"I thought it was a very, very close fight. It could have easily went the other way. Some people don't understand why Andre Ward got the victory. The reason why he got the victory, he had to go through adversity, he got dropped, and that's the way Kovalev fights. Kovalev can catch anyone early. After he got dropped and got up, from that point on, all of the rounds were questionable other than the rounds that Ward totally dominated...He came in there to do his job and he was trying to do his job, but the plan that Andre Ward had to slow him down and take something off of them punches worked to perfection. I knew going in he was a dangerous puncher, but Andre Ward is a craftsman," stated former world champion Cory Spinks, who gave his technical analysis of Andre Ward's victory over Sergey Kovalev. Check it out!
PC: What are your thoughts on the Ward-Kovalev fight?
CS: I thought it was a very, very close fight. It could have easily went the other way. Some people don't understand why Andre Ward got the victory. The reason why he got the victory, he had to go through adversity, he got dropped, and that's the way Kovalev fights. Kovalev can catch anyone early. After he got dropped and got up, from that point on, all of the rounds were questionable other than the rounds that Ward totally dominated. He caught up with this boy and people gotta understand that's why they gave this man that fight. He was in there with a big puncher, but that fight didn't go the way that big puncher wanted it to go. Andre Ward changed the total dynamics of the fight; he fought the fight that he wanted to fight. To me, he took over, especially in the second half of the fight; it was all Andre Ward. He took Kovalev's jab away from him so he couldn't set him up with the right hand. When he got caught, he was counter punching and Kovalev was getting off first, so he was already in transition of throwing that punch. So he caught Andre. He weathered the storm, came back, and to me, he started being busier. He showed exactly what boxing is, showmanship and slickness.
PC: When Ward got put down in the 2nd round, did you think it was something he had done wrong technically or an adjustment he needed to make?
CS: He started off with a game plan and stuck to it. The thing is he didn't change anything that he had already planned to do. He just made a mental mistake of timing the jab and trying to come over the jab with his own right hand and Kovalev was already coming with the two and the two got there first and he got caught. It happens, but he made adjustments to make sure that didn't happen again.
PC: As a defensive fighter yourself, I'm sure you were impressed by the fact that he never got hit with another flush right hand throughout the fight, and that was for a 10-round period.
CS: That's what I mean when I say other people that watched this fight didn't understand why he was rewarded the fight. It was a beautiful fight. I didn't get nervous or anything after he got knocked down. I'm sitting at the crib looking at the fight by myself and watched this master will his way to victory. He bit down, he didn't get away from his plan and his craft, and my hat goes off to Virgil Hunter. The relationship between a boxer and a trainer was on full display. That's what boxing is. No matter how world-class Ward is, he listens to Virgil Hunter. Virgil cursing and everything and Andre Ward sat there calmly, listened to his coach with no back talk or nothing, just, "I got you sir!" And he went out there and executed.
PC: You told me in the past that Andre Ward is your favorite active fighter. Is what you saw him do in the Kovalev fight the reason he's your favorite?
CS: Yes! That's exactly why. He showed heart, skills, and still being a gentleman. He was still a gentleman in there. He went in with a shiny suit, he got it a little bit dusty, he wiped it off and came out with it clean. He got a few stains on it, but the suit came out alright. My hat goes off to Kovalev too; very bad boy, dangerous boy. He got outclassed in that fight. He came in there to do his job and he was trying to do his job, but the plan that Andre Ward had to slow him down and take something off of them punches worked to perfection. I knew going in he was a dangerous puncher, but Andre Ward is a craftsman. You don't have too many in boxing like that who are born with this and know how to adjust at the drop of a dime and that's what he did. He weathered the storm and dug and dug to the body, and Percy, what did I tell you before the fight; the inside. He just reasserted Kovalev to know that he was in there with a bad boy from that inside game and those body shots. He showed what boxing is, to be down and get back up and still change the dynamics of the fight and come out with the victory and he deserved the victory.
PC: Who do you feel would have the most work to do heading into a rematch and would you lean towards Ward again?
CS: It would come out the same way. This is why I say that. I think Kovalev would come out thinking he's been cheated, so now he has to get this guy out of there. It's never going to happen. And if it doesn't happen, it would fall right into the hands of Andre Ward again and what it is that he likes to do in there and he would get the victory again.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]