****ed up pretty royally on that prediction, didn't you? [url]http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25912[/url] I think Calzaghe's career will survive the "beating" he had tonight. [/gloating] My analysis: my prediction was solid (Calzaghe UD) but I underestimated Kessler's competitiveness in the early rounds. I thought it was even for the first 6 rounds, with Calzaghe beginning to find a rhythm in the 7th and gripping onto it very well. My final score was 117-111 for Joe: dominant, but not one-sided at all. The last 3 rounds were the only rounds that Kessler should feel humiliated by. On the topic of gameplans, Kessler seemed to be paranoid about the judges. He was aiming for a KO. That in itself was stupid, but even worse was the way he LOOKED for a KO rather than tried to MAKE a KO. Rather than be busy with the jab and try to frustrate Joe, he waited for exchanges in order to counter. This wasn't totally ******ed, since Joe's strategy was all about setting up punch-for-punch exchanges. However, where Kessler's plan fell down was Calzaghe's speed and stamina. Joe was always faster, and as Kessler began to tire in the later rounds, Calzaghe's stamina and workrate made counter punching impractical. Kessler worked to the body, but sporadically and unsensibly (the 12th round was not the time to load up to the body!). Basically, this confirmed my assessment of both boxers: Calzaghe is the Durecell Dragon (he goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on...). He's one of the modern greats. Kessler is a world class boxer who can hang with greats like Calzaghe, but not beat them. Both would slaughter Taylor, Pavlik, Hopkins or Wright. Look for wankers (particularly the lesser denziens of the USA) to try and demean Kessler, in order to discredit Joe's performance. If you see such tits, urinate on them.
