Any Kov stans just need to look at that second gif and see how he got hit with legal punches and was looking for a way out. Ward should've finished him there
but SOG is merciful
Them gifs tho
#blackexcellence
These gifs are cool but they don't address the low blows in the 8th round. The last gif shows that moment but from a bad angle.
I rewatched the fight again on TV after watching it live and I've seen all the gifs and slow mo vids that everyone's creating and I saw a low blow landed at the beginning of the 8th round. Weeks however didn't call it and instructed the fight to continue. Then later in the round Ward connected a very nice straight lead on KRUSHERS chin that wobbled him. As Ward followed up in the end, I saw and counted 2 borderline shots followed by the final low blow which was further south than the rest.
Although Weeks instructed shots on the belt were legal, if ya look at the final shot, it landed on the B in the HUBLOT right underneath the waist band.
I'm just keeping it objectively real and honest based on what I'm seeing. Ward landed low blows sorry to say. At the same time, I don't fault him at all. This is a fight. It was Weeks job to keep the order cuz fighters will do anything if the ref let's them get away with it. But Ward wasn't gonna be denied that night. And I do not think he purposely was trying to hit low at all. I think he was just letting his hands go. KRUSHER was also bending low so I can see how Wards shot went lower than he intended.
At the same time, if KRUSHER felt he was getting hit low and the ref wasn't doing shyt about it, he should have responded in kind and thrown some low blows of his own. And KRUSHER should have taken a knee to at least get Ward off of him so he can regain his barings, alert the ref to the low blows, something! But just cowering over in a squat on the ropes defenseless made no sense to me. I recall when Ward got buzzed early in the first fight, he literally reached for KRUSHERS legs to try and tackle him JUST to get away from the damage and try to get the ref to separate them. That's doing whatever it takes to win. KRUSHER didn't do whatever it took to win, illegal or legal, plain and simple.