Kovalev vs Ward Post Fight – This past weekend’s ligt heavyweight showdown between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev lived up to expectations in my book.
The two fought a tense, measured battle for 12 rounds, and neither man was unscathed at the end. Kovalev struck early, sending Ward to the canvas in round two with an efficient counter to the face. Ward stayed with it and followed his game plan, which involved roughing up Kovalev on the inside. The decision went Ward’s way in the end, but most observers felt that the champion Kovalev had done enough to retain the belts that were in play.
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A good portion of #29 is dedicated to talking about judging. The undercard bout between Maurice Hooker and Darleys Perez was judged a split draw a one of the judges actually had Hooker winning the fight 97-93. This was one of the most blatant recent cases of where a judge just flat out gets it wrong. And the commissions not only do nothing about it, they continue to make up rules like preventing judges from using a 10-10 score for even rounds to forcing 10-8 rounds for a round with a knock down. This type of rule makes it easier to judge, especially if you don’t actually know what your judging.
In Ward’s case, the judges all returned identical 114-113 scores and the fight certainly was a close fight but people are questioning what the judges saw. Maybe it is the entire system of commissions and choosing judges that needs to be looked at.
Kovalev vs Ward Post Fight
The Podcast also goes back to a familiar subject, and that is boxing’s heavyweight division. The heavyweights will be front and center in December, with a pair of world title fights on the books as well as several other contenders competing. Though the line-up doesn’t include any earth shattering match-up, there is a lot of jockeying for position that is going to go on. December 10th sees IBF world champion Anthony Joshua return to action to face Eric Molina. Big Luis Ortiz, coming off a lackluster showing in Monaco, returns on a month’s notice to face David Allen, and Dillian Whyte will be facing Dereck Chisora.
One heavyweight fight on the slate that will not be happening is the proposed Lucas Browne vs Shannon Briggs match for the vacant WBA world title. This week the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association reported a positive test result for Browne. The big Australian last fought in March against Ruslan Chagaev in Russia for the WBA belt held by Chagaev at that point, and he won. Browne was then stripped due to a positive drug test, but the fact that the fight happened in Russia on the heels of scandalous allegations around PEDs and Russia in organized sports worldwide created a veneer of doubt that Browne exploited masterfully. Though he didn’t get to keep the belt he suffered a short suspension that was up in September, and he was scheduled to face Briggs for the vacant belt. Testing positive a second time makes him either the unluckiest fighter in the world, or the biggest bonehead in the weight class.
Kovalev vs Ward Post Fight / Check out more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science.
