BoxRec

ALI wrote:I had the fight pretty much even. I found it hard to seperate most of the rounds but if pushed would say that Froch did just enough to win, just. Would'nt argue either way though.

The scorecards were rediculous however and spoiled what was clearly fight of the year!

Save the 117-111, I thought the cards were smack on, I scored it 8-4 Kessler but could also se 7-5, but 9-3 was harsh. You only needed to see the reaction of the Sauerlands and McCracken's face to know who won IMO

Great fight that could've gone either way, not surprised to see the home fighter get the nod.

117-111 is a feckin joke scorecard

Chambers2 wrote:Great fight that could've gone either way, not surprised to see the home fighter get the nod.

117-111 is a feckin joke scorecard

Spot on with your three points there, it sums the whole fight up just as i seen it.

I think one of Carls problems is that he has fallen in love with presumed power and "warrior" image. After the Direll fight he kept mentioning how Andre didn't want to gave a tear up and fight like a man and in the build up to this he focused on his proudness and the fact that Kessler would stand and trade.

This showed in the performance when he looked to load up and launch wild shots. Whilst he throws a nice right ge can't seem to throw a hook correctly let alone land one.

I've seen plenty of interviews where he has been referencing his ko percentage recently and I think his mentality has led to him forgetting to use his boxing skills. It's frustrating for us to watch but it must be way more frustrating for mcracken.

Kudos to kessler he dug deep and boxed well but really he didn't show a huge amount of variety.

The super six is great for boxing. Exciting pick em fights which has taken boxers outnof their comfort zone and home town saftey ( bar ward) and given fans value for money. Froch Abraham and dirrell would probably all still be unbeaten if they hadn't entered this tournament.

jeej wrote:Carl mugged himself off in this fight. All that posing with his hands down, ultimately the posing and posturing was just a gross waste of time. Carl looked pretty limited in there tonight and really has only himself to blame. His corner were right as well, Kessler was there for the taking.

I don't think it's posing, I don't think he's able to fight any other way.

Chambers2 wrote:Great fight that could've gone either way, not surprised to see the home fighter get the nod.

117-111 is a feckin joke scorecard

117-111 wasnt fair but it couldnt have gone either way, Kessler didnt edge it by 6 points but by 3 yes easily.
Froch was already lucky he got the nod v Direll...

At least we know now Calzaghe had nothing to lose by retiring and ignoring Frochs goading comments

Should've been a draw, amazing fight.

What resolve shown by both guys, not a hint of quit in either of them. Superb stuff, really showed what they were made of.

Can't say I'm too upset at Kessler getting the nod though, keeps a worthy fighter in play.

Roll on Ward/Green, got a funny feeling about that one, I fancy Green to pull at least one upset in this thing, might not be against Ward, but he's definitely a wild card.

Great fight. Froch is one tough man, with a great chin, but Kessler is just as tough. I believe that Froch let himself down by not puttig Kessler under pressure enough.

If he had gone after him and kept Kessler on the back foot, he could have stopped him for me. Froch is not a defensive fighter and I don`t understand why he fought that fight on the counter. He is simply not as good a boxer ashe thinks he is. He is a fighter, a tough hard man and thus needs to get on a guy and give it to him, like he did in the Pascal fight.

I think he beats Abraham if he can get his tactics rights. Hope he meets Kessler in the final, I would love to see that again.

On a side note, I find it ridiculous that a man like Froch who has given us three great fights out of the last four, is not on mainstream TV. However, I have to say that Primetime worked well for me last night.

jeej wrote:Carl mugged himself off in this fight. All that posing with his hands down, ultimately the posing and posturing was just a gross waste of time. Carl looked pretty limited in there tonight and really has only himself to blame. His corner were right as well, Kessler was there for the taking.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm a big Froch fan, but I do believe that ever since the Pascal fight, he has been walking a tightrope, so to speak.

His fights have all been difficult, due to the increase in the class of his opponents.

Froch's main problem is that he fights in a very arrogant way.

He doesn't seem to realise that he has to adjust his tactics & not believe that he is going to beat everyone fighting in one certain way.

There's no doubting the man's heart & warrior instincts, but he is too limited in his approach to be the best SMW in the world.

forcefraser wrote:Great fight. Froch is one tough man, with a great chin, but Kessler is just as tough. I believe that Froch let himself down by not puttig Kessler under pressure enough.

If he had gone after him and kept Kessler on the back foot, he could have stopped him for me. Froch is not a defensive fighter and I don`t understand why he fought that fight on the counter. He is simply not as good a boxer as he thinks he is. He is a fighter, a tough hard man and thus needs to get on a guy and give it to him, like he did in the Pascal fight.

I think he beats Abraham if he can get his tactics rights. Hope he meets Kessler in the final, I would love to see that again.

On a side note, I find it ridiculous that a man like Froch who has given us three great fights out of the last four, is not on mainstream TV. However, I have to say that Primetime worked well for me last night.

In a sense I think that is basically what it boils down to. And, like Syntax said, it's an arrogance thing - he genuinely believes he can step in the ring with any SMW, prance around with his fists practically dragging on the deck and then just explode with lighting fast bombs and take out any opponent, and although he has the power to take most out, he shouldn't rely on that at the expense of other areas of his game.

All due respect to Carl though, he is a good boxer with a good heart, but I don't think he's proper top 3 world class quality at the weight. No shame in it, he's had a VERY successful career at SMW, but at that very top level his faults are exposed.

Matt W wrote:I had it for Carl close but could have gone either way. Mid rounds were the key. The only thing worse than the 117-111 was Duke McKenzie's commentary. Terrible.

How the hell did you have it for Froch? Even the god awful, biased McKenzie and Rawling had Kessler winning it.

I had it 8-4 Kessler, i fail to see why anyone had it close?

Froch was awful last night, stayed on the backfoot, threw wild lunging punches like a drunk pub brawler, spent too long poncing around with his hands low and Kessler dominated with high work rate and aggresive style.

Froch had this coming because he got the "hometown" decision in his last fight, and lost the previous one to Taylor.

I'm gutted he lost, and his first defeat to, but I have always had the feeling that Carl is not as good as he thinks. But I think a loss is good for him psychological, like dbf wrote above; "he has has fallen in love with presumed power and "warrior" image." I think now he will concetrate on his skills and stop this calling out boxers, and drops the arrogant I can beat anyone attiude.

Raxzor wrote:I'm gutted he lost, and his first defeat to, but I have always had the feeling that Carl is not as good as he thinks. But I think a loss is good for him psychological, like dbf wrote above; "he has has fallen in love with presumed power and "warrior" image." I think now he will concetrate on his skills and stop this calling out boxers, and drops the arrogant I can beat anyone attiude.

Yeah, in an ideal world, but I cant see it myself. Would gladly see Carl prove me wrong, of course.

kesslers game plan was great , close fight but right desicion IMO

I hope he comes back stronger. Maybe he'll realise he's beatable instead of thinking he can walk through everyone. Boxing history's littered with people that have been beaten and have got better for it.
Mistakes are only mistakes if you fail to learn from them.