Re: I will not break retirement to fight Froch, says Calzaghe
Posted: 01 May 2009, 12:42
I'd still pick Kessler over Froch, just because he's that rare breed of brilliant technician with fantastic power and what would appear to be a solid chin, who hasn't been KO'd and hasn't turned into a safety first operator. Calzaghe had to work like a maniac and evolve mid fight to turn it around against Kessler, I remember pretty vividly thinking Calzaghe had found his bogeyman early in that fight.jamesmcdonnell wrote:Kessler I think is every bit as tough as Froch. He took quite a pasting from Calzaghe but was dangerous right until the end, and he is also a big hurtful puncher in his own right.charlieb wrote:I think more is being made of Froch's limitations than should be. Taylor looked fantastic in there, haven't seen that sort of form from him in years, possibly he'd finally settled back down with his original trainer and Froch was 'supposed' to be his reinauguration fight to get back to where he once stood in the sport.
Taylor was brilliant for the first half. He didn't gas because of stamina issues, he gassed because Froch was relentless and totally prepared to take 2 to deliver 1 of his own. Froch was open in the Pascal fight too but he managed to outfight the guy on sheer tenacity and drive. Same deal, 2 extremely smooth operators who were broken down.
I'm not entirely sold on a Kessler win should they fight, who's to say Carl wouldn't get to the Dane? Froch can punch and I've yet to see Kessler really deal with a hardhitter who was able to land more than a punch a round. As for Calzaghe, he hasn't hit with any power in years and gets hit aplenty himself. That would be a gruelling fight either way. I dont think Calzaghe fancies the outside chance of being remembered as the guy who Froch beat by the casual brit fan.
Calzaghe's words dont seem like those of a man toying with even the slightest notion of coming back, if he does, it'll be down to financial problems and that just buoys Froch's chances if it ever did happen.
Calzaghe landed plenty of body shots on Kessler - they were no love taps.
It would be a great fight, they are very well matched Froch and Kessler, and it would be a bit of a wet dream for boxing anoraks like us to see them fight.
Calzaghe's ridiculous speed, fluidity, intelligence and cast iron chin got him the win, but at the same time, he just doesn't hit with the same menace he used to, it's been quantity over power for the tailend of his career.
I dont think relentlessness would phase Kessler in the way that Calzaghe switching things up did, but at the same time, when was the last time Kessler was being hit on the chin by a puncher like Froch? It wasn't against Calzaghe, Andrade couldn't put a glove on him, Beyer didn't have the chin or skill to buy him the time to put Kessler's to the test and Mundine couldn't crack an egg.
What if Froch lands the occasional shot early and his track record pays forward and Kessler's getting hit with 1, 2 or 3 shots without the same time to absorb them. I'd like to see how it would play out. I have a feeling Kessler would have him so busted up by the midway stage that any kind of inroad would be hard to imagine, but you never know.
Joe's brought it on himself with his (mostly) miserable list of opponents and performances. Carl's 1st rate entertainment in the ring and catches attention out of it.