Tonights action SPOILERS

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Stevenson is the far superior athlete and is a more reactive boxer but whilst neither have great chins, Kovalev is the hard hitting and more resilient. Hard fight to call, want Kov to win but think the athleticism will do for him after Saturdays fight.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

catchweight wrote:Some fighter Kovalev is.

Fairplay to you but all I see is a one dimensional guy that can hit....

Don't see what all the fuss is about..

Don't understand one dimensional guff. A great jab , footwork, good engine, applies pressure, combination puncher and knocks opponents out in their backyard. What exactly do fans want ? Sure he doesn't do a shoulder roll and throws money in the pool.

Nonsense comment

Cheers, Rodders

Kovalev destroys stevenson inside 4 rounds. Stevenson vastiltvastly overrated and has cherry picked wins on his record. Let's not forget Forfara had Stevenson in fits FFS...

Doesn't surprise me TRUSS wasn't impressed with Kovalev...however, I do, to a degree, see what he's saying although I wouldn't go so far as to be that simplistic in my assessment of him. He could do with adding a bit of guile to his game as he is a tad too easy to hit (but then folk are say the same about GGG too) but to essentially call him a one dimensional banger seems a tad harsh....then again, his mood is likely to be a sour one after City's loss to Burnley (be aware, I may be in a foul mood if Liverpool lose to Swansea tonight...although it's often hard to tell if I'm in a good mood or not most days)

Liverpool won't lose tonight. I'll be there (Swansea fan though) and I'm quite concerned we might get a bit of an hiding.

Obviously hoping for a good win for the Reds but wouldn't surprise me if it's a cagey affair with Shelvey scoring another worldie (although undecided who it will be for)

I like Shelvey (lot of fans don't for us) but I'd prefer him on the bench tonight. Seems to be too much going going on in his head when we play you.

Liverpool are the most in form team in the league at the moment, good to watch with the way they attack. Chelsea were the last team to come here that I was worried about and that ended badly.
We're safe for another season so hopefully we give a good it a good go.

To add something boxing related, I disagree with everything that's been written in this thread.

Get Shelvey's head right and he could be as good as Henderson is turning out for us. Problem is of course it's Shelvey's head. Good lad, enjoyed watching him for Liverpool but like many, he just didn't fit in with Rodgers' plans

To add something boxing related, I'd like to see Kovalev punch Wayne Rooney in the head...see how f*cking smug he is then.

I think Rooney would have been out for the season if Bardsley had thrown the right hand.

Looks like he punched a few of those Spurs players beforehand too.

RanjitPatel wrote:I like Shelvey (lot of fans don't for us) but I'd prefer him on the bench tonight. Seems to be too much going going on in his head when we play you.

Liverpool are the most in form team in the league at the moment, good to watch with the way they attack. Chelsea were the last team to come here that I was worried about and that ended badly.
We're safe for another season so hopefully we give a good it a good go.

To add something boxing related, I disagree with everything that's been written in this thread.

So you disagree with those who think Krusher beats stevenson and those who think stevenson beats Krusher. Going for the draw then ranjit?

milkyboy wrote:

RanjitPatel wrote:I like Shelvey (lot of fans don't for us) but I'd prefer him on the bench tonight. Seems to be too much going going on in his head when we play you.

Liverpool are the most in form team in the league at the moment, good to watch with the way they attack. Chelsea were the last team to come here that I was worried about and that ended badly.
We're safe for another season so hopefully we give a good it a good go.

To add something boxing related, I disagree with everything that's been written in this thread.

So you disagree with those who think Krusher beats stevenson and those who think stevenson beats Krusher. Going for the draw then ranjit?

He also disagrees with those who think he's a one dimensional plodder and those who think he's a very good all-rounder

Ha ha. I've said Stevenson has a great chance, due to him being a southpaw counter puncher but I haven't nailed my colours etc to either yet. Hard to ignore how well Kovalev is doing and you can't help but be impressed.

I definitely think it'll be an early finish, four rounds or less. All depends if Stevenson can be elusive enough not to get caught big before he can land. I don't think Kovalev will take Stevenson's power and vice versa.

RanjitPatel wrote:Ha ha. I've said Stevenson has a great chance, due to him being a southpaw counter puncher but I haven't nailed my colours etc to either yet. Hard to ignore how well Kovalev is doing and you can't help but be impressed.

I definitely think it'll be an early finish, four rounds or less. All depends if Stevenson can be elusive enough not to get caught big before he can land. I don't think Kovalev will take Stevenson's power and vice versa.

Backtracking now. Stick to your guns ranjit. You disagree with those who think stevenson is ducking kovalev... And those that think he isn't.

