Ward and Kovalev renew rivalries

Kovalev suffered his first defeat as a professional fighter last time out, and it’s not a feeling he’ll want to get used to. The 34-year-old Russian, now fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida is amongst the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet at the minute, in the eyes of many followers of the noble art, and quick-fire revenge would come as a surprise to no one.

Despite losing on the cards after 12 rounds, he did have Ward on the canvas early in the fight, dumping him on the seat of his pants in round two, but couldn’t find a way to finish the job. If given another chance here, the puncher won’t let his man off so lightly. We’ve got Kovalev to win by KO/TKO at 7/2 – well worth a second look.

The underdog has, in fact, seen three of his last four wins come inside the distance, and brings an earth-shattering 81 per cent knockout ratio into Saturday. Kovalev to have his hand raised at the conclusion, regardless of how he wins, is sure to prove popular in the betting ring, 5/4 the offer.

More of the same from Ward

This is a meeting of two supremely talented boxers, and I’d be surprised if it was over quickly. Ward knows all too well the power coming from the opposite corner, and will aim to use his superior boxing skills to bank the early rounds. He showed first time out that Kovalev can be out-thought.

Making a prediction, I see this being similar to November’s clash, with Ward scraping a narrow, but slightly more convincing, points verdict. For me, S.O.G doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s one of the most technically gifted fighters on the planet, and we’ll see another example of that here.

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