Kov-Ward: Early discussion

Barring either one of them getting upset (which would have to be MIRACLE upsets) we're gonna see this fight the end of 2016. In terms of COMBINED talent in the ring, I think it's safe to say this'll be the biggest lightheavyweight fight since Spinks-Qawi.

Thoughts? Early predictions?

 

Id say since Jones jr vs tarver 2^^

it will be interesting seeing how ward looks leading up to the fight. he'll obviously need to be sharp to win. his team will need to step up his competition at some point here prior to facing kovalev.

 

Current Ward is better than shot Roy, and Kov would have beaten the fuck outta Tarver.

 

Kudos to ward if he steps up to this

 

"I'm not ducking nothing and never have. At the end of the day, there's no way I'ma come to Kovalev's neighborhood at 175 and at some point not knock on his door and want to play. So that's just that! Kovalev is the real deal and I appreciate the way he's gone about it. He's fought the best competition that he can fight. He's not only fought the best competition, but he went to their backyard to do it, so you gotta respect a guy who does that. I don't think he gets a lot of the credit that he deserves. That's the difference between the way guys are brought up in the different eras versus maybe now. These days, guys, they wait until they see a weakness or they want to pick somebody after they got beat or they got hurt or something happened when they saw a flaw. It's like, nah, we're coming up to 175 knowing that Kovalev is the top dog. I respect Kovalev and at some point, we're going to bump heads. I think he's an all-around good fighter. He seems to be a hard hitter, and not only that, but he's skillful, so that won't be an easy fight."

 

i dont know that either is necessarily true. kovalevs chin is still a question mark. that probably wont be an issue vs ward, though

 

Well, Ward still has to prove he's still the same Ward. His style isn't necessarily centered around his athleticism though, and he has a high ring IQ, so theoretically he should age well.

I think Ward is better than any version of Roy that drained himself back to 175 after the Ruiz jump.

 

Ward has more balls than Hype GGG....

 

For Christ sake, please noooo!!

Tired of every thread turning into either a Floyd or GGG discussion.

This thread is about Ward vs Kov, that's IT.

 

Golovkin already STRETCHED Kovalev

 

It was a bodyshot...ya'll musta forgot.

 

Ward gets' overun by the Siberian bear, unless he has 2-3 tune up against competent opponents before he steps in the right w/ Kova. Ward was successful at 168 cause he could box...and UGLY it up by clinching, mugging, pushing around anyone who got near him...Kova is too big and strong for that ugly shit.

 

Per the contract, I think he's fighting two tune-ups. The scrub he's fighting on the Cotto-Canelo undercard, and one more tune-up.... then Kov.

I'm favoring Kov as well.

BUT, I'll wait til their next two fights, and once the fight is signed I'll make a final prediction.

 

STRETCHED nonetheless

 

I've always felt Kovalev has the tools to beat Ward. And I still think he does.

Hope this fight happens indeed, along with Rigo-Loma

 

Kov would catch him sooner or later and put him to sleep.

 

I guess I'll wait until the TUNE Up fights...but the only way I see Ward winning this is if Kova gives him tooo much respect(like he did Hopkins) and allow Ward to do his thing...if Kova goes in there to DESTROY...he will DESTROY.

 

I like Kovalev a lot and I slightly favor him to beat Ward but I don't think it will be a whitewash or easy fight. Ward may have been inactive but he does stay in shape and doesn't have the wear and tear of training camps and fights on him.

I think Ward has a damn good shot here. As good as Kovalev has looked I still question (and have said this previously) that I'm not certain how he handles speed and/or a guy who can give him angles like Ward. I also think Ward is stronger than given credit for and his move to 175 is right on time with where he is physically as an adult.

I still don't believe Kovalev has the best handspeed and/or reflexes. He does have good boxing skill there's no doubt about it. I just think Ward has better tools at his disposal. Ward probably can't hurt him, the question is whether Ward can nullify Kovalev's strength or at least make him gunshy about throwing. If that happens it's the Froch fight II. Froch won rounds because Ward hurt his hand and stopped throwing. Prior to that Ward was winning convincingly.

Again, I like Kovalev I'm just not sure how well his style matches up with Ward's.

 

Well, if we're comparing Kov to Froch - there's a mile of difference. ASIDE from the fact Kov is stronger and more powerful than Froch, he's also a lot quicker and more athletic. He's just better schooled than Froch in general, on top of being more talented. That sets him apart from a slower Froch, or a slightly robotic Kessler.

But I agree, it's not an easy fight to pick at all.

Basically what comes down to is Ward's chin. If he can handle Kov's power he can win. If he gets badly hurt at any point, he's fucked. Kov is the best current finisher in the sport.

 

:bears:

 

No Love for Hopkins-Calzaghe?

 

Not really. Ward is better than ancient Hopkins, and Kov would have kicked the slapper's ass.

 

Hopkins-Calzaghe would have been bigger had it happened earlier.

 

I dunno..."Ancient" Hopkins won 12 out of 12 rounds against unbeaten Pavlik and did the same to Tarver....and Calzaghe was faaaaaaast, southpaw and never stopped throwing punches. He also had decent power (not easy to drop Chris Eubank with one punch).

But we wont spoil the topic with this discussion...Kov and Ward is a great matchup. ;)

 

So would Jones-Calzaghe.

Joe wanted to part of them.

 

Ward-Kov is so appealing because there's no CLEAR favorite.

Had Jones-Calz fought in the late 90s, early 00s, Roy would have been the big favorite and would have won.... clearly.

 

I think Joe wanted B-Hop but Hopkins didn't go for it.

But yes, Frank Warren and Joe did NOT want prime Roy. They knew what was up.

 

In retrospect though...Calzaghe would have been Roy's toughest fight. Roy would have won....but he would have been tested for once.

 

Calzaghe would not have been that competitive against prime Jones. Roy woulda won by a mile.

 

I think Calzaghe could have won at least 3 rounds off Roy, which is competitive in the realm of a prime Jones.