"SOG" Ward vs "King" Krusher Kovalev @ 175 lbs / 12.5 stone: Who wins?

[SUBZER0ED]

... by "shadow punch" I meant "a freak accident"...

Right you are, sir! Thanks for the vid, it's just as I remembered...

[Madison Boxing]

lets just hope the fight delivers. it doesnt matter who wins this really, as long as both fighters come to fight and make it a proper spectacle for the fans

[The Problem Child]

man, radio caught ward during his period

What type of christians talk in a condescending manner to their fellow brothers. GOD will SLAP the HELL out of coWard at the gates!! But before that, Kovalev will check him tomorrow night! Believe that!

lets just hope the fight delivers. it doesnt matter who wins this really, as long as both fighters come to fight and make it a proper spectacle for the fans

SAME, got the fight ordered already. For the sake of boxing, I hope it lives up to the hype of being a GREAT fight. WAR KOVALEV!! Tomorrow The Son Of God joins his father.



NEW BOOK available on Sunday morning!! Be sure to get your copy!!

[Chrismart]

Facing Ward :

Paul Smith

How do you plan for Andre Ward?
The game plan that most fighters adopt is to go in there, absorb the sharp stuff early on and look to catch Ward on his chin. The majority of fighters only have a puncher's chance against Ward - that's a fact - myself included. I knew if I landed a clean shot though, I could hurt him - you certainly can't out-box him.

What was he like in the build-up to the fight?
In the very first press conference, he was great. He came over, shook my hand and showed me respect, but he clearly was not in fight mode. When fight week came, there was a bit more needle, no nastiness, but you could tell he meant business and was a lot more serious.

What is Ward's best shot?
His jab is a class punch and he likes to follow it up with a straight right hand to the body. When he throws his jab, he leaves it out there and it always causes problems for the opponent. The straight shots as well are quality, they are the basic fundamentals but he has mastered them.

Does he have any weaknesses?
I believe that Ward can be hurt. Like anyone else, he is a human being with two arms, two legs and he has been down before against Darnell Boone early on in his career.
It showed that he hasn't got a granite chin so to speak and it gives fighters like Sergey Kovalev the belief that they can hurt him - it's his only vulnerability.

Did Ward surprise you in any way?
He was a lot better than I was expecting and after the first round, I knew that I was in with someone at the top level. He's a classy operator and I have no shame in admitting that he is levels above - he's one of the greats of our time.
With that, he doesn't necessarily come out to his own plan, he looks at what the other fighter does first and will negate and nullify them. He makes sure you can't get your good stuff on.

Has Ward's inactivity in recent years affected his performance in the ring?
For me, he is actually better than he once was, his age and experience have made him better. Ward has always been a top athlete in great shape and his fitness hasn't faded - he's just added experience to the mix. A lot of fighters now are better in their thirties than their twenties and he falls into that category.

Your prediction for the unification showdown?
I have to say Ward on points. It may not be the fireworks display that people expect, Ward will go out and break Kovalev down with his jab and will happily take 12 boring one-sided rounds to show his class and win the fight.
Kovalev is a lot better than people make out and can box, but Ward is a level above and is out there on his own.
I wouldn't be surprised if Kovalev does catch him because he is a devastating puncher and one of the pound-for-pound best, but I'm expecting a wide points decision for Ward.

Carl Froch

Does Andre Ward have any weaknesses?
I think he fades late on but maybe it was because he struggled to make super-middleweight. He was starting to run away from me in the last couple of rounds but maybe he knew he'd won it on points and was just killing the clock down and staying out of trouble.
But if the fight went 15 rounds I honestly think I could've got him out of there.

What was your game plan?
It's difficult to say because me and Rob [McCracken] never went into a fight with one. People talk about Plan A, Plan B and even a C, but you have to see what the other guy brings on the night.
We pretty much knew what Ward was going to do, but I had seen him out-box people, not sit on their chest, tie them up and be boring and ugly.
We never said the game plan was to stay up close and work with him in there, or run, jab and move because you can't really have that sort of plan against somebody like Ward. On the outside, for me, he was too quick and too skilful.
I suppose the game plan was to work, land shots and get hit as little as possible.

How good is Ward at fighting on the inside?
On the outside, he generally has it all his own way and is fast behind the jab and boxes very well. He stays out of the way and doesn't get hit by a punch. The jab, the hook and that right he shoots to the body are so fast and accurate.
When he's in trouble and it's hard for him though, he stays in close, hits, holds and uses his head, nullifying the opponent.
I did think up close that I could out-strength him because he's not a big puncher. But he knows what goes on up close and that makes him such a good fighter. He can adapt and change to each fight.

Did Ward surprise you in any way?
His physical strength surprised me. I can out-strength probably anyone up close and I have previously done a bit of MMA which helps, but Ward surprised me - he was very strong.

Is the American difficult to hit?
I started to get to him with a couple of shots late on, when he was running. A few to the body and a little right when close up but to be honest he's really difficult to hit.
At arm's length he was almost impossible to tag, simply because I wasn't fast enough. He had the speed on me, which a lot of fighters had on me. Jermain Taylor had it on me but I was able to close him down, back him up, wear him out then knock him out. Ward knows how to survive, though.

