ROUND BY ROUND

ROUND ONE Kovalev comes on with solid right rights, looking confident and working with bad intentions. Ward catches him up in clinches to frustrate him and only aims in shots of his own towards the end of the round.

ROUND TWO The Russian’s jab starts to tell but Ward picks moments to fire back, whipping a right hook into the body and a left to the head.

ROUND THREE Kovalev reaches Ward with some hefty countering rights. Ward moves round deftly and again frustrates him with messy clinches.

ROUND FOUR Ward launches a sudden lead right to catch Kovalev flush. He lines his right up again and goes on to cuff Kovalev with his left hook. The Russian presses on, landing hard jabs. Quality work from both.

ROUND FIVE They exchange flurries. Kovalev sinks a right into his body but the American cracks a heavy left hook into his head. Ward scoops vicious right and left hooks into Kovalev’s trunk. The Russian feels them, sighing for a moment.

ROUND SIX It’s another close round, Kovalev rushing him but getting tied up. They exchange left hooks but while the Russian is working to catch Ward, many of the punches are glancing blows.

ROUND SEVEN A round marred by plenty of clinches but Ward works on the inside, hacking in hooks and uppercuts. Kovalev is looking increasingly ragged, wearied by the style of the fight.

ROUND EIGHT Ward wobbles Kovalev with a massive right. Kovalev is rocking across the ring. Ward doesn’t see it at first and then charges him. He pounds Kovalev into the ropes and folds the Russian over. He looks hurt as Ward attacks, it’s unclear how badly. But the referee has seen enough. It’s over at 2-29. At the time of the stoppage Steve Weisfeld had scored 68-65 to Kovalev, Glenn Feldmann and Dave Moretti both saw it 67-66 for Ward (as did I in fact).