DeGale Vs. Kessler for the IBF title?

[Tarkus]

Why would Sauerland feed Kessler to Degale when the logical thing for them to do would be to feed him to Groves? surely thats a bigger money spinner for them personally? and im sure George would take it, probably over a title shot as well.

Huck vs Bellew won't be announced until Bellew has finished his Hollywod stuf i imagine.

Does Kessler even have a contract with Sauerland? It's not far off 2 years since he fought, I wouldn't be surprised if the contract he had has now run out and he's a big enough draw to go it alone without a big promoter backing him.

Kessler is very popular in some parts. He is a big PPV star in his home country. Sauerland is not only promoting him but Kalle was pestering Eddie for Froch 3 for a long time including recently. Now groves already has a mandatory shot at Dirrells title. So they would preferably go that rout. It is more winnable fight and they could rematch DeGale afterwards if he beats Kessler.

[ALI]

Great fight if it comes off, would give a great indication of DeGales potential at elite world level. I will tip DeGale to come out on top with Kessler making a good fight of it.

I'm not so sure this fight will happen, i cant see Kesslers motivation for taking it?

[MarkMcBurney]

Great fight if it comes off, would give a great indication of DeGales potential at elite world level. I will tip DeGale to come out on top with Kessler making a good fight of it.

I'm not so sure this fight will happen, i cant see Kesslers motivation for taking it?

I can't see Kessler's reason NOT to take it; decent payday and a chance for the third Froch fight if he can beat Degale.

[whiskey]

I've not seen a single performance that indicates James Degale can defeat Mikkel Kessler.

Wilczewski had him in all sorts of trouble, and then lost every round to Abraham in his next fight.

I don't think he has the blood & guts in him, should it get tasty.

[crusader]

I've not seen a single performance that indicates James Degale can defeat Mikkel Kessler.

Wilczewski had him in all sorts of trouble, and then lost every round to Abraham in his next fight.

I don't think he has the blood & guts in him, should it get tasty.

Wilczewski gave Abraham a tough fight and won four rounds on my card; the official cards were generous to Abraham.

I think the timing is right for Degale to beat Kessler and I'd confidently lean towards him.

[mickey1975]

Kessler can do more tickets in London than Degale can.

That near enough full house in, what? His 11th fight at The O2 must have been an illusion, then. Or was it George who sold them? Carl was struggling to sell The York Hall at that stage, or maybe sell a coach 52 tickets from Notts.

[whiskey]

Kessler can do more tickets in London than Degale can.

That near enough full house in, what? His 11th fight at The O2 must have been an illusion, then. Or was it George who sold them? Carl was struggling to sell The York Hall at that stage, or maybe sell a coach 52 tickets from Notts.

Ah yes, the 02 fight which saw him booed to and from his changing room.

And what's he done off his own back? Glow ?

You pick the one fight to suit your agenda Mickey, and a poor one at that - we both know the reality is summed up perfectly by the Wealdstone Raider.

4 years into their respective careers and Froch was ramming the Ice arena for Dodson & Reid, whilst James languished in a Bristol Leisure centre.

[mickey1975]

I don't have an agenda, I've never met the bloke! I was at The O2 that night, and whilst it was pro Groves, DeGale had a good few there, and a lot more who thought he won. It's you with the agenda of running down a perspective opponent of Carl. You even run down Ward!

[whiskey]

I don't have an agenda, I've never met the bloke! I was at The O2 that night, and whilst it was pro Groves, DeGale had a good few there, and a lot more who thought he won. It's you with the agenda of running down a perspective opponent of Carl. You even run down Ward!

Peculiar memory there lad !

Ward's a winner, not an entertainer - and it seems everyone agrees completely. Even the television networks. Nothing really to say. I didn't pick Carl to win him, I said it would be nice if he found a big shot - but their respective routes to the final were like night and day. Froch travelled everywhere and fought the toughest, Ward travelled nowhere and had stand-ins. He was fresh and Carl was washed out. Would it have made a difference if Froch was nicely rested and they fought on British soil ? Well you'd still have Ward on points being the obvious choice, but I think Carl would have done better.

I like James Degale, I think think he's got the IQ of some fuzz that you find underneath the sofa when you pull it out for a long overdue vacuum underneath it though.

