So sergey just said on Instagram live that kovalev vs ward 2 will be June 17th on ppv

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I don't even think I've ever called you a Slavophile except maybe in jest. I used the term to refer to the different alts that we'd have here about every week who exclusively talked about Eastern European fighters (who have recently stopped popping up, which is nice).

You've called me a slavophile a number of times and those trolls whom you tried to implicate me with, as if they were my alts specifically for trolling. I didn't take the bait. In the same post you also suggested that there was no wrestling going on in the Kovalev-Ward fight after one of the idiots claimed that Kovalev, and I quote, "Karelin'd" Ward. I liked the post for part of the content, not that part. You took issue with that, apparently.

Right after I joined. Now, look at the rest of the "slavophile" labels in your post history from both of your accounts (the one now gone). What's "bizarre" is for a guy claiming to be half Ukrainian talking like that.

Do we have a new resident Slavophile around here? Just remember, you're standing on the shoulders of giants like Kolovrat, man.

 

[JayE]

You've called me a slavophile a number of times and those trolls whom you tried to implicate me with, as if they were my alts specifically for trolling. I didn't take the bait. In the same post you also suggested that there was no wrestling going on in the Kovalev-Ward fight after one of the idiots claimed that Kovalev, and I quote, "Karelin'd" Ward. I liked the post for part of the content, not that part. You took issue with that, apparently.

Right after I joined. Now, look at the rest of the "slavophile" labels in your post history from both of your accounts (the one now gone). What's "bizarre" is for a guy claiming to be half Ukrainian talking like that.

Well, if you earned the label, you earned the label. I must have had good reason.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Well, if you earned the label, you earned the label. I must have had good reason.

I don't believe you're half Ukrainian and do believe that you're a slavophobe, specifically when it comes to Russians. You particularly don't like Kovalev because you think he's a racist. Well, there's been a lot of racists and you're a big fan of one (Hopkins) that admittedly regrets a lot of the things he's said and done in the past. Other than the dumb Adonis incident, your source for Kovalev's "racism" is Reddit. I laughed hard when I read that, knew you were trying to bait me and left it alone.

I don't care what your opinion is of me. You're just a guy that's been on Sherdog for years and refuses to look at the facts even when they're presented before your own eyes. What "fundamentally sound" fighter leads with their head as frequently as Ward does? I want you to answer that question btw and don't say it's a level change. I can show you a fundamentally sound level change while closing the gap.

 

[Marc A]

Getting hot in here

 

[JayE]

I don't believe you're half Ukrainian and do believe that you're a slavophobe, specifically when it comes to Russians. You particularly don't like Kovalev because you think he's a racist. Well, there's been a lot of racists and you're a big fan of one (Hopkins) that admittedly regrets a lot of the things he's said and done in the past. Other than the dumb Adonis incident, your source for Kovalev's "racism" is Reddit. I laughed hard when I read that, knew you were trying to bait me and left it alone.

I don't care what your opinion is of me. You're just a guy that's been on Sherdog for years and refuses to look at the facts even when they're presented before your own eyes. What "fundamentally sound" fighter leads with their head as frequently as Ward does? I want you to answer that question btw and don't say it's a level change. I can show you a fundamentally sound level change while closing the gap.

No, I said Kovalev is likely racist and that it doesn't really impact my opinion of him as a fighter. It's not like I deny that Hopkins has said things that could be construed as racist. I do recall posting or commenting on a Russian interview of Kovalev that I saw on Reddit (and then qualified that it was from reddit so take it with a grain of salt). I don't think the interview or my interpretation of it had anything to do with racism, but him criticizing his coaches in the United States and blaming his problems on other people (again, I qualified this all with the fact that it was from reddit and quite possible not reliable).

I'm trying to figure out why anyone would make up being half Ukrainian. It's not some special or unique thing where I'm from. There are tons of people with Ukrainian heritage on the prairies. I do wonder why I'd have Russian hockey players as my av (multiple times) if I hated Slavs so much. I think I got drunk and made Andrei Rublev (from the Tarkovsky movie) my av for awhile, too. Or maybe I just do it so I can claim to be a Slav and mount my maliciously racist diatribes against Slavic peoples. That's probably it.

