Ward vs Kovalev II

Who won Ward vs Kovalev II?

Andre Ward beat Sergey Kovalev by technical knockout in the 8th round on Saturday, June 17th, 2017, at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 175 pounds (12.5 stone or 79.4 kg).

This contest was for the undisputed light heavyweight championship of the world, with the WBA, IBF, WBO, and The Ring belts on the line.

Ward vs Kovalev II stats

Back in June 2017, Andre Ward stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 31 wins, zero losses, and 0  draws, 15 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Sergey Kovalev made his way to the ring with a record of 30 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, with 26 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Kovalev had a massive power advantage over Ward, boasting a 87% knockout percentage compared to Ward's 48%.

Andre Ward was the younger man by 1 year, at 33 years old.

Kovalev had a 1-inch reach advantage.

Both Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev fought out of an orthodox stance.

Ward was arguably the more experienced fighter, having had 1 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2004, 4 years and 7 months earlier than Kovalev, whose first professional fight was in 2009. He had fought 34 more professional rounds, totaling 238 compared to Kovalev's 204.

Sergey Kovalev was ranked number 2 by the WBA, 1 by the WBO, and 3 by the IBF in the 175lb division.

Ward vs Kovalev II form

Ward remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 1 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had beaten Sergey Kovalev on November 19, 2016, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States.

Prior to that, he had beaten Alexander Brand on August 6, 2016, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Oracle Arena, Oakland.

Going into that contest, he had won against Sullivan Barrera on March 26, 2016, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Oracle Arena, Oakland.

Before that, he had beaten Paul Smith on June 20, 2015, by technical knockout in the 9th round at Oracle Arena, Oakland.

He had defeated Edwin Rodriguez on November 16, 2013, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Super Middleweight championship fight at Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario.

Kovalev had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight before this contest, he had lost to Andre Ward on November 19, 2016, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Isaac Chilemba on July 11, 2016, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at DIVS, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Jean Pascal on January 30, 2016, by technical knockout in the 7th round in their IBF World Light Heavyweight, WBA Super World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada.

Before that, he had beaten Nadjib Mohammedi on July 25, 2015, by knockout in the 3rd round in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States.

He had won against Jean Pascal on March 14, 2015, by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Sergey Kovalev had been fighting more than Andre Ward.

Going into this contest, Andre Ward had last fought 6 months and 29 days ago, while Sergey Kovalev's last outing had been 6 months and 29 days ago.

Ward's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 7 months and 1 day, which means he had been fighting approximately every 8 months and 18 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 57 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 11.4 rounds on average.

Kovalev's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 3 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 5 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 42 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.4 rounds on average.

What time did Ward vs Kovalev II start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States, which was around 4:00 AM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Ward vs Kovalev II?

Ward vs Kovalev II was broadcast on HBO PPV in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports 1.

What were the odds on Ward vs Kovalev II?

Andre Ward was a 7/10 (-140) favorite going into the contest, while Sergey Kovalev made his way into the ring at 6/5 (+120) with oddsmakers.