Calzaghe / Kessler - Superfight

fist · Post by **fist** » 12 Jul 2007, 13:00

There has been one or two peolpe have questioned the magnitude of this fight. Lets get one thing clear, there is no one Joe needs more in the SM division to prove himself. Both fighters are at the very top of their weight division and are both udnefeated. It does not get any bigger. Im over the moon that Calzaghe has secured this fight rather than chase past champs of other weight divisions simply for payday and questionable status. IF he beats Kessler he can have his paydays in the US.

But this is THE number one fight that boxing has been crying out for. Joe has been accused of ducking Kessler of being afraid. Joe makes no bones that this is the most dangerous fight out there for him and therefore, his number one priority in terms of proving his champion status.

It is such a rarety to get a fight like this and now in one of the most exciting divisions we will have three belts on the line. Cracking.

chinny · Post by **chinny** » 12 Jul 2007, 13:18

Well said. Its been mentioned by others but I've only seen bits of Kessler through youtube (and the Beyer KO on ITV) and he looks superb.

If setanta want to get fans onside - as well as hype the fight - maybe they could show some highlights in advance of the fight.

Think you've forgotten the most important belt on the line - Joe's Ring championship

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 12 Jul 2007, 13:49

It doesn't get much bigger than this fight IMO, its up there with Hatton-Mayweather for me (bout time that was signed)

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 12 Jul 2007, 15:00

Chambers2 wrote:It doesn't get much bigger than this fight IMO, its up there with Hatton-Mayweather for me (bout time that was signed)

it's not up there with hatton-mayweather.

hatton-mayweather is for the p4p no1 position.

mayweather has just come off a win over de la hoya ffs.

hatton is a big ticket seller.

that's a much bigger fight than calzaghe-kessler.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 12 Jul 2007, 16:58

The Ring championship belt has been a bit of a joke with two of the champions. Calzaghe gets it before Ottke, when Sven won the IBF/WBA titles and Calzaghe the WBO/IBF.... And Vitali Klitchsko gets it for running fatty Lewis close.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 12 Jul 2007, 20:26

Wonder If HBO and the hype kinda convinced the ring to give Vitali their belt. Seems that way.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 12 Jul 2007, 20:27

Is Hatton and Mayweather signed yet?

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 13 Jul 2007, 05:20

chinny wrote:Well said. Its been mentioned by others but I've only seen bits of Kessler through youtube (and the Beyer KO on ITV) and he looks superb.

If setanta want to get fans onside - as well as hype the fight - maybe they could show some highlights in advance of the fight.

Think you've forgotten the most important belt on the line - Joe's Ring championship

to their credit they did a daily program on Hatton updates, and did regular showings of Hatton-Collazo/Maussa, Castillo-Corrales 1 & 2, in the week before Hatton-Castillo and a docu prior to the bout. So maybe they do similar for this.

101boxing · Post by **101boxing** » 13 Jul 2007, 05:31

hitman_hatton1 wrote:
Chambers2 wrote:It doesn't get much bigger than this fight IMO, its up there with Hatton-Mayweather for me (bout time that was signed)
it's not up there with hatton-mayweather.

hatton-mayweather is for the p4p no1 position.

mayweather has just come off a win over de la hoya ffs.

hatton is a big ticket seller.

that's a much bigger fight than calzaghe-kessler.

hatton has never sold as many tickets as calzaghe did in cardiff......and that was a mickey mouse fight.

if he can do that for manfredo, he should and could double it for the great dane

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 13 Jul 2007, 06:02

101boxing wrote:
hitman_hatton1 wrote:
Chambers2 wrote:It doesn't get much bigger than this fight IMO, its up there with Hatton-Mayweather for me (bout time that was signed)
it's not up there with hatton-mayweather.

hatton-mayweather is for the p4p no1 position.

mayweather has just come off a win over de la hoya ffs.

hatton is a big ticket seller.

that's a much bigger fight than calzaghe-kessler.
hatton has never sold as many tickets as calzaghe did in cardiff......and that was a mickey mouse fight.

if he can do that for manfredo, he should and could double it for the great dane

it's not a superfight.

kessler's profile is next to nothing.

hatton and mayweather are fighters that have been showcased time and again on american tv over the years.

calzaghe-kessler is a big fight.

