A super video edit showing how Andre Ward masterfully and systematically got to Sergey Kovalev bit by bit in their rematch.

Patience and a gameplan were two things Andre Ward had plenty of in his rematch with Sergey ‘Krusher’ Kovalev at Mandalay Bay.

There was a lot of cries of fouls from Kovalev supporters and his promoter Kethy Duva following the fight, but when you watch the tape back a couple of times one can gain an appreciation for the almost surgical precision of some of Ward’s body work (for the most part).

Many landed right on the belt line – where the referee can be seen given instructions saying was okay before the bout standing squarely in between the two combatants.

The proverbial bread basket shot as they say.

The punch that takes the wind out of someone’s sails and over the course of a championship bout, a tool Ward used to supreme effect.

Starting off with the shot as a range finder and pot-shot type weapon, by round 4 Ward had made it clear that he was going to try to slow Kovalev down as the bout progressed with what he perceived as a weak body.

By round 8 Kovalev was visibly tired and the body work throughout the fight no doubt played a big part, with some borderline shots that looked overall to be just about legal.

This superb video edit ecw787 YouTube (hat tip) illustrates further and is well, well worth a watch: