will come in ready once they fight each other. If Ward comes in with no rust, he wins decisively. That's more just because Ward is that good not because kovalev isn't that good.
I just watched the HBO version of Kovalev-Chilemba.
Earlier today, I watched it live on Match TV. I tried BoxNation for awhile, but I was sickened by the ridiculous and misleading commentary by John Rawling and Barry Jones, so I went back to Match TV, even though my understanding of the Russian language is poor.
However, the team of Jim Lampley, Roy Jones and Harold Lederman tonight did an excellent job - they called the fight exactly the way it happened!
Tonight, listening to Roy Jones' insights and analytical commentary was very refreshing after the repetitive, boring, biased commentary of Rawling and Barry Jones.
Can't BoxNation find someone better than those two? There must be an ex-boxer who could replace Barry Jones as analyst, and a younger brighter blow-by-blow commentator to replace Rawling.
Looked like Kovalev underestimated Chilemba, who is not just awkward but a hard bastard (to think Tony Bellew got dogs abuse for not chinning him. Boxing).
Got to admit the fight changed my mind about Ward-Kov. Even though I would expect Kovalev to be much more focused against Ward, he got hit with so many jabs and flush shots. Ward is obviously not a big hitter, like Chilemba, but with his speed, jab, awkwardness and ability to fight on the inside he could make Kovalev look clueless.
3-Time SADDO PREDICTION COMP CHAMPION.
Ward Kov is very interesting. Kov looked poor last night but he has that power to change the fight at any time.
I kind of agree with @powerpuncher. Kovalev looked rather uninterested and to me kind of sickly and nonchalant. His offense looked kind of predictable. This looked much different from the kovalev that fought say hopkins? The big difference yesterday being that chilemba didn't lead with his head much or go human octopus on kovalev. Kovalev needs a better understanding of distance and inside fighting. I just hope he gets it before November. Everytime I saw kovalev lead with the jab, i see ward taking it on the right glove then countering with the right straight down the middle, maybe following with a left hook and then slipping under kovalevs right as it goes off course. Then of course tying up and trying to tenderize kovalev on the break.
Kovalev seemed really open down the middle yesterday and was going straight back on his heels at certain points. Lets just hope hes up for ward like he was for hopkins and at least learns to expect that extra left following up (the one chilemba caught him with) and on the inside to turn ward and shift his weight to nullify the inside fighting
They want your @$$ beat because upsets make news. News brings about excitement, excitement brings about ratings. The objective is to bring you up to the tower and tear your @$$ down. And if you don't believe that, you're crazy.
Roy Jones, Jr. "What I've Learned," Esquire 2003
Kov will raise his game for Ward. It is difficult to motivate yourself for a warm up fight.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
Overall I really don't think it was bad, some of the media were frankly overly critical. Could be a fair case of bar being set too low on Chilemba raising his boxing game with a concrete head and too high on Kovalev winning a mere blowout without considering homecoming, formality of a tune up and biggest match in career and possibly the sport, one, on immediate horizon and already signed. This did far more for Kovalevs preparation for Ward than anything Ward will face next in preparation for a Kovalev I truly believe. While we're at it..wasn't it Ward eating jabs and looking a bit hittable himself last fight out
Consistent power jab, 5,6 punch combinations into the 12th round, badly hurt a guy on at least five occasions and composure enough not to go full desperate and one punch crazy for the KO everyone desperately wanted and expected..that was smart from where I sat. He dominated. Today there is to much of the microwave mentality and dismissal on a puncher going distance and in this case I've seen "bad performance" used by three major networks and think its flat out shortsighted. Ward v Kovalev will be a superfight in this era of divas..one we NEED..and fully expect both to raise the game and excel. Ring the fecking bell cannot wait!
Ward is licking his chops right now after that performance. Kovalev looks tailor-made for Dre.
^^ Yeah. I'd honestly put money on Andre Ward if the odds are anywhere near even, just saw this fight. I don't think it was a real bad performance or anything for Kovalev, but he did sort of run out of ideas after hurting him in the 7th. Of course possible he overlooked it and didn't want to extend himself more than he had to(he was never in any danger of losing) but just some of the tells he wasn't picking up on make it easy to see where Ward could run away with this one, for me.
This was the perfect fight for Kovalev to prepare him for Ward, because crafty, long-armed Chilemba is a defensive spoiler like Ward. Isaac was very brave and determined.
Fighting another stiff like Mohammedi or Caparello would have done nothing to help Kovalev prepare for a crafty fighter like Ward.
But Chilemba revealed the weaknesses Sergey needs to work on and gave him the rounds he needed to be ready for November.
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