Damn, where do we start! Lol.
I had the fight at the end 114-113 for Ward. Do I feel very comfortable with that? No. The fight felt like a draw to me, even though the math can't possibly work out that way. I have absolutely no issue with anyone saying either fighter won, as long as it was close. I really, really wanna see this again & I am very happy that this fight was so competitive.
Ward has some major issues with Kovalev's reach & timing. I wanna see the adjustments Ward makes getting in there again knowing Kovalev can hit him from anywhere in that ring. I thought Ward should've made Kovalev fight off his back foot more, then again Kovalev was incredibly well prepared for Ward's clinch fighting. It really looked as if Kovalev was well on his way to gassing from Ward's body work in the 9th but man he stayed with it. Just a really good fight.
The timing and foot work, no wasted movement from Kovalev is what made him a much more dangerous opponent than per say a Pacquiao to Floyd. His size also helps a little as well. Dude is just a monster.
Like I said, give it to me again. I could see Ward maybe going after a unification with Stevenson with a deal in place to come right back to Kovalev. It would inflate the purse, and bring some more money to the table for a rematch.
Lomachenko-Walters this coming weekend, very nice fight.
