Kessler vs. Larsen closer than ever!

well Kesslers trainer is also Mads Larsens old trainer, and he said that Mads Larsen don´t have a change against Kessler, It will be the biggest miss match since Haussler hmmmm.

So Kessler is throwing a year away again. I hope he give the joke WBA alfabet title up and lets WBA alone with their rankings.

I really hope that Kessler has an offer from a good promoter in the bag

 

Palle actually offered Hopkins quite a lot of money to fight Kessle, but B-Hop would hear none of it.

 

Excuses excuses.

At the end of the day Kessler will be judged on who he beat and not how many excuses he was able to come up with.

 

What a *****. He's 29 and they're calling out a 44 year old? Maybe they should call out RJJ too as he's only 40. Maybe they can find some 18 or 19 year old boxers to call out after that. They'll probably decline as well.

Imagine Hopkins in the mid-90s or so calling out Marvin Hagler .. but Hagler would hear none of it. That chicken**** Hagler.

At a certain point (long past), you can't continue to blame Kessler's promoter for his lack of fights. That's a ****ing excuse. Since so many are convinced that he's far and away the best at 168, then move up. He's hitting 30 now. He can fight at 175. There are a dozen or more fights waiting there and he'll probably lose them all.

 

Is there a link for this supposed offer to Hopkins?

 

There is no reason to move division - in fact it would be stupid. He just needs to fight the best at SMW which i his natural weight.

 

Why? Roy moved up in '96 to LHW and he could have made 168 the rest of his career. He spent about 12 years fighting LHWs because it was a more important, prestigious division and a greater test for a man of his abilities. Do you mean "in fact it would be stupid" because he can't compete at 175, hasn't yet proven he's the best at 168, or because you honestly believe 168 will always be his natural weight?

 

Is Larsen even in the top 10? Why fight him?

 

Impossible to end up with a loss would seem to be the obvious explanation.

 

Roy was a special case. He has blinding speed and is probaly the only MW and above that could have pulled that off. The closest believe it or not may have been Calzaghe.

Kessler is more a thinking fighter and does not have the natural speed advantage of a RJJ. Kessler should aim to have a Hopkin' type of carreer - in other words to establish himself thoroughly in his real division - and maybe THEN move up. Kesslr has in no way proven to be the man in the division - he my be and many believe he is, but he has not proven it - yet at least.

_____________

Another - if we cut the bull-**** - we both know why we disagree on this: I try to argue from the point of view of what would be in Kessler's interest if he wants a great legacy. While you (and let's be honest here..) are only interested in seeing Kessler loose so that Taylor has an easier time at SMW and also to give Dawson a good push in legacy.

I am critical of Kessler's fights since the Calzaghe fight. I think it has bn a bull**** run of fights.

Just don't call him a ***** for having the goal of doing the same that Hopkins, Calzaghe and many others have aimed to do - establish dominance in a division.

PS. Why is he fighting Larsen? Because he will get paid several million $ to do so. I still think it is a bs fight though (not because it is easy (becuse Larsen is actually a world class operator) but because most people have no idea who Larsen isand therefore it does nothing for Kessler. Bad risk-reward for Kessler. Imo. Pavlik for example would be an easier win and against much more reward.

 

Great post....

BTW
Kessler has fought a LOT of fights in comparison with his peers at SMW.
In the top 13 at BoxRecs SMW rankings, there is only one guy younger than Kessler (Dirrell), and no one has 40+ wins like Kessler. (Closest is Inkin with 34 wins).

Although some of these opponents have been substandard, you have to give the man credit for staying busy in the division...

 

Actually, that is not true. I don't want Kessler to lose. I want him (or anyone else) to fight the best (rather than fight stiffs - after all - he has already proven and demonstrated to my mind that he can beat stiffs - I am convinced - no more proof or examples are necessary from him) and have people recognize him as the best only when it is deserved. It surely is in the fighter's and promotor's interest to have a well calculated career but as sport fans that isn't our concern (they'll take care of that themselves won't they?). Do you really want MK to avoid the tough fights, only take fights when all the conditions are in his favor, and sort of luck and calculate his way into a tremendous record giving him a great legacy? Does that mean you don't ascribe to the idea that he is as great as many on ESB have repeatedly stated and restated?