not a superfight.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 13 Jul 2007, 06:12

hitman_hatton1 wrote:
101boxing wrote:
hitman_hatton1 wrote: it's not up there with hatton-mayweather.

hatton-mayweather is for the p4p no1 position.

mayweather has just come off a win over de la hoya ffs.

hatton is a big ticket seller.

that's a much bigger fight than calzaghe-kessler.
hatton has never sold as many tickets as calzaghe did in cardiff......and that was a mickey mouse fight.

if he can do that for manfredo, he should and could double it for the great dane
it's not a superfight.

kessler's profile is next to nothing.

hatton and mayweather are fighters that have been showcased time and again on american tv over the years.

calzaghe-kessler is a big fight.

not a superfight.

you're a bit blinkered by a pro-Hatton attitude. Of course Hatton-Mayweather would be huge, a superfight in America.

Calzaghe-Kessler can also be one thanks to a huge potential attendance, and the fact that two outstanding p4p level fighters are fighting each other not to mention it being a landmark in the history of the super middleweight division.

Kessler has massive profile in Denmark, and has been featured on HBO (the Andrade fight) and guested on ESPN's boxing program. Also, he brings PEDIGREE which makes this a very big fight.

Calzaghe is the longest reigning world champion. Kessler is his biggest threat and brings two titles over.

Carbo · Post by **Carbo** » 13 Jul 2007, 07:51

Hang on a second. This is the biggest and most important 168lb contest since Toney - Jones Jr. In fact, bearing in mind that Toney was severely weight-drained for that, I would make this the most important fight in the histroy of the super-middleweight division.

It's not a superfight in the sense of Hagler - Hearns and Tyson - Lewis, but it certainly is for the UK and it's certainly the second biggest fight of the year so far, after Mayweather - Dela Hoya.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 13 Jul 2007, 07:53

The Yanks might not view it as a Superfight, but we should be

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 13 Jul 2007, 09:19

Super-fight or not is a fight over words. Calzaghe vs. Kessler is the best fight that can be made at 168, and the best 168 fight since Benn vs. McClellan.

At this juncture it's arguably he best fight at any weight class, with the possible exception of a matchup involving Mayweather/Hatton/Cotto/Mosley, a Pacquiao JJM rematch, or a heavyweeight unification fight involving Vlad.

Call this "super"? Your choice. I'm looking forward to the fight (however, givent that FWarren is involved, I'll believe into it fully only once the fighters are on thier way to the ring).

leforge · Post by **leforge** » 13 Jul 2007, 19:13

Kessler is quality, Joe in for very hard fight! Come on Joe!

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 13 Jul 2007, 19:25

Who ya cheering Pundit?

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 14 Jul 2007, 11:06

Twisted Transistor wrote:Who ya cheering Pundit?

To be honest, the bottom line is that I'm happy the fight is being made. Who wins is secondary.

This said I'd probably prefer Kess slightly, simply because I've been pissed too often with Joe and his management in recent years. As for who is likely to win I'm by no means sure though whether I favor Kessler -- stylewise the matchup seems a bit more tilted in the direction of Calzaghe. If he can find a way around Kessler's jab and move away from his right, Calzaghe's superior handspeed and workrate should work in his favor.

I still have a bit more anlaysis to do. I'll come off the fence in time.

Cheers,
P

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 14 Jul 2007, 12:07

If it's close or if it's a great fight you can bet there'll be a rematch. I think Joe could win a 1st fight with Kessler but maybe get beaten up in a 2nd or 3rd fight - say, if, in another year Calzaghe isn't as good as he's been / Kessler gets even better with experience.

For both guys this is really a big big deal. All hail Setanta!

earsjohn · Post by **earsjohn** » 14 Jul 2007, 12:18

Autobarn wrote:If it's close or if it's a great fight you can bet there'll be a rematch. I think Joe could win a 1st fight with Kessler but maybe get beaten up in a 2nd or 3rd fight - say, if, in another year Calzaghe isn't as good as he's been / Kessler gets even better with experience.

For both guys this is really a big big deal. All hail Setanta!

It would seem a rematch is unlikely in the event of a JC victory.

This is on the BBC Website

Joe Calzaghe says his unification bout with Mikkel Kessler on 3 November will be his last at super middleweight.

The 35-year-old WBO title holder says beating Kessler, the Danish WBA and WBC champion, would leave the Welshman without further challenges at 168lbs.

