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JOHN DAVID JACKSON ADMITS ANDRE WARD IS DANGEROUS; ANALYZES HIS STRENGTHS AND TALKS STRATEGY FOR KOVALEV

By Percy Crawford | October 19, 2016
JOHN DAVID JACKSON ADMITS ANDRE WARD IS DANGEROUS; ANALYZES HIS STRENGTHS AND TALKS STRATEGY FOR KOVALEV

"I kind of sold Andre short years ago. I admit that. And now that I watch them and their chemistry and the things that they do and the way that Andre executes during a fight, I have a much greater respect for both fighter and trainer...Andre is dangerous. He's not a big puncher, he's not the fastest guy in the world, but listen, he's smart and he's very calculated in what he does in the ring," stated John David Jackson, world-class trainer of light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, who talked about their upcoming showdown with undefeated top light heavyweight contender and former world champion Andre Ward. Check it out!

PC: The fight is a month away. Are you satisfied with the early stages of preparation of what Sergey is doing?

JDJ: Percy, the training is going well. Right now we're doing mainly physical work and conditioning and strategy. We don't start sparring until next week.

PC: When I hear people talk about this fight, I think it almost reduces the fighter's ability when I see its Andre Ward's IQ against Sergey Kovalev's strength. I think both of those guys represent and bring so much more to the table to be reduced to the "brain against brawn" comparison.

JDJ: You hit it right on the head, man. Knowing Sergey so well, he's more than just a strong puncher. He can box really well. And Andre, now that I have really studied Andre, I have a great admiration for what he does as a fighter. I wasn't too high on him for awhile because I didn't have a lot of stuff to look at. But now that I am really studying him and watching him and seeing his techniques and what he does, he is very smart and very intelligent. This fight will come down to more than just smarts against strength. This is two well-schooled fighters, two very hungry fighters, and two fighters who want to prove that they are not only the best in the light heavyweight division, but pound-for-pound.

PC: And we also get two world-class trainers matching wits against one another and sometimes, that chess match can be just as entertaining as the chess match going on inside of the ring.

JDJ: Percy, you're definitely right about that. I've watched Andre and I've watched Virgil and listen, I've come to have a greater respect for both, fighter and the trainer, because they have a unique bond and it's more than just boxing. Recently, a guy asked me did I think Andre should get somebody new in his corner. No! Listen, what he and Virgil have is special. Look at the list of guys Virgil has. He can't get his point across and emphasize what he needs them to do like he does with Andre because they have a special bond. It allows them to work with each other and it works great for them. Does it work great with Virgil and any of his other fighters that he has? I highly doubt that. They go way back and they go beyond boxing. I love the fight because I get to match my wits against his wits and these fighters get to match their skills against one another. It's a very intriguing situation. And the more I study Andre and Virgil and the way that they work together, I have a great respect for both fighter and trainer.

PC: You had your preliminary thoughts on both Ward and Virgil and now that you are into the meat of learning more about them and who they are, it's somewhat reversed your feelings towards them. Does that change anything?

JDJ: I think in this particular situation, Percy, I kind of sold Andre short years ago. I admit that. And now that I watch them and their chemistry and the things that they do and the way that Andre executes during a fight, I have a much greater respect for both fighter and trainer because they have that cohesiveness and they are one when they get in that ring and work together. For this particular fight, it just let me know that Andre is dangerous. He's not a big puncher, he's not the fastest guy in the world, but listen, he's smart and he's very calculated in what he does in the ring. He doesn't waste a lot of punches and he doesn't waste a lot of space and he's very smart. So for this fight here, we have to really buckle down and come up with a strategy where we could beat Andre. He's proven that he can do what he does and it works for him. We have to break him down systematically and devise a plan that will allow Sergey to use his strengths and his power and his jab and his ability to cut the ring off and his ability to set things up and make you fall into his traps and capitalize on them. For the fans, this fight is must-see. You have two very good boxers, two skilled fighters, and two hungry fighters and both of them want to prove that they are the best in the world and come the 19th of November, it should be a very exciting fight.

PC: These guys have a combined record of 60-0 with both guys being 30-0. From a record standpoint, one of the fights that happened where, from a prime of their career standpoint, they were this evenly matched was the first Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns fight. Ray was 30-1 and Tommy was 32-0. Does this fight between Kovalev and Ward remind you of any fight from the past, whether it be stylistically or just where these guys are at in their careers?

JDJ: The thought that you had with the Hearns-Leonard I, it kind of goes towards that because you had one fighter, who on paper is very skilled and very calculated, which was Leonard, and that's kind of how Andre Ward is looked at. And then on the other hand you have Sergey Kovalev, who most think he is a seek-and-destroy type of guy. But you have two guys who are schooled well, schooled amateurs and pros, and they are very knowledgeable about the game and they both study the game. You know, Sergey may tell you that he doesn't watch fights, but listen, he's not a dummy. He studies these guys and he is studying Andre and he knows that it is a difficult fight. Is it a difficult fight? Very difficult, but is it a winnable fight? It's very winnable. Here is the problem with Andre, a lot of guys have sold Andre short because he's not the biggest puncher and he's not the fastest guy, but he's very intelligent with what he does and what he does is he lures you into his traps and makes you fight his fight and by the time 12 rounds have gone by, you're down 10-2 or 9-3, so he did what he was supposed to do. But on the other side of the coin, you have a guy that can hit you with one shot and take you out, so it makes the fight intriguing. But what you have to do is use your best weapon and see if it could offset the other person. I'm hoping, and I doubt it, but I'm hoping for this fight, Andre tries to be a little bit more of a puncher and hurt Sergey. That will kind of fall into our plan, but that's not his style. That's wishful thinking on my part. I think Andre is going to do his best to lure Sergey into traps and have Sergey follow him around the ring and pick him apart with points. That's not what we plan on doing or allowing to happen. It's definitely an intriguing fight for the fans and the closer it gets, the more excited I get about it.

BE SURE TO CHECK BACK FOR MUCH MORE WITH WORLD-CLASS TRAINER JOHN DAVID JACKSON



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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