that was not the same kessler who fought calzaghe.

just go with it,its easier

 

Their styles are different, Joe and Ward. Ward was outboxing him from the opening round. U can't take anything away from him. Kessler looked like shite. Worst than the Calzaghe fight. Ward's style may have something to do with it.

 

The effort may not have been as spirited but the stylistic limitations are undeniable. Calzaghes and Wards will beat Kessler. My tune is changed now; the only change Kessler would've had in a rematch with Calzaghe is if Joe's speed was significantly reduced by age - ie if he came out of retirement now. Speed and elusivity (not talking about the vanilla type espoused by Mundine, but true unpredictable, arhythmic and constant movement) will always screw him ****less. The reason Ward did a little better than Calzaghe, despite both holding the same basic stylistic advantage over Kessler, is that Ward has younger, fresher, faster legs (and even though he's not regarded as heavy handed, certainly sets his feet and hits stiffer than brittle Joe).

 

Three things happened here.

One: Kessler's inactivity cost him dearly, the fact that he hadn't been in the ring that often since Calzaghe combined with the fact that he hadn't really had a hard challenge in the time that he came back, unlike prior to Calzaghe when he faced four or five good fighters in succession meant he was underprepared compared to that version

Two: Ward is much much better than anyone other than his most ardent supporters predicted. The guy basically copied Calzaghe's gameplan and put it into action from Round 1 - in fact, I argue he did it better than Calzaghe, where Calzaghe used the Dane's footwork against him later in the fight, Ward did it more frequently and was able to keep Kessler off balance - the moment Kessler got back into a position to punch, he was wrapped up by Ward.

Three: The referee allowed a style of boxing that would not wash in many other fights, the holding, the headbutts, some of which were intentional, all of this meant Kessler was put out of his comfort zone early and never recovered.

I'm more interested to see what Kessler does from this point on - the loss isn't one that would have ruined him, more so shown him a lot to work on and also shown him the price of taking so long out

I expect him to come back and dominate Froch, take his title and get back in the running.

As for Ward, I'm genuinely excited for the talent we've just seen uncovered here. Olympic Gold medalist who everyone suspected the heart, chin and endurance of - the guy is now starting to shine, he's got the handspeed, boxing ability and boxing acumen to really make a mark in the next ten years.

 

I think Ward was impressive for a young fighter but do not think his performance was more impressive than Calzages. the cuts were clearly from the head and the ref was biased. Also Kessler started landing to the body.

 

The first time Ward intentionally head butted Joe, Slappy would plant an uppercut in the family jewells. The difference in temperment between Calzaghe and Kessler is an important point. Joe is a "fighter." Kessler is a boxer.

 

Kessler's next two opponents are Froch and Taylor, so he has a very good chance of picking up two straight knock outs.

 

Sad thing is too many of you guys tried to use Kessler's success to bring Calzaghe to greatness, and it dont work that way. At the end of the day if Joe had done more people would have to depend on what Kessler did to make his resume solid.

Wards beatdown on Kessler doesnt mean that he would also beat Joe, but what it does is takes alot of the luster off his win over Kessler, just as Lacy falling flat on his face made Joe's resume take a hit.

 

Excellent stuff here. Great post! :good

 

You do know Kessler went into the calzaghe fight with a broken hand and no sleep the night before right?

 

Yep.

Joe has had some nasty, rough fights. He's ok fighting that way and he will respond in kind.

Ward is a promising young fighter, but he's not ready for someone with Calzaghe's skills, will and particularly workrate. It would be a very compelling fight, but one Joe would win.

One of the things that made Joe so great was his supremely self-confident, defiant attitude. He reminds me of a smaller Vitali Klitschko that way. And he had all of the skills and conditioning to back it up, as well as the chin. He just won't let you breathe and that wears guys out. Just look at how Hopkins did against him and then see what Hopkins did against Pavlik. Or Roy Jones vs Calzaghe and Jones vs anyone else he fought recently.

 

Kessler looked like crap against Ward. Didn't use the right much, threw almost no uppercuts, if any.

I just think about that 4-punch combo, I think it was, that Kessler used to finish off Beyer and then what he did against Ward and it's like watching a shell of the previous guy, even given Ward's speed and movement. Kessler needs to get back at it in the gym, hard.

 

Funny how I see people saying Mikkel Kessler is shot at the age of 30. If anything he should be better fighter after the Calzaghe fight. Funny how Calzaghe fans was quick to defend him seeing how Kessler was his best win. Personally I saw this fight as style makes fights. I don't think much of ward. I still think the jury is out on his chin. I don't think much of froch either and think he will give ward hell. Kessler is still a good fighter not great. He seems to have problems with fast fighters. Dirrell would do the same thing ward did to him.

 

BTW, Cal still beats ward easy. But if ward gets wins over Abraham and Dirrell, I might have to change my opinion.

 

funny how no one has mentioned the word shot, but mentioned the word inactivity