You could start a fight in an empty bar

I agree with everything that's been written in this thread

Think Kovalev has a better chance of taking the power than Stevenson does Ranjit, there's just something about the way he has put up roadblocks at every turn to stop this fight from happening, if it was the other way around Truss would be calling Kovalev a ducker . But with the WBC apparently going to order the fight he won't have much choice.

I don't think there's much in it chin wise so depends who lands first. Kovalev has probably the better chin but he's easier to hit and Stevenson will be the biggest hitter he's faced. I'm not saying Adonis will win but, ok I am.

Stevenson ko 2

It's one of the fights that boxing needs. Two of the heaviest hitters going to decide once and for all who the king of the Light-Heavyweight division is and unifying the four major belts on top of that. Both guys are a huge risk to each other so the winner really starts to become a Light-Heavyweight champion of some historical importance, too.

Kovalev's got the momentum right now but it's still only 60:40 in his favour, for me. He's got an indomitable approach and likes to make you work but Stevenson has shown that he loves guys coming to him and is comfortable boxing on the back foot and looking to walk people on to his shots - and they're hard shots delivered with quicker hands than Kovalev's. He's more accurate than some give him credit for, too, and to be fair after Fonfara decked him he did show that he could react and change it up a bit as he abandoned his back-foot approach for the remainder of the fight and carried it to Fonfara, backing him up and not giving him a chance to cash in on that knockdown breakthrough....But of course, Fonfara isn't Kovalev.

I thought Pascal landed some nice body shots on Kovalev which at least gave him a bit to think about amid the slow beatdown he was delivering - Stevenson is a superb body puncher so that'll be a possible source of success for him, particularly as Kovalev has admitted that Golovkin dropped him with body punches in sparring as everyone has heard by now. But Kovalev has that ramrod jab - a better one that Stevenson has - and doesn't give you that much rest. For however many rounds that pass without Stevenson finding that big counter left, I'd expect Kovalev to be winning most of them.

I think we know how Kovalev will approach it because he's only shown (or had to show) one style so far, albeit it's a very effective and brutal one, but Stevenson could potentially approach the fight in a couple of different ways. He could trust his power - and his chin, which has been known to be slightly tender - along with his faster hands to try and blast Kovalev out or he could do his usual thang of backing off and picking out his one-shot knockout blows with his footwork and accuracy. Both are risky but he's capable of winning both ways, the problem being that if he takes the second route I think he might fall a few rounds behind before he knows what's what. Think Kovalev in that scenario would be happy pumping out the jab and walking Stevenson down to bank the rounds even if he can't land a devastating blow due to having to chase so much.

I think Stevenson will take the fight now thanks to the thawing between HBO and Showtime along with the fact that there's simply no way he can con anyone else in to thinking there are any more feasible, exciting and lucrative fights aside from Kovalev out there anymore. I'd favour Kovalev but it's still a pretty marginal call, for me.

Pascal got away with at least 4 hard low shots - which definitely backed Kovalev off. Cute ring smarts from Pascal, because he delivered 2 of them when the referee was at Kovalev's back and thus out of his eye line.

Pascal hits hard, very hard and he caught Kovalev a few times. Yet, aside from one shot, where he caught Kovalev coming in and stiffened the legs momentarily, he didn't dent his chin much. Kovalev is not quite linear or one-dimensional. He certainly paused his advance and retreated at Pascal's flurry punching, before steadily regaining the initiative. Some fighter.

I'm not proclaiming him Charles, Moore and Foster rolled into one by any stretch. He does, however, have a compact skill set allied to concussive punching that will take some ability to crack. Stevenson may offer that, or may have offered that; at closer to 40 than 30, it is difficult perhaps to grade.

One thing that was very apparent is that Kovalev is easy to hit over the top of his jab, he steps in with his jab due to the power of it, however if it's blocked or he misses he's generally in a bit of trouble and it looked as though in the 5th Pascal had him a tiny bit stiff legged off a couple of right hands that he threw over his jab. Another main reason is every single time he throws a jab he puts his left hand straight back down to his waist, not defending over the top of it. Think he may be jus slightly used to being a flat track bully at times and that's where someone with the guile of Stevenson could take him out. Don't think Kovalev has a particularly great chin and don't think Stevenson does either, so it could be a simple case of who lands first from two big punchers with dodgy chins, exciting fight. Kovalev has the edge in my view, might make Stevenson look a little small in there as he is a ridiculously huge LHW with a massive reach.

It's an intriguing fight. Both seem to have the tools to trouble the other and its 1 vs 2 in the division. Basically, it has to happen. If Floyd and Pacquaio can be made then so can this.

