In a fight billed as “No Excuses,” Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev sure emerged with a lot of them.
After being stopped in the eighth round by WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward, Kovalev and his team blamed low blows, the referee, the promoter and anything else they could think of to delegitimize Ward’s stunning KO victory.
In reality, Kovalev simply couldn’t take it to the body.
Ward (32-0-0, 16 KO) put on a masterful performance. Though Kovalev pushed the action during the first half of the fight, Ward navigated the ring well. He unleashed well-timed counter-punches and body shots. Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KO) was very active and used his jab early. Unlike the first fight, when he dropped Ward in the second round, in the rematch, he never really got through Ward’s excellent defense.
Once again though, Kovalev began to tire around the sixth round. His mouth was open. He grimaced at every landed body blow, once even turning away from his opponent despite the fact that referee Tony Weeks had not called for a break in the action.
Kovalev and the KO-deniers believe that was the problem. They believe Weeks allowed Ward to punch below the belt for the entire fight, especially the ending. Some believe Ward should have been disqualified for low blows rather than having his hands raised in victory. Others believe Weeks should’ve issued a standing eight count to Kovalev. They are all wrong.
Effective body punching is an art form. Pitchers in baseball are called a Rembrandt if they are able to paint the corners of the plate. I guess that makes Ward a punching Picasso.
Even if the punches strayed a little below the belt, when an umpire is calling the low strike, you’d better start swinging.
When dealing with two top pound-for-pound fighters, the talent difference is often minimal. Stamina, precision and ring I.Q. were ultimately the difference on Saturday night.
Once Ward realized that Kovalev wanted no parts of his body assault, he made his opponent’s abdomen his primary target. When Kovalev got into trouble, he constantly complained to the referee, looking for Weeks to save him.
Kovalev’s KO loss wasn’t Weeks’ fault, it was his own.
After a monster right hand to the head turned his legs into jelly and sent him into staggering across the ring, Kovalev did the right thing in trying to hold onto Ward. For much of the fight, Ward allowed Kovalev to put him into headlocks on the inside. However, once he knew his opponent was hurt, Ward was able to break away from attempted clenches and tried to close the show.
Rather than take a knee and allowing himself a breather, Kovalev allowed himself to be forced to the ropes, where Ward continued the vicious body assault. Ward’s final blow appeared to land below the beltline. However, it’s impossible to see clearly because Kovalev was bent over with both hands down. Because Kovalev had cried wolf with so many legal blows, Weeks was not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
After three unanswered power punches, with his hands at his waist, his butt sticking outside the ropes and his head exposed, Kovalev was vulnerable. Had he taken a knee, he would’ve had a chance to recover. Still, the writing was on the wall. Ward was simply the better man.
That’s not to say that Weeks’ stoppage was ideal for fight fans. If he had waited another two second, Kovalev would’ve probably been knocked down. Or he may have been in a position where he was being held up by the ropes, which could have been considered a knockdown. We’ll never know whether he would’ve been able to rise off the canvas. My guess is that he would’ve beaten the count only to get knocked out before the round ended.
It’s the referees to job to protect a fighter in danger when he is unable of defending himself. That appeared to be the case with Kovalev. Weeks made the right call, even if it’s one that is not popular with fight fans.
Let’s address those calling for a standing eight count. Per the unified boxing rules, adopted in 2001, “There is NO Standing Eight (8) Count” in boxing. Referees repeat this rule before every sanctioned fight. That means Weeks options were to either continue to let a defenseless fighter get pummeled or to step in and halt the fight.
Bob Bennett, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, agreed with the KO ruling.
“It’s rather interesting at the end that when Ward hits him in the stomach at the end, he sat on the ropes. And the punch looked good,” Bennett said. “Weeks was in good position to see where those blows landed and they’re right on the belt line. Are they close? Sure. But do they look good? Yeah.”
Before calling Bennett biased or accusing the NSAC of corruption, please understand that Bennett has all-but-confirmed that the NCAC will overturn Guillermo Rigondeaux’s controversial KO victory over Moises Flores on the Ward vs Kovalev undercard. The bout will be declared a no-contest due to the fact that Rigondeaux’s punch landed after the bell.
The shame in the so-called controversy is that once again, Ward is denied the full accolades and praise that he should be given for defeating one the best fighters in the world for a second-consecutive time.
There should be no doubt that Ward is the #1 fighter in the world. With all due respect to Vasyl Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Roman Gonzalez, Gennady Golovkin, Rigondeaux and others, nobody else can match Ward’s resume.
The real low blow is that the whining and excuse-making from Kovalev’s camp and his fans are taking away from a great victory and a great champion.
“I knew this was going to be different,” Ward said after the fight. “He fought a good fight the first time but when I went back and looked at it, I computed it and tonight I came out all right.
“Can I ask a question? Am I No. 1 now?”
Yes indeed. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter@IshmaelSistrunk