 

[Noctilux]

Getting hot in here

In celebration of women's day

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Getting hot in here

Susana Almeida. What a beaut.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

No, I said Kovalev is likely racist and that it doesn't really impact my opinion of him as a fighter. It's not like I deny that Hopkins has said things that could be construed as racist. I do recall posting or commenting on a Russian interview of Kovalev that I saw on Reddit (and then qualified that it was from reddit so take it with a grain of salt). I don't think the interview or my interpretation of it had anything to do with racism, but him criticizing his coaches in the United States and blaming his problems on other people (again, I qualified this all with the fact that it was from reddit and quite possible not reliable).

I'm trying to figure out why anyone would make up being half Ukrainian. It's not some special or unique thing where I'm from. There are tons of people with Ukrainian heritage on the prairies. I do wonder why I'd have Russian hockey players as my av (multiple times) if I hated Slavs so much. I think I got drunk and made Andrei Rublev (from the Tarkovsky movie) my av for awhile, too. Or maybe I just do it so I can claim to be a Slav and mount my maliciously racist diatribes against Slavic peoples. That's probably it.

In the interview you spoke of, Kovalev DID in fact use the "N" word. However, that was quickly investigated by the media. One of them being "Radio Rahim". What they found was that it's common over there to use that word because they're ignorant of American culture and historically the extent of how deep it goes. It was investigated by his own coach, John David Jackson, who spoke on the matter a number of times due to public pressure. He came to the same conclusion that I did, that their culture is ignorant of ours and its history.

Kovalev is a good friend of Bernard Hopkins. He's friends with James Toney and they've trained together. JDJ has vouched for him and so have other fighters of African descent. Don Turner took Kovalev in. There's much more evidence to the contrary. However, being someone who actually does exercise objectivity, I entertained the notion that Kovalev could very well be a racist. I've talked about Kovalev's past fouls in detail and how he was purposely aiming for the back of Pascal's head when he was ducking. I immediately criticized Kovalev for his use of headlocks during the Ward fight and said yesterday I would've had no problem with Byrd taking points. He had already warned Kovalev a number of times but he continued to do it. There are much better ways to accomplish what he wanted to do with that tactic and they're legal.

BTW, those headlocks weren't used just to shut down Ward's in-fighting, they were used to control his head so he wouldn't get butted (which is how the Kessler fight ended after he couldn't see, if you'll recall). Anyone can claim that they're practically anything online and then play the part. But, you already knew that. For instance, I happen to be a millionaire. My Lamborghini is right outside. I can even post the photos to "prove" it. I go by observation and, on occasion, intuition on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

@Shoemaker per your request I wrapped every GIF image in spoiler tags. It won't help with the replies from Jay that I got unless he does it too but those images will already be downloaded and cached in your phone's web browser so it won't eat up any additional bandwidth. Plus, when he quoted those images are scaled down in display size so it won't make it harder to read through the thread.

@Marc A the question you asked me earlier I'll answer. I've been too busy having a friendly debate here. My apologies.

 

[stuff jones]

No, I said Kovalev is likely racist and that it doesn't really impact my opinion of him as a fighter. It's not like I deny that Hopkins has said things that could be construed as racist. I do recall posting or commenting on a Russian interview of Kovalev that I saw on Reddit (and then qualified that it was from reddit so take it with a grain of salt). I don't think the interview or my interpretation of it had anything to do with racism, but him criticizing his coaches in the United States and blaming his problems on other people (again, I qualified this all with the fact that it was from reddit and quite possible not reliable).

I'm trying to figure out why anyone would make up being half Ukrainian. It's not some special or unique thing where I'm from. There are tons of people with Ukrainian heritage on the prairies. I do wonder why I'd have Russian hockey players as my av (multiple times) if I hated Slavs so much. I think I got drunk and made Andrei Rublev (from the Tarkovsky movie) my av for awhile, too. Or maybe I just do it so I can claim to be a Slav and mount my maliciously racist diatribes against Slavic peoples. That's probably it.

So why is Kovalev likely racist but for Hopkins you defer making that judgement and say that it's on the person interpreting his words to make that call? Seems like a clear double standard.

