The most important fight of the year is going down and it is none other than the rematch between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev. The two fighters clashed last December in a extremely competitive match that ended in a controversial unanimous decision win for Ward.

Andre Ward

Ward is still undefeated at 31-0 with 15 KOs and his resume is still as impressive as ever. Olympic Gold Medalist at the 2004 games, world champion at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight with wins over the best in those weight classes such as Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Chad Dawson, Arthur Abraham, and others.

Like most boxers, Ward began boxing as a child and compiled an amateur record of 115-5, but unlike many other fighters, Andre hasn’t been defeated since he was twelve or thirteen years old! He is desperate to beat Kovalev more convincingly this time, as he has gotten a lot of flack for receiving a gift decision from the judges last time.

Sergey Kovalev

Kovalev is one of the meanest and most destructive fighters in the sport right now. His record is 30-1-1 with 26 KOs. He has steamrolled through the light heavyweight division for the past few years without much competition, so it only made sense for Andre Ward to move up in weight and fight the baddest man in the division. Many people think that Kovalev deserved the decision against Ward, and the close nature of that fight is why a rematch was expected immediately.

My Prediction

This fight will be close but I give the edge to Ward and here’s why. He has shown an ability to adapt to his opponent and do whatever it takes to get the win, even if it means making it an ugly and boring fight. Kovalev is a very smart fighter himself, but I think Ward still has a slightly higher boxing IQ which will allow him to make the needed adjustments during the fight just like he did last time. Andre knows how to implement a strategy and make the opponent fight his fight.

There is of course the chance that Kovalev could overwhelm Ward with his power and actually finish him this time. I just think that Ward will be better prepared strategically and will win in a manner that honestly won’t be very exciting to most boxing fans.

The fact that these two are still rated at the top of the P4P list makes this fight very important for not only the division but the entire sport. Can’t wait to see how it unfolds!

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Pics:
instagram.com/andresogward/
HBO Boxing via Boxing scene
Sherdogforums
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Sources:
http://boxrec.com/boxer/281958
http://boxrec.com/boxer/505927