KESSLER APPRECIATION THREAD

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 04 Nov 2007, 11:44

Kessler would benifit with another trainer. He has had his trainer, Ricard Olsen, since he first day as amateur, but at this point he probably needs some new input.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Nov 2007, 11:44

Terry D wrote:
Autobarn wrote:
Terry D wrote:He could do with working with a US trainer, it is shocking that he has no left hook of note, which I noticed pre-fight but thought he may have worked on.

Great guy and gutsy, not just in-ring but coming over here. Long live ambitious fighters. This may sound twatty but without ambitious guys Joe would be in shit creek legacy wise.
I think he has a good left hook, when he fights at his own pace, on his own terms, which is his normal way. After nailing Joe with that right uppercut in rd 4, Kesler whipped in a really natural looking left hook t the body. However after the halfway point the pace was too hot for him to really get set and Joe seemed to have him off balance a lot.

Defimnitely could do with learning short punches now though.
A defender may occasionally score but that does make him a forward. Kessler got countered off the 1-2 because they did not have to fear a left hook. For that decent one landed many were swipes and out of range stabs.

I don't think he has that shot right now and he will need it just in case. It would hold him in much better stead for the future.

I think part of the problem Terry, was that Calzaghe controlled the distance so well, that Kessler became hesitant. Countless times in the fight, Calzaghe would skip that half step forward, land his jab or maybe a straight right, and when Kessler relatiated, Joe had taken that half step back, or was weaving under the hook.

I think Kessler learned early in the fight, that he was in against a more skilled and well rounded fighter, and that took away his ability to press the fight. Kessler's best moments in the fight, were when Joe got complacement and started taking the piss, but even those were pretty short lived, and amounted to landing one big shot which shook Joe, then missing with all the follow up punches.

Matt W · Post by **Matt W** » 04 Nov 2007, 11:55

I was there last night and think credit should go to the fans as well as the fighters. There was a great atmosphere that both the Danes and the Brits contributed to. I make an exception for the lass behind me who screeched tactical advice to match Pepe Correa and Jeremy Wiliams throughout: "Fukin knock 'im out", & "fry 'im up Joe" (danish, bacon, geddit?). Thanks.

Kessler will come again and would handle Froch fairly comfortably I think. He punches sharply and accurately and Froch is wide open. Only 1 winner in that one.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Nov 2007, 11:59

Terry D wrote:
jamesmcdonnell wrote:
Terry D wrote:
You are right there Terry. If he added a left hook to the 1-2 and the right uppercut, he would be a much better fighter.

He also needs to learn about angles though, Calzaghe turned him so many times and landed little cuffing shots which kept him off balance. Kessler is fine if someone is coming straight at him, but once they step off him to the side, he turns like a bloody tank, he needs some help with his footwork. He has good balance, but very limited movement laterally.

A defender may occasionally score but that does make him a forward. Kessler got countered off the 1-2 because they did not have to fear a left hook. For that decent one landed many were swipes and out of range stabs.

I don't think he has that shot right now and he will need it just in case. It would hold him in much better stead for the future.
I think part of the problem Terry, was that Calzaghe controlled the distance so well, that Kessler became hesitant. Countless times in the fight, Calzaghe would skip that half step forward, land his jab or maybe a straight right, and when Kessler relatiated, Joe had taken that half step back, or was weaving under the hook.

I think Kessler learned early in the fight, that he was in against a more skilled and well rounded fighter, and that took away his ability to press the fight. Kessler's best moments in the fight, were when Joe got complacement and started taking the piss, but even those were pretty short lived, and amounted to landing one big shot which shook Joe, then missing with all the follow up punches.
I hear you James but he lacked a left hook before this fight. It is 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 and if a guy steps between one of them, as Joe did, you lose attacking cohesion and can be countered. He was a bit Lennox Lewis pre-Manny.

I like watching Mikkel fight more than Joe, strangely, but at one pioint Joe went with an uppercut, touched with the rear hand and the delivered a hook. In terms of creativity he was leagues ahead so a good solid left off the 2 would have helped Mikkel look a bit more dynamic as he had success with the right and it would have given him another pop.

If I was Kessler I'd call Manny Steward and get my team to get Miranda, who, after watching his lastest fight, has learned little.

glahn · Post by **glahn** » 04 Nov 2007, 13:10

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Kessler is totally a class act. He forced Joe to be honest in the ring. In the fourth, Calzaghe thought he had him figured out, and tried to steamroller him, and got hit and hurt with big shots, including a huge uppercut which I am sure would have decked most other 168 lbers.

I thought it was a fantastic fight. I didn't score it officially, but I only gave Kessler one of the first 6 rounds, I thought Calzaghes work was more consistent. I think I gave Kessler only 4 rounds.

The technical aspect of the fight was fascinating, Calzaghe's jab and lateral movement prevented Kessler from getting set, and Joe's hands were so fast that he couldn't get out of the way of that jolting short jab.

Kessler never stopped trying, but by the 10th he had taken on a very weary and desperate look, partly from taking those big rib crunching body shots in the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds.

I have no doubt that Kessler will rebound from this fight and go on to win the belts after Joe moves up. He is never going to be as fluid or 'natural' as Joe, but he is a solid fighter with a good skillset, and the right mindset to be a champion. He was very creditable in defeat having put in an elite performance, but unfortunately was in against an all-time great, and a fighter who is fast closing in on becoming the best British fighter of all time. One or two dominant performances against top quality operators would do it for me. In terms of talent and skills, I don't know that we've ever had, at least in the last 30 years, anyone as good as Joe.

