Ward Outboxes Kovalev in Vegas

It was just a very close fight and could’ve gone either way, depending on how you scored those rounds.

While Ward was happy about his victory, Kovalev cried foul saying the judges’ decision was wrong and made with political undertones.

Kovalev, after winning the WBO crown against Nathan Cleverly in 2011, had destroyed everyone in his path in the Light Heavyweight division, earning two more titles and wins over the likes of Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins. I think it’ll be tough for him to handle.

“I had some little problems with my head, but it’s ok”, the fighter, now with 30 wins and one defeat, stuttered. It shouldn’t sit well with anyone who cares about the sport of boxing.

It turned out Ward was the fighter who was frustrated.

Ward, favored by the crowd, held on to Kovalev any time he got momentum.

Round 12: Ward throws a left hook as he goes after Kovalev, who fights back. “And the best of Russian Federation can’t beat the best of the United States of America”. He won most of the inside exchanges, getting so confident at one point that he resorted to the bolo punch to frustrate Kovalev.

It is rare in a fight that divides ringside and television opinion for the judges to totally agree.

The fight itself needs no extra hype.

Prior to the fight, Kovalev could be heard pleading with referee Robert Byrd to call Ward for his rough house tactics, and afterward’s Byrd’s hands off treatment of the infighting here was called into doubt by Kovalev and his promoter Kathy Duva. Kovalev was aggressive but not effective and that’s why we got this win. Most unofficial scorers gave the fight to Kovalev, with a range of 114-113 to 115-112.

Personally, I scored the fight by a round in favor of Kovalev. He has a record of 9-0,7 KO’s in world championship fights and a record of 5-0, 4 KO’s against former or current world champions. I knocked him down, come on. The fight was supposed to determine the best, but it seemed that while one proved himself to be better, the other was awarded the decision. “It was about those in-the-trenches moments, and Sergey had no inside game”.

“If it was just about me being a neutralizer some of these big punchers would walk right through me”.

But if you like Ward well, as I always say we’ll see what happens. Sergey Kovalev is a great fighter too. He fought on undercards in small arenas for years before finally becoming a regular attraction on HBO, largely because of his knockout power.

And Ward kept mentioning all the super-fights he watched in preparation.

At the end of the fight, bruises and swelling were clearly visible on Wards face, while Kovalevs face had no bruises or swelling. I was in America and I knew I was against it. Kovalev allowed Ward to dictate the pace of the fight and the distance it was fought at after the first couple of rounds. Except for judge Burt Clements giving Kovalev the 12th round, every other round from all three judges – Clements, Glenn Trowbridge and John McKaie – went to Ward from the seventh round on.

What’s worth seeing again is the gladiator chess match that took place, part boxing, part wrestling, plenty of determination and grit.