 

[stuff jones]

Last time I checked, body shots are what make a guy gas down the stretch. You dont have to be crushing someones ribcage to make a difference, you just have to be consistent.

So whenever someone lands some body shots, even a lightweight puncher and even on someone who has a history of gassing, body shots rather than poor conditioning are automatically the cause of that gassing?

That is a stretch of logic.

 

[JayE]

So why is Kovalev likely racist but for Hopkins you defer making that judgement and say that it's on the person interpreting his words to make that call? Seems like a clear double standard.

I can only call Kovalev a racist by interpreting what he has said in a certain way. Same goes for Hopkins. I wasn't saying Kovalev is racist and Hopkins isn't; both likely are racists in some measure. Now, how much either man's prejudice (whether they be severe prejudices or not) detracts from their character is hard for me to say as I don't know either of them.

 

[JayE]

In the interview you spoke of, Kovalev DID in fact use the "N" word. However, that was quickly investigated by the media. One of them being "Radio Rahim". What they found was that it's common over there to use that word because they're ignorant of American culture and historically the extent of how deep it goes. It was investigated by his own coach, John David Jackson, who spoke on the matter a number of times due to public pressure. He came to the same conclusion that I did, that their culture is ignorant of ours and its history.

Kovalev is a good friend of Bernard Hopkins. He's friends with James Toney and they've trained together. JDJ has vouched for him and so have other fighters of African descent. Don Turner took Kovalev in. There's much more evidence to the contrary. However, being someone who actually does exercise objectivity, I entertained the notion that Kovalev could very well be a racist. I've talked about Kovalev's past fouls in detail and how he was purposely aiming for the back of Pascal's head when he was ducking. I immediately criticized Kovalev for his use of headlocks during the Ward fight and said yesterday I would've had no problem with Byrd taking points. He had already warned Kovalev a number of times but he continued to do it. There are much better ways to accomplish what he wanted to do with that tactic and they're legal.

BTW, those headlocks weren't used just to shut down Ward's in-fighting, they were used to control his head so he wouldn't get butted (which is how the Kessler fight ended after he couldn't see, if you'll recall). Anyone can claim that they're practically anything online and then play the part. But, you already knew that. For instance, I happen to be a millionaire. My Lamborghini is right outside. I can even post the photos to "prove" it. I go by observation and, on occasion, intuition on a case-by-case basis.

Words to remember, I'd say.

 

[nastyleft]

So whenever someone lands some body shots, even a lightweight puncher and even on someone who has a history of gassing, body shots rather than poor conditioning are automatically the cause of that gassing?

That is a stretch of logic.

What other fights has Kovalev gassed in? Please elaborate...
And take body shots from a feather weight for 7-8 rounds and tell me if it doesnt make a difference to you.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I'm not sure what evidence I can provide to please you, a signed letter from Kov admitting they hurt?

"A" is for accumulation, and that's what Ward laid on Kov's body. The evidence is on youtube.

Look, idk what to tell you. Smartassing aside, I thought Ward laid beatings on most everyone he fought up to Kov, and a history of not being a finisher =/= can't/didn't slow an opponent (or past opponent) down with an accumulation of work, head or body. (I always thought Kessler looked really glad to be out of there after their fight for example.)

Ward tenderized Kov all night to the body with a variety of shots, each time he set these shots up, whether it was hard digging 2 handed combos on the inside making space for a moment, scoring and smothering the retaliation or working at Kov's range, baiting him to lead with his jab, Ward slipping the jab constantly, drop level and scoring to the midsection while Kov was moving forward, either way the shots HURT because they weren't just being thrown lucky in a rough dirty fight, Kov was being set up by one of the best at exploiting weaknesses all night, and one of the best at sneaking significant (thrown with technical proficiency and authority/clean landing) connects at a very close distance. I think a lot of fans negate that inside work he slips in so quick.

You are aware that there are multiple definitions of inside fighting, right? I've been here for almost a year now and not once have I seen it brought up in this forum. In fact, some boxing purists and historians don't even acknowledge a "mid range" at all. The way they see it is simple, you're either inside (the pocket) or you're on the outside (at range). I know which range you're talking about with Ward, but, I just thought that I'd let you know in case you didn't.

in·fight·ing
ˈinˌfīdiNG/
noun
noun: infighting; noun: in-fighting

1. hidden conflict or competitiveness within an organization.
   • boxing closer to an opponent than at arm's length.

