Sunday 20 November 2016 17:00, UK
Andre Ward survived an early knockdown to edge a nail-biting points win over Sergey Kovalev and capture the IBF, WBA Super and WBO world light-heavyweight titles.
The American held onto his unbeaten record courtesy of a unanimous decision, with all three judges at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas scoring it 114-113 in his favour.
Ward was put on the canvas in a sensational second round as Kovalev made the faster start and had the majority of the vociferous crowd expecting him to get the decision.
The Russian called for an immediate rematch and insisted politics had played a hand in the first loss of his stellar light-heavyweight career on a night when the winner was likely to be labelled as the new pound-for-pound best.
Ward will take the glory but after an opening round that saw him on the backfoot, Kovalev put him through a career-defining test in the second with a stunning knockdown.
With almost 30 seconds remaining a ramrod jab caused the American to try and respond with a counter only for a short, chilling left to land flush and send him to the floor for the first time since he fought Darnell Boone 11 years ago.
The man called 'Son Of God' made it to his feet and to the safety of his corner but, hardly surprisingly, struggled to resurrect his chances in the third.
Kovalev's jabs - up and down and doubled - set up his trademark right but Ward gradually started to close the gap, clinching the bigger man to try and redress the balance.
He enjoyed some inside work in the fifth but the Russian returned the compliment in the sixth with both of them trading blows, looking to gain the edge; Kovalev on the attack, Ward on the counter.
The second half of the bout though saw a shift in momentum. Ward's confidence was back in abundance, taking the centre of the ring, his jab now switching up and down and his short, checked hook working when the range shortened.
Kovalev, for the first time, seemed to drop his pace with his foe circling around, just out of range, and although 'Krusher's jab was still working, it was the American who seemed to be enjoying it for the first time.
The frustration crept into the former unified light-heavyweight supremo, his shots falling short and as his frustration grew, so did Ward's impact.
Ward's left hook was the best shot of a close ninth round but in the 10th, the former super-middleweight star produced two left-right-left combinations, and another short left to leave Kovalev's nose bloodied.
'Krusher' hit back in the penultimate as his jab and some clever stuff from one of the umpteen clinches, saw him try to close it out.
The final round did not produce the sort of barnstormer between two men who had nothing to lose, suggesting they were both convinced they'd won. Perhaps they also knew that the slightest slip could end the fight as jaw-dropping as it had started.
The decision didn't go down well among the crowd and certainly not Kovalev after the closest of close unanimous decisions was read out. Ward - keeping his cards close to his chest as ever - refused to commit to a rematch, but the fight could well happen again in 2017.
