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Kovalev: If Andre Ward is ready to fight me, then let’s do it!
June 29th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 58 Comments
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By Dan Ambrose: IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (27-0, 24 KOs) says he’s ready to face WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) whenever he is. Ward had been talking lately in moving up to 175 to face the big names in that weight class like Kovalev.
After Ward’s recent 9th round win over Paul Smith this month, he’s been quiet about whether he wants to move up in weight or hot. Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter says that he’s going to think it over before he moves up or not because there are still big fights that he can take at 168 without having to move up in weight yet.
If Kovalev is serious about wanting to fight Ward, then he’ll need to get past his next opponent Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on July 25th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Kovalev, but you never know. Mohammedi is a big puncher and he could get lucky by landing one of his big shots on the chin of Kovalev.
“I’m ready to fight anyone,” Kovalev said to the revewjournal.com. “I want to fight the best. If Andre Ward wants to fight, then let’s do it. I would welcome that very much.”
Ward was shaken up by a right hand from Paul Smith this month, and he might not want to trade shots with a slugger like Kovalev, who is capable of hitting Ward all night long with better power than the punch that Smith hurt Ward with. If Ward takes that fight, he could find himself tasting the canvas.
Ward can talk about moving up in weight and potentially finding success at 175, but actually doing it is a different thing altogether. Kovalev is a killer puncher and he’d test Ward’s chin again and again and again if he were to get the fight.
The fact that Ward couldn’t stop an average fighter like Smith until the 9th round suggests that Ward would need to be able to go 12 rounds if he wanted to best a guy like Kovalev. The negative thing about going 12 rounds with Kovalev is that he’d have many chances of scoring a knockout over Ward. But even if Kovalev didn’t KO Ward, he’d punish him badly with devastating shots, and that would create a lot of wear and tear on Ward.
At 31, Ward might not want to take that punishment. He has a good gig in working as a commentator with HBO, and he rarely fights at 168, and when he does, he’s not being tested due to the weak opposition in that weight class. If Ward stays at 168, he can possibly get fights against George Groves and James DeGale.
It’s also possible that those fighters will choose to avoid Ward for the remainder of his career. Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler chose not to fight Ward again after he beat them in the Super Six tournament. It’s possible that Ward could wind up wasting his time waiting for more fights that will never happen if he chooses to stay at 168.
Share the post "Kovalev: If Andre Ward is ready to fight me, then let’s do it!"
After Ward’s recent 9th round win over Paul Smith this month, he’s been quiet about whether he wants to move up in weight or hot. Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter says that he’s going to think it over before he moves up or not because there are still big fights that he can take at 168 without having to move up in weight yet.
If Kovalev is serious about wanting to fight Ward, then he’ll need to get past his next opponent Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs) on July 25th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Kovalev, but you never know. Mohammedi is a big puncher and he could get lucky by landing one of his big shots on the chin of Kovalev.
“I’m ready to fight anyone,” Kovalev said to the revewjournal.com. “I want to fight the best. If Andre Ward wants to fight, then let’s do it. I would welcome that very much.”
Ward was shaken up by a right hand from Paul Smith this month, and he might not want to trade shots with a slugger like Kovalev, who is capable of hitting Ward all night long with better power than the punch that Smith hurt Ward with. If Ward takes that fight, he could find himself tasting the canvas.
Ward can talk about moving up in weight and potentially finding success at 175, but actually doing it is a different thing altogether. Kovalev is a killer puncher and he’d test Ward’s chin again and again and again if he were to get the fight.
The fact that Ward couldn’t stop an average fighter like Smith until the 9th round suggests that Ward would need to be able to go 12 rounds if he wanted to best a guy like Kovalev. The negative thing about going 12 rounds with Kovalev is that he’d have many chances of scoring a knockout over Ward. But even if Kovalev didn’t KO Ward, he’d punish him badly with devastating shots, and that would create a lot of wear and tear on Ward.
At 31, Ward might not want to take that punishment. He has a good gig in working as a commentator with HBO, and he rarely fights at 168, and when he does, he’s not being tested due to the weak opposition in that weight class. If Ward stays at 168, he can possibly get fights against George Groves and James DeGale.
It’s also possible that those fighters will choose to avoid Ward for the remainder of his career. Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler chose not to fight Ward again after he beat them in the Super Six tournament. It’s possible that Ward could wind up wasting his time waiting for more fights that will never happen if he chooses to stay at 168.
