Ward v Kovalev

A block buster fight tonight between two unbeaten boxers, Ward having a 30-0-0 record (15 KO's) and Koralev also having 30 wins but also a draw in his 31 outs (with an impressive 26 KO's).

Andre Ward was the rising star of boxing about five years, he was amazing, and beat the likes of our own Karl Froch easily - Froch saying Ward was simply to good for him - and looked set to become a boxing super star but something happened.

I don't know what, there are story's of a shoulder injury from Ward but he never provided any medical facts to the boxing authorities and was subsequently stripped of his world titles.

Then came court cases against his promoter and co-manager, that kept him inactive for more time.

Ward has not boxed anybody of note since Froch nearly five years ago, although his promoters have found him a weak route to the top of the boxing game again by hand picking moderate boxers - picking up a world belt in his last contest.

Kovalev is rated as one of the best current boxers in the world he dominates the light heavyweight division - but it as got to be said that this is not the strongest of all world weights recently.

He won his title by knocking out our own Nathan Cleverly and later beating a nearly 50 year old Bernard Hopkins on a unanimous decision.

So we have a real true quality boxer who has lost his way against a bully of a weight division but one where he is a huge fish in just a tiny pool.

Hard one to call really.

Ward of old would easily win imo but he's wasted the last five years and time is not kind to boxers. Koralev is a banger but if a fifty year old can keep out of his way (Hopkins was a great boxer in his day) with his waning ability then maybe a much younger Ward can do the same and maybe he has enough of those skills he had to win it on points.

I guess the logical choice is to go with current form and go for Koralev but I would love to see Ward roll back the years and show his former greatness but I just can't see it.

Only me interested in this fight then?

Ward one on a very close unanimous decision call, winning by a single point on all three judges cards.

Koralev was the attacker through out the contest and knocked down Ward in the second.

Ward took more control of the fight as the contest went on and won all of the rounds after the half way mark on the judges cards.

Seems I summed up the fight pretty well in that Koralev does seem to look a better fighter than he really is because of the weakness of his opponents at this weight level and Ward still retain some of his great skills he had, to frustrate the 'banger' (just like Hopkins did) and go on to win the bout on points.

I did finally plump for the wrong fighter but my thoughts about the fight were about right.

Seems Koralev will invoke a rematch - it will be interesting to see what Ward will do. It wouldn't surprise me if now he has all these belts, that his management ducks Koralev and picks some easier fights in this division first to earn some easy money whilst building up his public 'superstardom' again before going on for some blockbuster fights in a year or two.

I felt Kovalev edged it.

They got it right ward did enough to win.