Ward Vs. Sergey Kovalev 2: Revenge, Racism And Betrayal
Brian Mazique ,
Contributor
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
The world is going gaga over
the announcement of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, but there's a great fight happening on Saturday, and it has a compelling storyline as well.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 12: Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev faceoff at the end of the press conference at the Roosevelt Ballroom on April 12, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. Sergey Kovalev will challenge Andre Ward for the Unified Light Heavyweight World Championship Saturday, June 17, 2017, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KO) will put the WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles he took from Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KO) on the line in a bitter rematch. The fight not only pits two of the most skilled fighters in the world against each other for the second time, it will either end an underrated feud or add a second chapter.
The buzz words in this rivalry are among the most emotional in the human vernacular. They could power a primetime episodic drama, let alone a boxing match between elite talents like Ward and Kovalev.
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Revenge
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 19: Andre Ward (C) celebrates after winning his light heavyweight championship bout against Sergey Kovalev as boxing commentator Max Kellerman (R) looks on at T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ward took Kovalev's WBA, IBF and WBO titles with a unanimous-decision victory. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Losing a title on a narrow unanimous decision is a tough thing for a champion to accept. It's even tougher when the champ was undefeated and scored a knockdown early in the bout. That was the predicament Kovalev was in on November 16, 2016, when Burt A. Clements, Glenn Trowbridge, and John McKaie all scored the first fight 114-113 in favor of Ward.
Kovalev dropped Ward in the second round and for a spell, it looked as if the then undefeated Russian was on his way to a dominant victory.
However, the tough and resilient Ward would fight back, reclaim the momentum and use his superior boxing skills to dominate the second half of the fight. It wound up being enough to earn the tight decision, three belts at 175 pounds and to maintain Ward's own spotless pro record.
McKaie and Trowbridge gave Ward every round from 7-12 and Clements awarded all but one of the final six rounds to the former Olympian.
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 19: Sergey Kovalev of Russia reacts after losing a unanimous decision to Andre Ward in their light heavyweight title bout at T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Kovalev immediately cried foul.
He blamed "politics" for losing the decision and claimed he thought he deserved the win. Driven by bitterness from his first defeat, the loss of three title belts and what seems like a genuine dislike for Ward, Kovalev is looking for revenge.
Racism
Boxer Sergey Kovalev of Russia poses during his weigh-in at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, November 18, 2016. Kovalev will meet Andre Ward of the US for the WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight world championship on November 19, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. / AFP / John GURZINSKI (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Kovalev is an amazing fighter. He's gifted with above-average hand speed and punishing power in both fists. That said, he's a hard guy to like.
Kovalev's history of racist remarks and social media posts are well documented. His past targets have been Bernard Hopkins and Adonis Stevenson. Most recently, Ward was in Kovalev's bigoted crosshairs.
Kovalev unsheathed a mock conversation between Ward and friends and
it was packed with racial slurs.
Considering his history, Kovalev's decision was stupid at best–but more than likely confirmation for our worst suspicions.
Ward and his camp didn't take kindly to Kovalev's stupidity and that added fuel to an already smoldering fire.
Betrayal
OXNARD, CA - MAY 30: Sergey 'Krusher' Kovalev works out with trainer John David Jackson at the Boxing Laboratory on May 30, 2017, in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
As if revenge and racism weren't enough drama to sell a fight, we also have accusations of betrayal and rejection. Kovalev's head trainer John David Jackson had a conversation with Ward's team about jumping ship and joining the champion's camp.
This is one of the most underhanded things a trainer can do in boxing, and it could be a real power move in a fight where the two fighter's skill levels are comparable. There's a question as to who reached out to whom.
Ward says Jackson was unhappy with the way he was being treated by Team Kovalev and
says the trainer reached out to gauge the champ's interest in adding him to the camp. Per Ward, his team chose not to bring Jackson in because they felt they didn't need his services or trust him not to betray them the way he was attempting to do to Kovalev.
Jackson denies that and says it was Ward's camp that reached out to him.
Jackson acknowledges the riff between him and his fighter, but he insists Ward's overtures have brought he and Kovalev closer together. That remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure; there will be no love loss in Las Vegas on June 17.
The fight is available only on HBO PPV.
Didn't know Kovalevs trainer tried to switch teams
I take it you haven't been paying attention just blindly slurping Kov.