At what point did you think that you were not going to be able to beat him?
Around the fifth or sixth round, I sat down and just said to my trainer: "I can't hit him!" I couldn't get near him. It was so frustrating and when the 12th-round bell went I just sort of held my hands out to say I've lost the fight. I knew I'd lost but I didn't think I'd even had a fight.
Usually, my hands are hurting after a fight but they didn't. My face looked a little red and marked round the nose because I'd had his head rubbing against my face all night, but I never got hit by anything big.
He didn't really hit me, I didn't hit him and I lost 115-113 on two of the cards but people were saying I was outclassed. I was one round behind a draw, so how can they think that?

How good is Ward pound for pound?
Ward is in the who needs him or the who wants to try and beat him club, so everyone turns up to watch and just thinks 'right I want to see him get beat now' just like they did with Floyd Mayweather.
However, I think he will eventually get to that level where he is unbeaten and is pretty much unbeatable, so people will back the likes of Kovalev or Golovkin to hope that Ward gets beaten. But I don't think he ever will be.

...........................


Facing Kovalev

Jean Pascal

We know you aren't a Kovalev fan, so do you want Ward to win?
I think Andre Ward is a better person and if you want to be a champion, you have to be a role model for everyone. Andre Ward will be better at that, than Sergey Kovalev. You know I don't like Kovalev.

You know more than most about Kovalev - what will we see that might surprise us?
People will say he can't box, but he does know how to box. He is powerful but he can box as well. People only know he can punch but he knows how to box and he can out-box people if he wants. Maybe not Andre Ward, but we will see.

Does that mean he actually has a defence we are going to see?
Kovalev doesn't have a great defence but he has a good attack. Ward will attack Kovalev, but I think he is going to be able to choose what punches he throws. We know Kovalev doesn't have a great defence but it's when you get in close, you have to be careful because if you do get hit, you could be going down.

You fought him twice in just over a year - was he even better in the second one?
He was certainly a bit more prepared for the second one. I am not sure what happened to me but something did and I wasn't able to be myself in the ring that night.

Are there any shots that did the most damage?
He hits hard with the left, with the right as well, so for 12 rounds Andre Ward will have to be careful and alert to avoid those punches because he hits hard with both hands.

Are you expecting Kovalev to go on the attack from the very start?
That is the thing we are going to see, but it will be interesting to see what happens. Kovalev has to connect with Andre Ward and we know that is difficult. We will find out what happens on Saturday night.

What's your prediction?
I think if it goes the distance, Andre Ward should have the edge, but if there is a knockout, then it will to go to Kovalev.

Nathan Cleverly

What was your plan to beat Kovalev?
My game plan was to keep it tight. I knew he was a big puncher, so I wanted to block a lot of shots and let him punch himself out, then I would capitalise on that in the second half of the fight. But it was easier said than done and he found a cracking right hand early on that rattled me and I couldn't recover.

Is he simply just a power puncher then?
No. Of course his punching power is very good, but his all-round boxing ability is underrated. He is very strong and he has world-class distance and timing - the elite fighters have that. His footwork is brilliant and the way he moves in and out of range is very impressive. He's a top fighter in all departments.

Does 'Krusher' have any weaknesses?
I think his last fight against Isaac Chilemba showed that he can potentially be beaten. Kovalev didn't look himself and was a bit lacklustre compared to what we are used to.
Chilemba is a tricky opponent, very awkward and slippery, so did he show a way of beating the Russian? Maybe. Let's remember that Kovalev still comfortably won the fight.

What is the Russian's best shot?
For me, his right hand stands out - It's a tremendous shot. He sets it up from a long jab or from his left hand and then loads up with a long hurtful right hand that can do a lot of damage.

Is Kovalev the biggest puncher you've faced?
Definitely. Throughout my career in the amateurs and pros where I've fought and sparred a lot of big guys and big punchers, Kovalev's power stands out as elite and special. He has proved that time and time again by knocking out world-class fighters.
I couldn't recover from the early right hand he threw against me and after that, he's like a predator in trying to look for an early stoppage.

What is your prediction for Saturday's fight?
This is a brilliant fight and the best one that can be made in boxing at the moment. It's two of the best pound-for-pound fighters putting it all on the line to be the number one and fair play to them for that.
It's really intriguing as Kovalev's power, distance and timing go up against Ward's masterful boxing technique and defensive ability.
I think it will be cagey early on. Kovalev will look to start fast and let his hands go, putting Ward on the back foot and I'm sure that Ward will feel his power early on and will be quite negative.
Ward will nick a few rounds with his movement and technique, landing the odd right or left hand, but overall Kovalev's work rate and power will force the fight and 'Krusher' will take it on points.

[John Barron]

man, whitaker is messed up, ******* is helluva drug

you would have never guess that this guy is known for dodging punches if you didn't know who he was.

[1hourRun]

Weigh in today.

[Funky_Monk]

I was addressing the above issue only...

Not sure I understand this explanation but no bother

[eco1]

What time is the weight in????

[Redd Foxx]

What time is the weight in????

Check out Run's post above. It counts down the time left. It's just over one hour from now as I post this. You'll be able to watch the weigh-in from his link.

[Jewish-Reptile]

Check out Run's post above. It counts down the time left. It's just over one hour from now as I post this. You'll be able to watch the weigh-in from his link.

It's a freakin awesome fight when you're determined to watch the weigh in over a free George Groves fight in an international title eliminator. I was looking forward to seeing what improvements Groves has made under tutelage of McGuigan I think I'll catch that fight another time. I used to be a big fan of Gutknecht, thought he was destined to win a title before he lost his way a little.