Quote Originally Posted by Ron Swanson View Post
I would have said Ward easy a few years back. I think he would have used his more diverse skill set to beat Kovalev up on the inside and his speed and elusiveness to confuse on the outside.

But I haven't seen that Ward since his return. He looks slower and less nuanced.

As is I take Kovalev now. I'd love to see Ward look up to his old form and whoever wins is the best. I will make no excuses after and just say the better man now won now.
I agree somewhat. Maybe I'm wrong, but the main difference I see in Ward is that he isn't as mobile these days. He stands and trades more often.

What has me picking Ward is that Chilemba had some success in making Kovalev think before he threw his punches to offset Kovalev's timing. Ward does that better than Chilemba.

I wish Ward had power to match his sublime skill set. I wonder if his power will be enough to keep Kovalev off of him for 12 rounds, or if his physical strength will be enough to smother Kovalev's power. At the end of the day, Ward doesn't know how to lose.

Ward by UD or SD.

It'll be interesting. Best fight of 2016. I'll order the PPV to support this level of quality matchup.