I'm not a JT fan in any particular sense. But, if JT is campaigning at SMW then let's put him in with Kessler without further delay. If no one else wants to fight Kessler then lets put Abraham and/or Pavlik in with him as soon as possible (they are champs and I do not believe either guy is going to comfortably make 160 much longer). It looks to me like MK is a large SMW and 175 is waiting for him inevitably (perhaps you think he can continue to make 168 well into his 30s and to the end of his career - if so - if he can - then sure moving up would be unnecessary). I don't think Dawson needs any 168 pound champ / Kessler and do not believe Kessler would be at all likely to defeat him. But, if he is having any difficulty making the 168 pound limit and is clearly better than all other combatants (in that division) then there are a number of guys at 175 that would fill his dance card quite ably.

No one wants two elites to pound it out and end up with a Gerald McClellan result. But, there really should be a different system that forces the top guys to fight each other. I think he is one of the top guys at 168. If he is ready to be even more then let's see it. Let's not have him (or any other champions) fighting any more guys that may be "not terrible" or "almost decent". We need more matchups like during periods when Trinidad, Mosley, Dela Hoya, Pacquaio, etc. were fighting the best and moving up in weight to chase greatness or find better competition. Kessler's financial backers will surely want BHOP. But, Kessler (as an athlete) should want Dawson if he is looking at 175. My post was more just to reflect the absurdity of another basically stating that BHOP ducked a chance to fight Kessler. BHOP is 44. I don't expect he'll be around much longer and he is pretty clear about recognizing his own limitations. Yes, he too managed to be fairly calculating in a good portion of his career. For example, it was a joke when he fought a guy like Hakkar even considering that he was 38 at the time. He had to know it was a mismatch.

Kessler must be pretty financially set (don't you think?). If he is as good as suggested here on ESB then he can find a way to get competive fights. Selling Kessler (if he can deliver the goods) can't that difficult.

If he can walk the walk then I'm not against that (as I don't care about the fighter's personalities or personal lives). I just want to see him prove it in the ring and not end up with 50 or so fights and three real tests over an entire career. Maybe 35 is the new 28. I'm not convinced that he will be better able to handle a hard test by fighting any more relative scrubs. The knock is that at some point you must question or doubt more than just Palle regarding why Kessler should want to follow in Joe's footsteps (if that is the kind of legacy he desires). I'd prefer a little more of a James Toney approach where you don't have a perfect record at the end but you've fought a bunch of different guys, some bigger, some taller, some stronger, some faster, but in the end, pretty much all comers. James may get **** from guys on ESB but in the gyms of America, athletes know he's a tough son of a *****.

 

I want Kessler to fight the tough fights. In the toughest possible fight - in his division. Not the toughest possible fights overall - because then I think a Vitaly Klitscho fight is the toughest.

So when you say lets get Kessler-Taylor without further delay - I agree. Kessler is a SMW and he therefore has to be willing to fight anyone ANYONE that fights at SMW. That includes Taylor, Abraham, Pavlik, Bute, Froch, Direll, Ward etc etc.

An I think Kessler is willing to do that. His promoter however, would rather have him fight Larsen for the same or more money. And several of the other candidates have more or less openly said they think Kessler is a little too scary at this point. Bute for instance has often said openly that he is not ready for Kessler until 2010. Taylor has said that he needs more fights at SMW before taking on Kessler. So, I know it isn't easy for Kessler, but I'm really hoping to see him face some of the above names sooner rather than later.

Regarding whose carreer he should emulate - a James Toney carreer is not feasible. That only works for Americans. If Kessler lost a few and fought stiffs for years (like Toney did after Jirov) - he would be out in the cold and be called a Euro-stiff. All things considered, Kessler's best chance is to emulate Hopkins. Hopkins (although American) didn;t get a lot of favors from HBO etc. and went the way he thought smartest. Types like Toney get many chances - while guys like Hopkins doesn't. Kessler not being an American does not get chances and has to guard what he had while trying to improve it.

 

Yes, I was the third man on the line.

*Ring ring*

B-Hop: "Hey, this is Bernard."

Kessler rep: "We want you to come to Denmark and face Mikkel Kessler!"

B-Hop: "Mikkel Whossler?"

Kessler rep: "Quit running scared of him!"

B-Hop: "Oh, haha, I get it. Good one!"

*Click*