Sergey Kovalev seeking to regain titles he lost to Andre Ward
Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, two of the top five pound-for-pound boxers in the world, will face each other in a rematch of their November 2016 meeting.
Ward defeated Kovalev by unanimous decision (114-113 on all three scorecards) to win his IBF, WBO and WBA light heavyweight titles.
ESPN Stats & Information previews the fight:
Kovalev openly disputed his unanimous decision loss to Ward, but Ward won the last six rounds on two of the three scorecards after being knocked down in the second round.
According to CompuBox, Ward outlanded Kovalev 80-74 in total punches over that span while landing 39 percent of his punches.
Kovalev did the bulk of his damage to Ward's head in their first meeting, landing 89 percent (113 of his 126) of his total punches. Ward, however, was able to wear down Kovalev by consistently attacking his body.
Despite long periods of inactivity between 2012 and 2014, Ward is still regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and the numbers back it up.
He is the only boxer who ranks in the top five in CompuBox plus/minus (percentage of punches landed minus percentage of punches absorbed) and connect percentage.
Ward and middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin are the only two titlists currently holding three belts in any division.
As of Friday, Ward is the favorite at -150, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. Kovalev is the underdog at +130.
Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/132466/sergey-kovalev-seeking-to-regain-titles-he-lost-to-andre-ward
Ward defeated Kovalev by unanimous decision (114-113 on all three scorecards) to win his IBF, WBO and WBA light heavyweight titles.
 |
| Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev will face off again after Ward won their November bout by unanimous decision. John Locher/AP |
Kovalev openly disputed his unanimous decision loss to Ward, but Ward won the last six rounds on two of the three scorecards after being knocked down in the second round.
According to CompuBox, Ward outlanded Kovalev 80-74 in total punches over that span while landing 39 percent of his punches.
Kovalev did the bulk of his damage to Ward's head in their first meeting, landing 89 percent (113 of his 126) of his total punches. Ward, however, was able to wear down Kovalev by consistently attacking his body.
Despite long periods of inactivity between 2012 and 2014, Ward is still regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and the numbers back it up.
He is the only boxer who ranks in the top five in CompuBox plus/minus (percentage of punches landed minus percentage of punches absorbed) and connect percentage.
Ward and middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin are the only two titlists currently holding three belts in any division.
As of Friday, Ward is the favorite at -150, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. Kovalev is the underdog at +130.
Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/132466/sergey-kovalev-seeking-to-regain-titles-he-lost-to-andre-ward
Post a Comment