Ward vs. Kovalev lives up to superfight billing
THE boxing world is still agog over the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight championship bout last Sunday, which ended in a unanimous decision victory for Ward.
Due to technical issues, I was unable to score the fight on a per round basis, but from what I saw, I thought Kovalev deserved the nod.
THE FIGHT. Both fighters started out cautiously but Kovalev clearly won the first round as he was able to establish his reach advantage.
In the second, a big right hand knocked down Ward but the latter got up immediately and didn't appear hurt.
Kovalev would continue to win more of the early rounds but Ward seemed to be closing the gap and his quiet confidence continued to grow as the fight progressed.
By the middle rounds he was exchanging on fairly even terms and by the eighth, he took over the fight.
The cunning, cerebral fighter that he is, he was getting the better of Kovalev, albeit arguably by not much.
Kovalev would bounce back in the championship rounds, making them very difficult to score. Still, based on the two-point advantage he had in the 2nd, I thought Kovalev was ahead on the cards.
NO ROBBERY. It was a very close fight with so many even rounds that could arguably have been given to either fighter.
If you preferred cleaner, harder punches you would score it for Kovalev. But if you were partial to body work and faster combinations, Ward was your guy.
114-113 is as close as it can get and that means those claiming that it was a robbery or a sham , need to reconsider.
I predicted Ward to win but in the end I had Kovalev ahead. That means neither guy was able to completely dominate the other. They both performed well and it was an instant classic that deserves a rematch.
So stop whining about the scoring and insisting that there was a fix somewhere. Boxing doesn't need another controversy, so stop creating one in your mind.
PINOY PRIDE 39. It's all systems go for Milan Melindo's road to redemption with the arrival of his opponent Fahlan Sakreerin yesterday.
Their highly anticipated duel happens this Saturday at the New Cebu Coliseum and headlines Pinoy Pride 39.
Also seeing action will be the Pagara brothers, Jason and Albert as well as upcoming fighters with loads of potential, Jeo Santisima, Kevin Cataraja and Jimmy Paypa.
Sakreerin (31-4, 16 KOs) is rated no 3 by the IBF so this certainly won't be a cakewalk for "El Metodico" Melindo (342, 12 KOs). See you there, fight fans!
VERBATIM. “There was nothing in me that felt the fight was over, that he's gonna finish me. It was a flash knockdown. I wasn't hurt by it. As a matter of fact, I wasn't hurt by anything he threw.”
- Andre Ward (www.theundefeated.com)
LAST ROUNDS. Are on the following birthday celebrants from STC batch '90: Tingting Santillana, Dr. Nathalie Anne Hernaez and Jasmine Mendez-Pages. Cheers!