With his career in jeopardy over the eye, I don’t know if he’ll fight again. With that in mind I’ve decided to watch score and analyze his career highlights. Calzaghe- This fight was considered a modern Leonard Hearns in the buildup. Two great fighters undefeated, accurate punchers, great chins, great jabs, very evenly matched. Joe was an aggressor pressure fighter and Kessler was a more cerebral power puncher who relied on the jab and based his rhythm off it. Joe was an unorthodox whirlwind fighter who just never seemed to stop. The first 4 rounds set the tone for what turned out to be a great fight. I had it knotted after four. Each man did great things Calzaghe set a high pace that was meant to break him down. Kessler landed several big uppercuts that could have ended the fight as well as some straight rights. Manny Steward predicted early the pace and pressure was going to beat Kessler, Kellerman disagreed. Down the stretch Manny Steward proved to be very right. Joe jumped out in front taking rounds five and six based on his aggression and Kessler just looked out gunned. Kessler’s corner was asking for more and they got it. His best round since four and he hit Joe with some hard rights and climbed back in the fight. Eight, nine and ten followed a pattern. These rounds were 50/50 very even. Joe would flurry and Kessler would come back with bombs. The two way traffic in this fight was great. Both men responded to what the other did neither man letting the other get the upper hand. Though in the last minute to thirty seconds of each of the three rounds Calzaghe seemed to take it to a gear that Kessler just didn’t have. Eleven was a slower round neither man did much it was up for grabs. In the twelfth everybody had Kessler all but ruled out and he came out guns blazing. Whatever he had left he left in the ring. Throwing hard right hands all the way through the round this was his best round of the night. Overall I had it 9-3 or even 8-4 depending on that 11th. But had Kessler just did more down the stretch of 8,9,10 he would have made it a tighter fight. If that was the case it would have been a win for Kessler on my card. It was strange Kessler did everything right but Calzaghe did just a little bit more to earn those close rounds.
