Super Six: Kessler vs Ward

doesn't matter where it is, Taylor's done, AA finishes him much quicker and worser then Froch

this will be an endurance test that taylor is not in shape for (maybe literally judging by the way he looked in those promos)

 

you're right, no way Taylor is knocking out Abraham, the guy had a tough time making any sort of impression on "little" dudes like Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks. Abraham works behind a very good shell and is strong as an ox. Taylor is used goods, the guy's been tested and molested, he just seems to have a lot of charactor flaws and lack of awareness, it'd be interesting to see how he trains i wonder if the methods he uses are best for him.

Taylor for me had to much loaded on him and ala Vargas maybe a little to much to soon as he was a potential golden goose and HBO was trying to force him down the public's throats. Hopkins (twice, hard enough fighting him once) Ouma, Spinks (ok little guys but still legit and solid skilled comp.) Winky, Pavlik. Thats a hellova sequants for a new strap holder by todays standards, especially when compared to Pavlik's raign, I wonder What sort of an impact in terms of mental fatigue that had on him considering he doesn't look as though he poses a lot of mental fortitude to begin with.

I'm wondering about AA's style and how it'll fair in this tourney, for me it seems to be great if he's able to go the traditional route and that's get a title, fight some cans/legit contenders and pickoff a number one when that number one showed signs of vulnerability. Per example would've been Pavlik at 160 right now. But to put him in a 168 pound sprint where he's gonna get peppered with different styles and two men (Froch and Kessler) that have been eating 168, are bigger and super strong, I'm Not so sure a 100m dash is a good look for AA.

 

^ Pacquiao vs Cotto, who you got?


For me, this fight is gonna be like something from a saw movie and its all wrong for cotto, I might be in a minority but i don't even think its gonna be close. Between cotto's weight drainage, methodical movement and scar tissue I've got Pacquiao in a rout!

I watched Cotto vs Margarito for about the 15th time and i'm telling you that fight was like a car pile up on the M25 from one chic doing her make up in the mirror, causing 20 cars to rear each other, Cotto vs Margarito was like 20 fights in one, damn not even one clinch?...outrageous. Pacquiao is waaay stronger in these higher weight classes, check the size of those tree trunks for legs. I don't buy into this "cotto will kill with one shot" when was the last time Cotto scored a KO let alone to the body and forget those tomato cans I'm talking about proper contenders.

Roach is a smart guy (he would make a very good matchmaker btw) he's picked Cotto coming off a viscious loss and a very physical fight with Clottey. Cotto needs to set his punches up because he's a timing based fighter, he might land one but he's going catch 3 or 4 and Pacquiao will be gone after that. I think Cotto might be done, He barely beat Clottey who throws punches on a limited budget. I've got Cotto surrendering in 7 or the towl thrown in.

 

Its gonna be very intriguing, i'm thinking how does cotto nullify pacquiao's speed, Cotto's jab is pretty good, but I can only recall one fight where pacquiao was given fits with it against morales, but it was a more all round, better boxer with more skill set who was giving him everything which made it effective. Cotto is more methodical and basic then that plus Pacquiao has immense speed and a good slip game with his head movement and has improved immeasurably since Morales, can't see how cotto nullifies his speed as the jab will be taken away.

If i'm Cotto i have to think about switch hitting like he did in the Quintana and Malignaggi fight early on. in fact, i would probably be inclined to spend the last 2 minutes of each of the 1st 5 rounds strictly as a southpaw for spacing. when Manny starts bouncing and throwing the hands up, it means he's finding a rhythm and usually doesn't come till the last minute of a round. southpaw should also nullify that hybrid right check Pac pancaked Ricky with.

I hate to bring up the up the F word (faul) but if Cotto is to level some of the playing field in those first couple of rounds from the Bruce Lee speed coming his way, i have to go low blow, rabbit in a clinch and the third infraction causing the point being back south in the family jewels, Cotto can probabily space these out over the first three rounds and do it professionaly so it doesn't seem like survival mode, but can a nutritionist trainer implement an Angelo Dundee with Ray Leonard or Nazim Richardson with Sugar Shane technique? hmmmm

Another thing, would it be possible if people could stop referencing Manny's two early KO's to the body when he was like 122 pounds? that dog hasn't hunted in a decade and it's about as relevent as citing Clinton Mitchell beating Bernard Hopkins in his 1st fight.

 

btw Its complete bull**** that Cotto has to put his strap on the line against Pacquiao, However let's take a step back and look at this welterweight title on the line thingy as a PLUS for Cotto. its complete garbage but what says that Cotto can't step on the scales at 146.5 or on the button at 147? Sure they're gonna try to make him run it off but that's where, if you're Cotto, you go back to the hotel room and watch tv. Come back 2 hours later and still weigh 147. They'll fine you a $100k per lb over and you could care less because they can't call off the fight and WBO can't strip you!

 

that might be his best chance, i can't see him winning a decision if it goes the distance

if there was to be a KO it'll probabily be kessler who gets it and if it goes all the way then ward wins a decision.

 

^ as insightful as ever :roll:

 

slight questions over Wards chin and some (boxing scribes) even think it will be is downfall. I'm thinking that's the $64k question. If you watch his earlier fights where he's standing straight line to his competition he was somewhat of a wild swinger and didn't have discipline to fire short, straight shots. And then fast forward to Miranda and he looked like a totally different fighter: switch hitting, short shots when Miranda would engage, rolling, tight defense, slipping -like night and freak'n day. Put his Olympic pedigree into the mix, I think the chin thing is over analyzing by the "experts".

Having said that I think Ward has been buzzed on one or two occasions. What can we read into that? it was certainly nothing like the chicken noodle soup dance from Zab, but definitely a need to go on the bicycle for about 20 seconds after getting up...to get those feet back under him. I think it was just a lack of discipline from a young fighter with no respect for the contender he was facing - good learning experience vs. a cause for alarm, imo.

 

lets hope they don't get some freaky cuts tonight

 

not too long to go before this most intriguing of fights, one of the best of the whole tournement imo. I wonder what network will pick this up in the UK, if any, perhaps primetime? lets hope we get to see this.

I think the 3 fights Kessler has had post Calzaghe is actually a trap door for him going up against America's last gold medalist. Ward has shown he's a thinker in there and seems to have some serious slickness on defence and enough on offence to be problems for anyone. And even though Ward doesn't have the resume yet, if Kessler underrates him then it will be a boxing lesson for the Danish muffin, 1 through 12.

can't wait for this fight.