Ward vs. Kovalev 2 video: Watch the controversial ending to Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev

Andre Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) defended his WBA-WBC-IBF Light Heavyweight belts with a dramatic eighth-round stoppage of Sergey Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs). It’s Ward’s second victory over Kovalev in as many fights, and while the first fight featured a controversial decision, this one had a controversial TKO.

There’s no denying that Kovalev was rocked by a legal punch, as a right hand rendered him wobbly. The drama started with Kovalev complaining of a low blow beforehand, but referee Tony Weeks deemed it a legal body shot, and that put Kovalev in noticeable discomfort. After Ward landed the crunching right, Kovalev was in massive trouble and the champion went for the finish. Up against the ropes, Ward threw three consecutive body shots which caused Kovalev to slump but not go down, and the fight was waived off without a count. Ward was ahead on two scorecards at the time of the finish.

You can watch the ending, courtesy of Fancy Combat, at the bottom of the page. Kovalev’s team is going to file a protest, and with the way this event went, they’ll have to get in line behind Moises Flores.

Here’s Fraser Coffeen’s play-by-play of the deciding round:

Round 8: Things heat up a bit early, and Kovalev manages to land some nice uppercuts when Ward comes in with his head low. Again, Kovalev says he’s the victim of a low blow, and again, Weeks says no. Halfway through the round Ward lands his best punch of both fights and Kovalev is hurt. Ward pounces, pouring on the attack on the body. Kovalev is staggered! He drops his hands and is hurt! Ward keeps at the body as Kovalev crumples and Tony Weeks steps in. It is over!

While early replays made it hard to determine the legality of the fight-ending punches, there was one angle clearly showing Ward hitting below the beltline. Streetfight Bancho has you covered with a slow-mo GIF: