World light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward proved his class on Saturday night as he defended his titles by stopping Sergey Kovalev in their rematch in Las Vegas.
The pair met in November 2016, with Ward winning their unification bout in Las Vegas but many claimed he was lucky to get the points decision.
Kovalev immediately called for a rematch and he got his wish with Ward more than happy to defend his WBO, WBA and IBF straps.
Ward extended his unbeaten record to 32 fights as he managed to break down his Russian opponent.
He was winning on two of the scorecards when he landed a number of unanswered shots in the eighth round.
A powerful right hand staggered Kovalev but many believe the final few body shots were low blows. Speaking after the fight, Ward admitted he had to raise his game once again at the age of 33.
He told reporters: “He’s a great fighter, not a lot of people are going to beat him.
“But when you are facing a great fighter you have to raise your game to the next level. I hurt him with a head shot and I just had to get the right shot in to finish him.”
Kovalev once again started strongly at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and he has asked for another rematch after complaining about the stoppage.
He said: “It was a low blow, again another one. We are boxers. I could still continue. Why stop the fight?”
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