Sergey Kovalev’s Trainer, John David Jackson, Breaks Down Kovalev-Ward
Oxnard, California: As WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev prepares to face Andre “S.O.G.” Ward live on HBO Pay-Per-View from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada he will once again have former two-time world champion John David Jackson in his corner. Kovalev and Jackson have worked together for several years and all of Kovalev’s big-time fights. Below Jackson breaks down Kovalev’s keys to victory:
Question: What is the one thing Kovalev has to accomplish in the ring in order to beat Ward?
John David Jackson: “In order to beat Ward, Sergey has to be able to cut the ring off. He has to make Ward engage and if Ward engages he will make himself vulnerable and leave himself open to the counter-punches. Sergey also has to beat his body down and make Ward, as the rounds go by, depleted of his energy. Then he will get him late with a knockout.”
Q: What is the one thing that Kovalev has to prevent Ward from doing in order to beat Ward?
JDJ: “What Sergey has to prevent Ward from doing is getting into a trap of falling behind in rounds. He can’t let Ward get two, three, four, five, six rounds ahead where he is behind the eight ball trying to play catch-up. Sergey has to come out of the gate and establish his power, his strength and his boxing abilities. If he does not win the first three rounds, he at least has to keep him even, so down the stretch as he begins to deplete Ward of his power, he will get him with either a late-round knockout or dominate the later rounds and win by decision. He cannot let Ward get ahead early and have to try to play catch-up.”
Q: You have said that non-American fighters are hungrier than American fighters. Do you still adhere to that, and, if so, does it apply to the Kovalev-Ward fight?
JDJ: “I still stand by that. To a degree, most American fighters today aren’t really that hungry. The European fighters that come from Russia or Germany they are hungry because their lifestyle and their way of living is a little bit harsher. Either you are rich or you are poor in Russia. There is no middle ground. There are no subsidies from the government to help you out. You are either rich or you are poor and that is what makes these fighters hungry. I still believe in that. A lot of these guys who come from European countries, they are hungry. They don’t have the advantages that we have in America. I still believe that they are hungry and they are more dedicated at least in the beginning of their careers when they first get here.”
Q: What is Kovalev’s biggest advantage in this fight?
JDJ: “Kovalev’s biggest visible advantage is his punching power. Power like his is God-given. You either have it or you don’t and he has it. He may not look like he is strong but he has tremendous punching power. That is definitely his biggest advantage. His second biggest advantage is he is a better boxer than most people give him credit for.”
Q: Does Ward have an advantage in any area in this fight?
JDJ: “Ward has an advantage in ring generalship. Ward is a very intelligent, smart fighter. He has had to win most of his battles with ring smarts. He has had to be able to be evasive and able to avoid the big shots. He does that very well along with his grabbing tactics. He suffocates his opponents so they can’t punch. Those are Ward’s biggest advantages. He is able to deflect a lot of your strengths while exposing a lot of your weaknesses. His advantage is that he is a very smart, tactical ring fighter. He uses ring generalship to his advantage. Up to this point in his career it has worked for him but I think with Sergey’s power and ring generalship it is going to be a different night for Ward. I think he is going to taste defeat for the first time since he was 12 years old.”
Q: You have said that Ward has several disadvantages-suspect chin, lack of power and three major mistakes he makes and hasn’t and can’t correct. Is this still your opinion?
JDJ: “Ward has three major mistakes but I cannot reveal them until fight night. On November 19 we will see if he has corrected them. Ward still made mistakes in his last two fights. He is past his prime. He is on the downward decline. Some have said that so is Sergey but Sergey is a puncher. His decline will not be as visible as Ward’s will be. We will find out on fight night if Ward has corrected any of the mistakes I have seen him make in prior fights. That will be the tell-tale sign. As far as his suspect chin, if Sergey hits him flush that question will be answered right away because Ward will go down like a ton of bricks. As for lack of power, if Ward tries to prove that he has power now, that would work to our advantage because it means he will have to stand there and try to engage with Sergey. That is really what Ward doesn’t want to do.”
Q: You have said that Kovalev will win within the 12-round distance. Is this still your prediction, Kovalev by KO or TKO?
JDJ: “Let’s just say that I predict that Kovalev will win, by knockout or by decision. Hopefully, for the fans, the win will come by knockout but I believe Sergey can also win by decision. Sergey is a very good boxer. He is a very good technician. He knows how to box. Sergey is also very well-schooled from his amateur days and now as a pro. He has better boxing skills than people realize. Can he win by decision? Yes, he can. Will he win by decision? I hope not. I hope he knocks this kid out and cements his pound-for-pound number one rating.”
Q: If or when Kovalev wins, can there be any doubt that he is, unquestionably, the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound?
JDJ: No doubt. If Sergey wins, he is the best fighter pound-for-pound.
Kovalev vs. Ward “Pound For Pound”, a 12-round mega-fight for the WBO/IBF/WBA light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions and is sponsored by the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Corona Extra, Zappos, JetLux and Monster Products. The championship event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available on axs.com and the T-Mobile Arena box office.