I'd fancy the big Russian. Seems like the bigger man and has the bigger dig. Do I know for certain? Nope. Let's find out.

RanjitPatel wrote:I don't think there's much in it chin wise so depends who lands first. Kovalev has probably the better chin but he's easier to hit and Stevenson will be the biggest hitter he's faced. I'm not saying  Adonis will win but, ok I am. Maybe. Oh yes I am, Oh no I'm not. He's behind you.

Stevenson ko 2 kovalev points double knock out

fixed that for you ranjit

I didnt see the pascal fight... but there's a difference between being stiffened and being in trouble. But then stevenson is heavier handed than pascal.  In my view stevenson has been knocked out once and clearly hurt several times, without taking much leather to do so. I'm pretty confident that if kovalev can get through he takes stevenson out... the question is whether he gets banjo'd himself first... which to me is enough of a possibility to make it a fascinating fight.

Think Kovalev proved he can turn in a very measured approach in the Hopkins fight, but also that he can turn it on and really amp it up when he needs to like he did last night against Stevenson, he does always carry that booming left, but I reckon Kovalev gets to him more often than not. Think he can be smart up to the point where Stevenson leaves himself a little more exposed than he wants to and he gets taken out. Think it will take far fewer punches than it did to Pascal also, he just seems to have dynamite in those gloves of his.

milkyboy wrote:

RanjitPatel wrote:I don't think there's much in it chin wise so depends who lands first. Kovalev has probably the better chin but he's easier to hit and Stevenson will be the biggest hitter he's faced. I'm not saying  Adonis will win but, ok I am. Maybe. Oh yes I am, Oh no I'm not. He's behind you.

Stevenson ko 2 kovalev points double knock out

fixed that for you ranjit

I didnt see the pascal fight... but there's a difference between being stiffened and being in trouble. But then stevenson is heavier handed than pascal.  In my view stevenson has been knocked out once and clearly hurt several times, without taking much leather to do so. I'm pretty confident that if kovalev can get through he takes stevenson out... the question is whether he gets banjo'd himself first... which to me is enough of a possibility to make it a fascinating fight.

I haven't seen the first Boone fight (just the second one) so I can't comment on that but didn't he have Kovalev down too?
Stiffened and in trouble, put down and stopped happened in their respective fights against Boone so I can see what you're saying (I've just written nonsense if Kovalev wasn't put down by him, might be mistaking him with Ward).

Stevenson doesn't have the durability to counter from the ropes in this one so he'll have to take chances. Hopefully they'll both throw a bomb at the same time. Worth a quid on the double knockout if a bookmaker will take the bet.

Hope it gets made.

I think, Ranjit, Boone has the sensational record of having dropped and/or stopped all 3 in fact - Stevenson, Kovalev and Ward!

No mention on Boxrec of him dropping Kovalev in either fight, he dropped Ward in their fight though.

Sure there was 3 people he got to - but can't find it either!

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/09/darnell-boone-vs-the-3-champions-ward-stevenson-kovalev/

I know it's not a perfect source but says he knocked ward and stevenson (obv's) down but drew with kov

I thought that Kovalev had been down in the pros so presumed it was him as the first one was his toughest fight. I'm sure I've seen it too but can't remember it.

Boone's been in with some good names. I can't think of a journeyman over here that troubles big names like he has.

Derbymanc wrote:http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/09/darnell-boone-vs-the-3-champions-ward-stevenson-kovalev/

I know it's not a perfect source but says he knocked ward and stevenson (obv's) down but drew with kov

I wouldn't take anything from that hack website as truth Derby, half of the stuff they print is complete garbage and the other half is biased BS. Kovalev beat him twice, once on points and once by stoppage. Shame the author couldn't use google.

The draw on Kov's record was against Grover Young in 2011 due an accidentally injury.

Kovalev vs Stevenson is the best match in boxing right now for my money. Hopefully it can be made: Stevenson's options are narrowing as Kovalev knocks off the likes of Hopkins and Pascal.

He's technically very good - anyone see him pull the switch move that Pirog knocked out Danny Jacobs with?

He dropped Kovalev in their first fight. As a way of degrading Kovalev as an opponent for Cleverly, Bellew started a campaign saying that Boone had been robbed in that fight but from what I've read (never been able to find the footage, not sure where Bellew got it from but I know others who have apparently seen it as well) the knockdown at best made it very close (over a short course of eight rounds I guess that's what happens) but wasn't enough for any onlookers to be surprised or voice their displeasure - and they were in Boone's home town.

First or second hit that on google, I normally know not to trust it but thought an article just about a few results would be safe will know better next time