Adonis Stevenson: Kovalev looked like a 4 round fighter vs. Ward!
By Ryan Burton
There certainly isn't any love lost between WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (28-1) and former WBA/IBF/WBO champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1). The two men have mocked each other for years in the media while their attempts to unify all four major belts to produce an undisputed champion have failed for various reasons.
Kovalev had the biggest fight of his career this past November when he lost a disputed unanimous decision to Andre Ward in Las Vegas.
Kovalev started off fast in the fight and sent Ward to the canvas in the second round. The second half of the fight was a different story as Ward had found success fighting on the inside and Kovalev's energy level appeared to fade.
Stevenson wasn't very impressed with Kovalev's performance.
"I saw the fight. Kovalev was tired. First of all, Kovalev was tired after four rounds. He looked like a four round fighter," said Stevenson.
"He fought Andre Ward and not (Bernard) Hopkins who is old and doesn't move as much. It's not the same thing. He fought Andre Ward and I saw Andre Ward win the fight."
Stevenson said that he noticed a drop in Kovalev's power in the second half of the fight and believes that was a big factor in Ward's comeback.
He believes that Kovalev would have to maintain that same high energy level throughout the fight to have a chance to defeat Ward but doesn't believe it is possible for the Russian fighter.
"Boxing is not only the first few rounds. If it goes all 12 rounds then it is all of the rounds. Kovalev talked a lot of sh*t that he was going to knockout Andre Ward and do this and do that and when he got in the ring it was different.
"You see that Kovalev was tired after four rounds. His legs were tired. I think Andre Ward saw that he was tired and saw that the power wasn't the same. If you can punch the same way after 12 rounds maybe it is different but he couldn't do that," Stevenson told BoxingScene.com.
As for Stevenson's next fight, he said an announcement is forthcoming.
"We will be announcing my next fight pretty soon. In the next couple weeks we will know. I am very interested to fight in New York, California or Las Vegas," said Stevenson.
Long Island, New York native Jone Smith Jr. (23-1) who defeated Bernard Hopkins in December, has been mentioned as a possible opponent.
- See more at: Adonis Stevenson: Kovalev looked like a 4 round fighter vs. Ward! - Boxing News
I agree 100%.
Same fight I saw
By Ryan Burton
There certainly isn't any love lost between WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (28-1) and former WBA/IBF/WBO champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1). The two men have mocked each other for years in the media while their attempts to unify all four major belts to produce an undisputed champion have failed for various reasons.
Kovalev had the biggest fight of his career this past November when he lost a disputed unanimous decision to Andre Ward in Las Vegas.
Kovalev started off fast in the fight and sent Ward to the canvas in the second round. The second half of the fight was a different story as Ward had found success fighting on the inside and Kovalev's energy level appeared to fade.
Stevenson wasn't very impressed with Kovalev's performance.
"I saw the fight. Kovalev was tired. First of all, Kovalev was tired after four rounds. He looked like a four round fighter," said Stevenson.
"He fought Andre Ward and not (Bernard) Hopkins who is old and doesn't move as much. It's not the same thing. He fought Andre Ward and I saw Andre Ward win the fight."
Stevenson said that he noticed a drop in Kovalev's power in the second half of the fight and believes that was a big factor in Ward's comeback.
He believes that Kovalev would have to maintain that same high energy level throughout the fight to have a chance to defeat Ward but doesn't believe it is possible for the Russian fighter.
"Boxing is not only the first few rounds. If it goes all 12 rounds then it is all of the rounds. Kovalev talked a lot of sh*t that he was going to knockout Andre Ward and do this and do that and when he got in the ring it was different.
"You see that Kovalev was tired after four rounds. His legs were tired. I think Andre Ward saw that he was tired and saw that the power wasn't the same. If you can punch the same way after 12 rounds maybe it is different but he couldn't do that," Stevenson told BoxingScene.com.
As for Stevenson's next fight, he said an announcement is forthcoming.
"We will be announcing my next fight pretty soon. In the next couple weeks we will know. I am very interested to fight in New York, California or Las Vegas," said Stevenson.
Long Island, New York native Jone Smith Jr. (23-1) who defeated Bernard Hopkins in December, has been mentioned as a possible opponent.
- See more at: Adonis Stevenson: Kovalev looked like a 4 round fighter vs. Ward! - Boxing News
I agree 100%.
Same fight I saw
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