Ward stuns Kovalev to claim light-heavy crown

LOS ANGELES: Andre Ward of the United States scored a comeback unanimous decision victory over Russia’s Sergey Kovalev to claim the defending champion’s unified light-heavyweight title.

Ward, the 2004 Olympic champion, recovered from a second round knockdown to defeat Kovalev by 114-113 on all three judges cards after a gruelling battle at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena.

The win saw Ward, 32, improve his unbeaten record to 31-0 with 15 knockouts.

It was defending World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organisation ( WBO) and International Boxing Federation(IBF) champion Kovalev’s first defeat, leaving him at 30-1 with 26 knockouts.

Ward, stepping up a weight division, bounced back after a disastrous start that saw Kovalev dominate the early rounds and send his American opponent crashing to the canvas in the second round.

The Oakland-based fighter slowly began picking up rounds in the second half of the fight to take the decision, surprising many ringside pundits who felt Kovalev had done enough to win. “It was a close fight,” a delighted Ward said. “You never know how judges are going to see it. But take nothing away from Kovalev.

“In a tight fight, he’s going to feel like he got robbed, I’d have been disappointed. But we got the belts tonight.”

Ward, meanwhile, was satisfied at the way he came back after his second-round knockdown.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight but you never anticipate getting dropped,” he said. “That was the first time in my career I got dropped. I’m pleased with the way I responded.”

Kovalev could not hide his disgust at the decision, suggesting his Russian nationality had been a factor in the judge’s verdict in favour of his US rival.

“It’s the wrong decision. But I don’t want to give my opinion. Everybody is here, witnesses are here, everybody saw what happened,” he said.

“He got maybe a few rounds. But not the whole fight. I kept control. I lost maybe three rounds.

“I’m a guest here in the US and he’s a local, and all the judges are from the US. I agree they support their boxer but honestly, this is sport. Don’t make it like politics.”

The tight nature of the contest makes a rematch almost inevitable.