fight went pretty much how I tought it would, but i'm surprised at how easilly kov was able to hurt pascal so easily
Of course you have to make Kovalev the favorite but I wonder what happens if he takes the kind of shots he did today against Stevenson.
Good fight. Game effort by Pascal. Good stoppage. Anybody who thought it was a bad stoppage didn't see Pascal do the Zab dance to his corner right after Kovalev hit the deck. Can't believe the winner of Cunningham vs. Randomkov is supposed to fight Klit for the title. Rough time for the HW division.
if you go by the letter of the law and wanting to preserve the health of the frenchman, then yea, it was a timely stoppage. but if you want to avoid the post fight whining and the inevitable complaints online from pascal for the next few months then perhaps a mild risk of death is worthwhile to see him flattened with no excuse. cant really see any way hopkins wouldve lasted as long as pascal if kovalev brought the heat that evening as he did in canada. the guy showed very good durability, walking through numerous low blows and flush head shots from a guy with decent power. scary chap to face for anyone at or below 175
Fighters always complain when the ref stops the fight. After taking all of those punches from Kov, Pascal probably had a concussion. Pascal stumbled all the way to the corner when Kov slipped.
Being that I hate Pascal, I can see Neil's point that we should have seen a violent stoppage. However, I don't hate Pascal enough to see him die, and Kov HAS killed a man before. Refs no doubt consider that factor. The guy is just absurdly heavy handed, and he'd have to be considered a favorite over Ward right now considering Ward hasn't fought since the Clinton administration.
Can we now begin at least some revision of the persistent absurdity that these Eastern Euros are only winning belts because of "dominance" of Basketball and Pro Football?? Kovalev, to me it seems, could have been a fitting 175lb champ in just about any era and would have been a contender in any era. He also gives the lie to the stereotype of the archetypal upright, stiff, jabbing Euro. I am no Kovalev nut-hugger, I defy anyone to show me where I have been backing the guy. He seems to me an effortless hitter, loose, fast, smart, with a good chin and a good boxing brain. I think Stevenson is avoiding him.
You're the only one bringing ethnicity into it, but no, Kov certainly defies the stiff Eastern Europe stereotype. He's a very athletic, and fluid guy. Naturally coordinated, fast hands, and very quick feet. He closes the distance better/quicker than GGG does, because he's more athletic than GGG.
Between 168-175, other than Ward, I don't see anyone who can beat Kovalev. And I still make Kov the favorite over Ward. He's absurdly powerful with both hands, skillful, smart, and deceptive hand speed. Just about the complete package. Stevenson wants none of that. He'll stay duckin and dodgin.
He's actually built for speed and fluidity, slightly slopey shoulders, not overly muscled, with tapering legs and a wide back and hamstrings. He's a lot like Calzone in that he is far stronger than he looks, without any of the stiffness and robotic nature of say Carl Froch. Stevenson "hits harder" in the haymaker sense of the word. In otherwords, his hardest punch is probably harder than Kovalevs hardest shot but that's about it. In terms of punches they can both land, Kovalev hits harder.
I think he closes distance quicker then GGG, because he's more impatient then him. GGG is also better at judging distance from a defensive standpoint. A lot of those winging shots that Kovalev gets tagged with, I think GGG avoids from opponents his own size. Like Vitali, GGG has a way of staying just far enough away from other guys range finders. Not to say that Kovalev is not great at using space offensively. He's really good at stepping back and creating punching lanes for himself when a guy tries to smother him inside. He can get tagged pretty good in return though. I thought Pascal stunned him a few times.
GGG is better technically than Kov. But Kov is more athletic, and more creative. I wouldn't call Kov impatient. It's not like he just comes in winging like Maidana. He sets up behind his very good jab, picks his shots well, and always makes sure to invest in a devastating body attack. I would actually say Kov picks his shots better than GGG. I dunno WHAT the Hell that stupid looking overhand left was that GGG was using against Murray. Kov, IMO, tends to understand which punches in his arsenal to utilize to do optimal damage better than GGG. He and GGG do have different styles and approaches however. GGG is more methodical. On average, GGG takes the first 2 rounds to feel a guy out before starting to heat up in the 3rd. Whereas Kov wants to do tremendous damage right off the bat.
No, you're right. I wouldn't call him impatient in his attack either. Just in comparison to Golovkin. GGG is more measured in his approach then Kovalev, who is more likely to take one in order to give one because he tends to stay in the pocket for longer then GGG.
The ONLY thing that saved him from a violent KO was Kov slipping. Pascal was GONE after that last left hook, then Kov slipped on the wetness and gave Pascal about 15 seconds of recovery time, obviously did him no good. BTW, what in the HELL made senile ass Harold Lederman say this fight deserves a rematch???? Pascal had one good round, and landed a few good shots, that's it. Kov dominated 90% of the fight, then stopped him. How that warrants a rematch I have no idea.