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Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev 2 Rematch Full Fight Replay
Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev Full Fight Replay Alternative Video
Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev Full Fight Replay HBO Coverage
November 19, 2016 Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada for the following titles:
WBA Super World light heavyweight title
IBF World light heavyweight title
WBO World light heavyweight title
Andre Ward narrowly defeats Sergey Kovalev to walk away with his three titles
Andre Ward on Saturday night defeated Sergey Kovalev by decision to walk away with the latter’s three light heavyweight titles. Judges awarded Ward a (114-113, 114-113, 114-113) score over his opponent.
The American emerged the victor in a tightly fought pay per view match that lived upto its expectation in every way. Boxing pundits had predicted it to be a battle of equals and indeed it turned out to be so as neither boxer could stop the other or easily cruise to victory at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena.
A zero had to go
To say that the match was a battle of equals wasn’t just mere talk as the two orthodox fighters both walked into the Las Vegas ring as undefeated men. Ward had come in at (30-0, 15KOs) whereas his counterpart had been standing at (30-0-1, 26KOs).
Even though the two men had enjoyed having a zero figure represent their career losses, Saturday night was the night that one man’s zero had to make way for the figure, 1. This is because both men were coming into the ring with no other intention but to win. Ward was seeking to defeat Kovalev, walk away with his three light heavyweight titles, and cement his authority as the last man standing after Mayweather’s exit from the boxing stage. The Russian on the other hand was seeking to make Ward his 27th K0 and to prove to those watching that he has always meant business.
An eagerly awaited match
The Ward vs Kovalev match was an eagerly awaited match that had thousands of viewers in the UK and other parts of the world stay awake up to early hours of Sunday morning so as not to miss the action. It was a fight that had been compared to epic fights such as the one between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr last year. In addition, it was also remniscent of the 2004 Olympic fight between Ward and a Russian boxer in which Ward won gold.
The event between Ward and Kovalev was also graced by a special guest. Guess who was ringside as Ward and Kovalev took on each other? Vasyl Lomachenko. The Ukranian champion also has an important event in his calendar coming up very soon. He will be taking on Jamaican boxer Nicholas Walters in a featherweight bout next weekend. This will also take place in Las Vegas.
How did the night go?
Back to the main business of Saturday night, Ward had a struggling start against his Russian opponent but recovered in the third round and thereafter fought his way to a decision win.
Midway into the first round, Kovalev dealt Ward a left hand that had him struggling to be on his feet. Ward managed to hold on and finish the round but more awaited him in the second round. In the second round, Kovalev landed the American a right to the head that saw him land on the canvas. He however managed to get back on his feet soon enough and the fight continued.
Following the second round knockdown, Ward decided to change his style of fighting. He stopped coming forward and instead chose to fight moving backwards and throwing well calculated and step by step punches at his counterpart.
Krusher on the other hand kept advancing forward and throwing the deadly right hands he is known for. He had to keep chasing Ward around the ring as Ward kept moving backwards for the better part of the fight. To anyone watching the match, one thing must certainly have been clear. It was a case of boxing wit vs boxing ability. Ward had the wits by the manner in which he orchestrated his moves while Kovalev had the ability as evidenced by his powerful punches.
Even though Kovalev won most of the rounds especially the first fivr ones, Ward had his defining moments too. An example of thid is a right hand he threw in the fifth round that made Kovalev wince. Other examples are a hard right he landed Kovalev in the fading moments of round seven and a lethal right to Kovalev’s ribs in the eighth round.
Fans ringside had been cheering wildly as the two boxers took on each other round by round. The match acquired unprecedented momentum in the dying rounds. In round nine, it was a story of Ward’s rights to the head and body and Kovalev’s perfect combinations. In rounds ten and eleven, Ward was landing left and right hands with Kovalev trying his best to counter them with jabs.
The last round saw Kovalev sustain a left hook from Ward which he countered with two body shots. These had him receive a low body shots warning from the referee. A right hand from Kovalev and a left from Ward and the match came to a stop. Each judge’s scorecard read 114-113 thereby letting Ward defeat Krusher narrowly to take away his WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.
What next?
It remains unclear what is next for Ward following his latest victory in his 20 years of boxing career. One thing which many people are however waiting to see is whether Ward (31-0, 15KOs) will retire undefeated like the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr (49-0), Joe Calzaghe (46-0), and Rocky Marciano (49-0).
On Kovalev’s part, he still remains a hero despite his Saturday night loss. He put up an epic performance against the American and only lost to him very narrowly. At (31-1, 26K0s), he still has an admirable career rating.
Sergey Kovalev was disgusted with the decision and he knew that he really won that fight the Russian wants a rematch to get all his belts back. Sergey Kovalev said “For me he is not the champion” this could be one of the very controversial fight of this year Kovalev knocks down Ward almost of boxing commentator, experts got Kovalev winning this fight.
