Kovalev vs Ward: 5 keys to victory for Andre Ward
Andre Ward, after an extended layoff, promotional issues and three pedestrian comeback fights, is finally ready to face an elite opponent again. On November 19, Ward will challenge Sergey Kovalev for the Russian’s trio of light heavyweight belts in a contest that will largely define both men’s legacies
At this point in his career, Andre Ward is an enigma. At only 32, the former super middleweight champion and winner of the Super Six World Boxing Classic could still be in his athletic prime; however, the last concrete evidence of Ward’s unquestioned brilliance against a top foe was his dissection of Chad Dawson — all the way back in 2012.
Indeed, Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) looked sharp in a follow-up victory over Edwin Rodriguez, but that came over a year later against a fighter who has since had major flaws exposed. Ward’s win over a bloated Paul Smith can be written off as irrelevant, and while he outclassed solid Cuban contender Sullivan Barrera, many were underwhelmed with his shutout of the woefully overmatched Alexander Brand in March.
Ward backers will cling to the notion that what their man needs is the right opponent to bring out the best in him, and Sergey Kovalev is indeed that. In Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), Ward will be facing the toughest test of his career, and that includes all the former champions he fought during the Super Six gauntlet.
The same, though, can be said of Kovalev. The fearsome “Krusher” has never fought someone with Ward’s combination of defensive acumen and advanced ring IQ. Moreover, contrasting styles — the cerebral boxer versus the calculating, devastating puncher — further imbue this match-up with serious historical implications.
So, can Andre Ward be trusted? And is he still as good as everyone assumes? Those are the pressing question. Ward does have a clear path to victory against Kovalev, but it’s one that must be tiptoed without a misstep. With that, here’s how Ward — with hyper focus and tactical nuance — can pull this off.
5) Win the battle of the jabs
Interestingly, this first category is exactly the same for Sergey Kovalev’s five keys to victory — and with good reason. Because both Ward and Kovalev are such sophisticated boxers, their dueling jabs will decide a variety of tactical elements: range/ring geography, the disruption and establishing of both offensive and defensive rhythm and the pattern of the first few rounds (especially).
Like Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward throws an excellent, crisp jab to the body, which he can do while simultaneously rolling to his right. This is crucial as it will slide Ward away from Kovalev’s vaunted right hand, perhaps forcing the Russian to reach and upset his balance. Kovalev, though, throws perhaps the hardest body jab in boxing, so it’s even more imperative that Ward employ his to hijack the initiative.
Ward also tends to float his left hand out in front of him, using his lead paw to confuse opponents as a decoy, defensive fly swatter or hypnotic pendulum that suddenly morphs into a stiff scoring shot. This variety will be crucial, as Ward must use his jab to disrupt Kovalev’s timing before he can establish a rhythm, touch Kovalev’s chest, arms and head and set up his own combinations. Because Kovalev is such an intelligent boxer who employs subtle feints, Ward needs to consistently give him different looks.
As mentioned, Kovalev has the more powerful jab, and both men are accurate. Ward, however, can perhaps do that a tad bit more with his lead left, and part of that is grounded in the mere threat of it. What Ward can also do is switch to southpaw for short stretches, if only to force a second of rhythm-busting hesitation from Kovalev due to an active lead right hand. Ward possesses all these tools, and he’ll likely need every single one.