For Kessler to do as well as he did, shows what a great fighter he is.

Top post. Agree with that completely. The only thing I wonder about is how Kessler will respond mentally after last night. Not that it was a particularly bad defeat or anything, but he looked so confident going in there that you wonder what a loss will do to him. I do think he'll go on to unify at super middle though, and could well go another 10 fights at that weight undefeated before retiring.

Ally-M1 · Post by **Ally-M1** » 04 Nov 2007, 14:33

I've liked Kessler for some years now - even when he was not overly know, just a ighter I took a liking too when I caught some of his fights.

I was supporting Calzaghe all the way but I always thought well of Kessler before the fight, and even more so after his gracious acceptance after.

BAMBI · Post by **BAMBI** » 04 Nov 2007, 14:53

how do u see

kessler vs

pavlik
taylor
miranda
froch
????

i love to see him face these fighters..well not particularly taylor..

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 04 Nov 2007, 15:42

Matt W wrote:I was there last night and think credit should go to the fans as well as the fighters. There was a great atmosphere that both the Danes and the Brits contributed to. I make an exception for the lass behind me who screeched tactical advice to match Pepe Correa and Jeremy Wiliams throughout: "Fukin knock 'im out", & "fry 'im up Joe" (danish, bacon, geddit?). Thanks.

Kessler will come again and would handle Froch fairly comfortably I think. He punches sharply and accurately and Froch is wide open. Only 1 winner in that one.

Oh, a real lady then Matt - As for Mr. Froch I agree entirely but now Kessler has lost the titles Froch wont be interested unless they were in an eliminator after Joe vacates.

states · Post by **states** » 04 Nov 2007, 15:42

I think Kessler beats all of them, Bambi:

Pavlik: Fearsome hitter, but can be caught. I think Kessler's solid technique prevents Kelly from landing one of those huge bombs, and at the same time allows him to land enough right hands to finish the job in a way that Taylor couldn't.

Taylor: Fine technician at times, but is he really, deep down, a fighter? I think Kessler wins a battle of the jabs here, and pulls away in the second half of the fight. I think the Dane can neuter everything that Taylor does well, and the intangibles win him the fight.

Miranda: No contest. Kessler would simply punch through the middle of the Columbian's wild swings. I see a busted-up Miranda being stopped around the 7th.

Froch: Again, I think Kessler is simply too correct. Froch would always be in the fight, due to his big punch and solid chin. But I can see Kessler simply racking up the points by firing that right hand over Carl's low-slung defence. I think the Dane can match Froch for handspeed, which negates much of Froch's work.

SticknMove · Post by **SticknMove** » 04 Nov 2007, 17:17

Kessler took the defeat with exceptional grace.

No excuses and with a genuine smile that suggested that he was not good enough on the night but very disappointed. He's a gem. He's an very solid fighter at this level and I will be willing him achieve as much as as he wants in the future. An absolute credit to the sport.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Nov 2007, 17:45

states wrote:I think Kessler beats all of them, Bambi:

Pavlik: Fearsome hitter, but can be caught. I think Kessler's solid technique prevents Kelly from landing one of those huge bombs, and at the same time allows him to land enough right hands to finish the job in a way that Taylor couldn't.

Taylor: Fine technician at times, but is he really, deep down, a fighter? I think Kessler wins a battle of the jabs here, and pulls away in the second half of the fight. I think the Dane can neuter everything that Taylor does well, and the intangibles win him the fight.

Miranda: No contest. Kessler would simply punch through the middle of the Columbian's wild swings. I see a busted-up Miranda being stopped around the 7th.

Froch: Again, I think Kessler is simply too correct. Froch would always be in the fight, due to his big punch and solid chin. But I can see Kessler simply racking up the points by firing that right hand over Carl's low-slung defence. I think the Dane can match Froch for handspeed, which negates much of Froch's work.

Agree with those calls. Froch would give him the most problems, but he isn't anywhere near as quick as Calzaghe, and is much easier to hit.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 04 Nov 2007, 19:45

Kessler answered the questions I had about him (and the reason I was fence sitting) and answered them clearly - great chin, good heart. So in some ways then I was a tad dissapointed in him. The 4th, 7th, and 12th showed he had the tools to beat Joe. He won his rounds BIGGER than Joe won his. I thought he won another 3 rounds to bag a draw. However, in someways it reminded me of Robin Reid's performance - he had the tools to win clear, but didn't utilise them enough (just didn't throw enough punches).... so while its great Kessler answered my questions, in some ways I was dissapointed - because had he answered my questions before the fight - I would have tipped him heavily... and I still would in a rematch.

Although, a MAJOR difference between the Kessler performance and the Reid one was the Kessler was facing a fully prepared Joe - not a JC who couldn't spar and had food poisioning.

Dirk Kelly · Post by **Dirk Kelly** » 05 Nov 2007, 08:07

All credit to Kessler, he came to win, fought a fighter who is top of his game and more importantly when his game plan isn't working can change it very easily (Joe was leaning in and also eating uppercuts in the first few rounds and then totally eradicated the faults from then on). Kessler was very humble in defeat. Definately a fan of his now and would gladly pay to see him again.

He has some special fans, to make their way to Cardiff in their flags and horns which I thought was very brave of them and they were very very vocal in the first few rounds and they too took the defeat in good grace.