And here are the 3 definitions of inside fighting that you'll find commonly used in both boxing & striking-based combat sports in general

• Fighting deep inside the pocket (deep "mid range") qualifies, by definition

• Fighting inside your opponent's punching range qualifies, by definition

• Fighting "chest-to-chest" or within clinch range proximity qualifies, by definition (this is the most commonly used definition pertaining to boxing)

You're also aware that you're counting Ward's illegal holding & hitting as inside work, right? Not everybody counts that work because technically they're fouls that should not be scored. Holding & hitting is more specifically known as "clinch fighting" and is a foul that's explicitly listed (expressed in writing) in the Unified Rules under which they fought. And yes, some refs actually do enforce it at their own discretion.

Fouls

A foul is an action by a boxer, identified by the referee, that does not meet the standard of a fair blow or the conduct of a responsible professional fighter. Fouls may include, but are not limited to, the following types of contact or acts:

1. Hitting an opponent below the navel or behind the ear;
2. Hitting an opponent who is knocked down;
3. Holding an opponent with one hand and hitting with the other;
4. Holding or deliberately maintaining a clinch;
5. Wrestling, kicking or roughing;
6. Pushing an opponent about the ring or into the ropes;
7. Butting with the head, shoulder, knee, elbow;
8. Hitting with the open glove, the butt or inside of the hand, or back of the hand, the elbow or the wrist;
9. Purposely falling down onto the canvas of the ring without being hit or for the purpose of avoiding a blow;
10. Striking deliberately at that part of the body over the kidneys;
11. Using the pivot blow (pivoting while throwing a punch) or the rabbit punch
(punches thrown to the back of the head and neck areas);
12. Jabbing the eyes with the thumb of the glove;
13. Use of abusive language;
14. Unsportsmanlike conduct causing injury to an opponent that does not meet the standard of a fair blow;
15. Hitting on the break;
16. Intentionally spitting out the mouthpiece;
17. Hitting on or out of the ropes;
18. Holding rope and hitting;
19. Biting/spitting;
20. Not following referee’s instructions;
21. Stepping on opponent;
22. Crouching below opponent’s belt;
23. Leaving neutral corner; and
24. Corner second shouting.

http://www.abcboxing.com/abc-regulatory-guidelines/

This isn't a new rule. You knew though. I mean, there's no way you couldn't have without it affecting how you properly score a fight. The bulk of Ward's inside game is in fact holding & hitting and was in their fight.

 

[DeJulez]

It's called saxophone not slavophone

 

[stuff jones]

What other fights has Kovalev gassed in? Please elaborate...
And take body shots from a feather weight for 7-8 rounds and tell me if it doesnt make a difference to you.

The previous fight with Chilemba.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

The previous fight with Chilemba.

He was up in the mountains for that one. JDJ said that Sergey was too busy entertaining friends and family and giving them free tix than actually training and doing the road work he should've been doing. John even went as far as saying they won't be fighting in Russia again due to the "many distractions".

 

[stuff jones]

He was up in the mountains for that one. JDJ said that Sergey was too busy entertaining friends and family and giving them free tix than actually training and doing the road work he should've been doing. John even went as far as saying they won't be fighting in Russia again due to the "many distractions".

Even if it was an exception, so would Ward hurting a big 175 lber to the body. At least this exception was in the last fight. When was the last time Ward broke someone down to the body, let alone a 175 lber?

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Even if it was an exception, so would Ward hurting a big 175 lber to the body. At least this exception was in the last fight. When was the last time Ward broke someone down to the body, let alone a 175 lber?

I agreed with you about Kovalev being out of shape. I just said that his own trainer stated on multiple occasions that fighting back at home in Russia left him too comfortable with too many distractions to put in the proper amount of work for his cardio (road work) and training in general that he was doing back in America. He had an S&C coach as well in America that worked with him that was left behind, Quan Paxton. I'm not sure if he works with him still, probably on an as-needed basis.