"This will be my last fight at super middleweight," Calzaghe told BBC Wales.

"Win against Kessler and I'd have all the belts and I'd have beaten the best fighter out there, so what else could I achieve at super middleweight?"

Victory against Kessler, in his prime at 28 and like Calzaghe undefeated, is by no means a certainty.

But the Newbridge southpaw has no doubt he will emerge victorious, secure his place among the finest light middleweights in boxing history and then go hunting the likes of Bernard Hopkins at light heavy.

"By beating Kessler, as far as I'm concerned it should recognise me up there as maybe the best super middleweight of all time," Calzaghe added.

"After that it would have to be up to light heavyweight and maybe fight Hopkins.

"But believe me the Kessler fight is all I'm thinking about at the moment. This fight is everything."

"It's going to be hard, it's going to be a war, It's going to be one helluva fight and these are the ones I want."

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 14 Jul 2007, 12:36

Depends on your definition of a Superfight.

If your talking about hype, attracting non-harcore Boxing fans and/or historical importance, Calzaghe vs Kessler isn't on the same planet as the likes of

Johnson vs Jefferies.
Holmes vs Cooney.
Leonard vs Hagler.
Louis vs Schmelling II
Ali vs Frazier I
Duran vs Leonard II
Ali vs Foreman.
Hagler vs Hearns.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 14 Jul 2007, 13:02

KOJOE90 wrote:Depends on your definition of a Superfight.

If your talking about hype, attracting non-harcore Boxing fans and/or historical importance, Calzaghe vs Kessler isn't on the same planet as the likes of

Johnson vs Jefferies.
Holmes vs Cooney.
Leonard vs Hagler.
Louis vs Schmelling II
Ali vs Frazier I
Duran vs Leonard II
Ali vs Foreman.
Hagler vs Hearns.

Yep. And not even on the same planet as Robinson vs. LaMotta.

SticknMove · Post by **SticknMove** » 14 Jul 2007, 13:44

Arguing whether Calzaghe v Kessler is a ‘superfight’ just detracts from its importance and its significance in its own right IMO. We shouldn’t even attempt to put this fight into the frame of reference of the above fights, which were definitively, what we should call ‘superfights’. When people try to do that it breeds negativity and needless debate.

It is a fight to decide, for the record and without doubt or debate, who’s the best SMW in the world at a given point in time (thus it becomes legacy affirming). It’s a rare commodity these days.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 14 Jul 2007, 14:18

pundit wrote:
Twisted Transistor wrote:Who ya cheering Pundit?
To be honest, the bottom line is that I'm happy the fight is being made. Who wins is secondary.

This said I'd probably prefer Kess slightly, simply because I've been pissed too often with Joe and his management in recent years. As for who is likely to win I'm by no means sure though whether I favor Kessler -- stylewise the matchup seems a bit more tilted in the direction of Calzaghe. If he can find a way around Kessler's jab and move away from his right, Calzaghe's superior handspeed and workrate should work in his favor.

I still have a bit more anlaysis to do. I'll come off the fence in time.

Cheers,
P

A jab won't simply keep Joe back though.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 14 Jul 2007, 15:18

SticknMove wrote:Arguing whether Calzaghe v Kessler is a ‘superfight’ just detracts from its importance and its significance in its own right IMO. We shouldn’t even attempt to put this fight into the frame of reference of the above fights, which were definitively, what we should call ‘superfights’. When people try to do that it breeds negativity and needless debate.

It is a fight to decide, for the record and without doubt or debate, who’s the best SMW in the world at a given point in time (thus it becomes legacy affirming). It’s a rare commodity these days.

Here blooming well Here.

I have argued that this is not a Super Fight by my definition, but reading back on my posts it sounds like I am negative about the fight. As I said before, Kessler's record of only beating 1 "skilled" up and commer is what is costing it to be a true Super Fight (Anthony Mundine), Andrade was more hype than real.

Beating Bute and Froch (or making sure somehow both had been derailed) and then this would have been a Super Fight... cause there would be NO-ONE ambitious and skilled enough to call out the winner.

boxingchatter · Post by **boxingchatter** » 14 Jul 2007, 17:17

It is a Superfight. With a capital "S". Well done to all involved for taking/making this happen. This is the best fight in boxing - period!