Just watched this on Sky last night, very good fight. Kessler looked sharp, and I remember thinking Carl was off that night and I still think that (just as I think Kessler was on the slide in the rematch). A solid fight where not only the styles were made for each other, but Froch loved a scrap and Mikkel was never afraid to oblige.
All joking aside there’s no doubt Froch wasn’t 100% going into this. He was on the beers at a bbq a week before the fight, as it was looking like it was cancelled (volcanic ash cloud) then kalle finds a private jet and fly’s the cobra out at three days notice. Put up a good account , close loss , could have gone either way but I’m certain Froch would have got the nod otherwise.
To be fair though, Kessler was definitely a shot in the rematch. Remember watching it and you could see how much he had declined, couldn't take the shots as well as he could use to.
I remember this, my mate was due to fly back to America but the ash cloud cancelled his flight. Froch flew over on the day of the fight maybe??? close fight and Kessler deserved it on home soil and froch can use the not ideal travel prep as an excuse I knew he’d win the rematch so tried putting a bet on at the time but the odds were in frochs favour unfortunately
Agreed. If I remember rightly, Froch came really close to stopping him down the stretch. Mikkel's victory over Froch the first time round, that long after he fought Zaggers, made Joe's resume age/look better.
I had the first fight as a draw but i remember my dad and brother having Kessler by a round. It was a very close fight in Denmark. If it was in UK would have been other way around. Froch won rematch by a few rounds. He started brilliantly behind the jab. I actually think at stages later in the fight both guys looked a bit on slide but it was still a great watch as it balanced it out. I think not enough people noticed that Froch was very much a regressing fighter by the time he fought Groves.