that was not the same kessler who fought calzaghe.

There is nothing shot about Kessler. It was the same damn Kessler that fought Calzaghe. The different styles between Ward and Joe are the reason one fight was more competitive then the other. Joe always starts off slow...then adjusts brilliantly as the fight goes in which was what allowed kessler to win some rounds in the early fight. Ward obviously was able to shut him down from the beginning. Different fighters..... different outcomes, but it was the same Kessler.

 

The dude just passed his 20th fight. He's growing every time he fights. Some guys improve by leaps and bounds early in their career and Ward looks to be one of those guys. You can talk about his competition vs. Kessler's but he's got a win over Kessler on his resume, and that trumps all, regardless of the excuses.

 

He may have been generally inactive, but he had a tune-up just a couple of months ago precisely to shake off the ring rust.

 

What happens if Ward goes on to lose to either Dirrell and/or Taylor in this tourney?

Does Ward suddenly become tainted by Taylor's shaky performances against Ouma and Spinks, and his losses to Pavlik, Froch and Abraham, and Dirrell's loss to Froch, or will the board be flooded with that old chestnut 'STYLES MAKE FIGHTS'? :think

Just wondering :yep

 

Yep.

 

He fought Ward the exact same way he fought Calzaghe. The big difference being Ward hit him harder and way more often.

 

Uh oh, did Bob Kessler, the civil litigator, accidentally end up fighting in his place?

 

What happens if Kessler goes on to beat Froch, perhaps even KOs him?

Does Dirrell suddenly inherit Kessler's loss to Ward to add to his loss to Froch, or does the board get flooded with 'Dirrell was robbed vs Froch' again? :think

Just wondering :yep

 

That was the same Kessler an overrated and protected guy who hadn't beaten anyone of note. I always said Kessler was a mentally weak fighter and his fight on Saturday proved it.

 

Froch will KO Kessler no doubt in my mind.

 

Styles make fights, and blah blah blah, but as most people on both sides of the issue have said, Froch didn't beat Dirrell, Dirrell beat himself. He put in an ugly performance and it cost him. Froch could have essentially stood in his corner and smoked a cigarette and he would have still won that fight based on the percieved "ugliness" that Dirrell brought.

To my mind Kessler still beats Froch, as Kessler is technically very solid, he's just not an adaptable enough fighter to compete with certain styles.

 

You are skating awfully close to contradicting yourself, considering your claims of being a Calzaghe fan :hey

 

And if he does, does Ward's TD win over Kessler suddenly lose it's lustre, given that a man who was apparently gifted a decision win over Dirrell dispatches Kessler via KO? :think

Just wondering :yep

 

This wasn't the Kessler that fought Calzaghe, Andrade or Mundine. No jab, no footwork, very rusty, couldn't pull the trigger.

Calzaghe beat a much better version of Kessler. And trust me, I'm the last person to defend Calzaghe here..

 

Of course :yep

An American fighter looks like **** and loses to a European opponent, and it's a case of the American fighter beating himself.

A European fighter looks like **** and loses to an American opponent, and it's a case of the European fighter was always overrated/never that good.

I mean, I KNOW this is the case, I just wanted one of the brave American posters to actually post it :deal