With the official signing for a June rematch, I decided to change up my plans this week for the Classic Fight Review and do last year’s original bout. I don’t normally score these round by round and instead try to convey the excitement and atmosphere, but I scored this one round by round for obvious reasons. How did I score it? Continue reading to find out.
Round 1
Already this is a different fight than I remember. In my memory Kovalev has a dominant first, and though he still wins it on my card, it is a very competitive round. Ward does more well, but that stiff jab largely wins the round on its own as it seemed to hurt Ward. It changed everything as Andre’s body language is just bad the rest of the round. 10-9 Kovalev
Round 2
The second round is more like I remembered. Andre Ward at this point is just in shock of Kovalev’s combined handspeed and timing. The commentary crew keeps talking about the power, and sure that is there, but Ward knew that would be there. What he didn’t seem to expect was being unable to avoid it. At this point he looks scared and in between rounds he looks shocked in the corner after he gets dropped trying to throw a counter. Kovalev was just faster in that moment. 10-8 Kovalev, 20-17 Kovalev
Round 3
The first thirty seconds is a continuation of the first two rounds as Kovalev comes out with a great one two to test how hurt Ward is, but from there on out this round is all Andre. The lands two or three super flashy jabs and a big left hook. Kovalev accomplishes nothing. I have seen the die hard Kovalev fans get upset when this round is scored for Andre Ward, but I have to say that on this rewatch, removed from the emotion that the first two rounds brought to that night, it is a clear Ward round. 10-9 Ward, 29-27 Kovalev
Round 4
A couple early counters again surprise Ward with their speed and timing. Both fighters struggle to get much going after that, but all Ward gets going are a few jabs to the body while Kovalev is able to touch Ward here and there. One moment where Kovalev is trying to jab Ward on the ropes and Andre looks like he is panicking trying to avoid one looked especially poor for the Oakland fighter. 10-9 Kovalev, 39-36 Kovalev
Round 5
Kovalev really starts to get touched up this round. Ward’s jab is working, he begins digging the body, and he found a few power shots to the head. Sergei lands a beautiful, power jab in the last minute, but Ward immediately responds with an even better one two. Kellerman claims the right hand bothers Kovalev and I didn’t see that at all, but it sure landed. This is easily Ward’s best round of the fight so far and the second one he has won. 10-9 Ward, 48-46 Kovalev
Round 6
Kovalev’s right hand really gets going again this round and he steals back the momentum that Ward really started building in the fifth. Three or four solid right hands land, one looking briefly like it bothered Ward, and a sneaky left sort of jab, sort of hook also popped Ward late in the round in combination. Ward kept his jab going, but not to the same effect as the last few rounds and he got little else in. 10-9 Kovalev, 58-55 Kovalev
Round 7
Kovalev finished the round strong, but Andre Ward really got to work over the first 2:30 of the round. He landed some huge jabs and really dug to the body. He also made Kovalev miss big a few times and Sergei is really beginning to show how little he likes engaging Ward on the inside. For the first five or so rounds the clinching on the inside was going back and forth, but in the seventh especially Kovalev was just trying to lock Ward’s arms down completely whenever he was inside. 10-9 Ward, 67-65
Round 8
Almost a solid minute of this round total is spent in the clinch where Ward is able to dig to the body and Kovalev is not able to do anything. Even at distance that is largely the story of this round. Ward had a pretty brilliant round digging to the body. Kovalev landed a little, especially with his jab, but this was a very, very clear Ward round behind the body work. This really feels like a momentum shift as it is the first time either fighter has earned two straight rounds since Kovalev controlled the opening pair. Also, Kovalev briefly wound up for a bolo punch this round and Ward looked annoyed. Some foreshadowing there. 10-9 Ward, 76-75 Kovalev
Round 9
Again a round largely controlled by Ward with his jab and body work. Kovalev got in a combination somewhat at the beginning and definitely at the end, but Ward is taking everything much better and just outlanding him. The body shots are constant, quick, and accurate. Very similar round to the last two. 10-9 Ward, 85-85
Round 10
Kovalev really got his jab going this round. Of course the memorable moment is Ward winding up and getting popped with one, but he got hit with them start to finish in the round. Ward might have actually done more work with power punches, but those jabs from Kovalev cannot be scored like normal jabs in a traditional fight. Those are real punches with pop on their own whether they set anything else up or not. It wasn’t a rout, but it was the first really good offensive round for Kovalev in some time and I feel like he won it. 10-9 Kovalev, 95-94 Kovalev
Round 11
Early in round 11 Kovalev got his right hand going and it looked like he was going to take it, but Ward really rallied with his left. Two big left hooks upstairs, one of which followed a beautiful left to the body, and several jabs whipped Sergei’s head back. In the last minute Kovalev looked tired and was badly chasing Ward. Even on the rewatch with the emotions of the night removed, this is one of the better tactical style fights I have seen. To top it off, the twelfth takes it on my card after Ward evens it back up. 104-104 Even
Round 12
This was a really smart tactical round for Ward, maybe something to mold an entire gameplan after. He landed flashy, obvious left hooks and then clinched. Kovalev can’t get anything going, or at least couldn’t much in this round. Maybe a fresher Kovalev can catch Ward jumping in for these shots. I have no idea why Harold Lederman scored this for Kovalev. Honestly he turned in a pretty poor card for this fight. Â 10-9 Ward
114-113 Andre Ward, the exact same card of the official judges.
Thoughts:
- This holds up as one of the more entertaining fights that can in no way be labeled a war. It is a tactics first fight, but everything happening is just so high level that it is mesmerizing at times.
- The HBO team was as split and as openly rooting as I have ever heard them on this night. Lederman and Lampley were very clearly pulling for Kovalev while Kellerman and Roy were just as clearly behind Ward. Almost everything they said all night was to support their guy. It kind of felt like a pro wrestling announce team from when I was a kid where one commentator’s character was to root for good guys and the other bad. There is no bad guy here, but it is the closest thing I can think of.
- This might get some big reactions, but I really do not think this fight was hard to score. The only round that I really had pause about who to give it to was the tenth. I gave it to Kovalev, but Ward probably did better work with power punches. Those jabs were just so great.
- With that said, we always dramatically undersell the subjective nature of judging boxing matches. If you disagree on a round and think Kovalev won, by all means, I am not going to try to tell you that you are wrong. This was as close a fight can get and therefore it could have gone to either guy.
- Repeat after me: This was not a robbery. This was not a robbery. This was not a robbery.
- Quick thoughts on a rematch: I am worried for Kovalev. I really want him to win to force a great trilogy, but it really felt like Ward had him figured out by the end. It appeared the Ward’s all time great boxing mind had Kovalev’s speed and timing down, and it had also figured out that Kovalev has surprisingly poor footwork at times when trying to close the distance. I don’t think a great fighter like Kovalev can really be routed start to finish, but if Sergei doesn’t hurt him early the second time around like he did the first, I honestly feel like this rematch will end up being a 117-111 style Ward decision. Kovalev needs to work his jab for twelve rounds and work on his lateral movement when moving forward his entire camp. From what I just watched, those two things are what he needs to have a chance to win the rematch.