He's looked good, it seems his knee is actually better and not hot air. Gonzales and Periban were both respectable wins for him.

But anyway, there's my piece - what's your story ?

You've long since made it plain that you despise Froch, would love for him to get beat every time he steps in the ring. That you have a begrudging respect for him but quickly follow it up with hating the bloke.

It would seem you have the agenda

[mickey1975]

I've never made a secret of the fact I don't like him, never have, but supported him against Ward, Dirrell, Bute etc. He just winds me up. I was one of the very few who bought all his fights on Primetime. And you're at it again with Ward... It looked pretty full to me when he boxed in Oakland. Plus, everybody knows he's had massive legal problems. When Carl was on Primetime was it because nobody was interested in him or politics?

[ILikeBeer]

I don't like DeGale, I think he's one of the most annoying fighter to ever lace up gloves.

But, this'd be a big fight for him if it does happens. Kessler is past his best, but is still a step up from anybody else Chunky has fought.

[whiskey]

I've never made a secret of the fact I don't like him, never have, but supported him against Ward, Dirrell, Bute etc. He just winds me up. I was one of the very few who bought all his fights on Primetime. And you're at it again with Ward... It looked pretty full to me when he boxed in Oakland. Plus, everybody knows he's had massive legal problems. When Carl was on Primetime was it because nobody was interested in him or politics?

Ah Mickey, must we really start one of those boring back and forths again?

OK if we really must... the fact is that nobody cares about Ward. Nobody misses him or commiserates his absence.

Let's compare where they are following their last fight.

"According to Nielsen, last Saturdays' Andre Ward-Edwin Rodriguez fight on HBO drew 1.2M viewers, peaking at 1.3M. Considering HBO paid $3.15M for the fight that's poor." Dan Rafael

They fought in a 9,000 capacity venue and there was plenty of room at the back. Hardly ripping up trees is he? considering he is the P4P no2 in the world and an Olympic gold medallist with the full might of HBO behind him.

Froch just sparked out a guy in front of 80,000 at Wembley. That guy struggled to sell out a 10,000 in his following fight and was on an undercard the fight afterwards. Meanwhile Carl has got the entire world asking him for a fight and the millions / exposure to go with that status.

And you want to talk about Primetime?

[gobbles]

I've never made a secret of the fact I don't like him, never have, but supported him against Ward, Dirrell, Bute etc. He just winds me up. I was one of the very few who bought all his fights on Primetime. And you're at it again with Ward... It looked pretty full to me when he boxed in Oakland. Plus, everybody knows he's had massive legal problems. When Carl was on Primetime was it because nobody was interested in him or politics?

Ah Mickey, must we really start one of those boring back and forths again?

OK if we really must... the fact is that nobody cares about Ward. Nobody misses him or commiserates his absence.

Let's compare where they are following their last fight.

"According to Nielsen, last Saturdays' Andre Ward-Edwin Rodriguez fight on HBO drew 1.2M viewers, peaking at 1.3M. Considering HBO paid $3.15M for the fight that's poor." Dan Rafael

They fought in a 9,000 capacity venue and there was plenty of room at the back. Hardly ripping up trees is he? considering he is the P4P no2 in the world and an Olympic gold medallist with the full might of HBO behind him.

Froch just sparked out a guy in front of 80,000 at Wembley. That guy struggled to sell out a 10,000 in his following fight and was on an undercard the fight afterwards. Meanwhile Carl has got the entire world asking him for a fight and the millions / exposure to go with that status.

And you want to talk about Primetime?

Much of that is true, but a lot of Ward's problems are down to having Goossen as a promoter. Big Dan, much like Gary Shaw, was very much a promoter/accountant. Do the deal with the TV company, take your cut, job done. The job of promoting the fight and boxer was generally left to the TV company, who often didn't care what the crowd was like. They are about filling schedules and an Andre Ward on your roster, is a bit like a film company having a movie that will win awards but not make much money.
It will be interesting to see what Roc Nation are like. If Ward fights in New York or Vegas with the full Jay-Z sales pitch, more people will start paying attention. He is already the best super-middleweight out there, making him more popular shouldn't be too hard.

[mickey1975]

We both know it was the match that NEARLY sold out Wembley. So Carl has never sold out Nottingham but it's all down to him an DeGale sells no tickets against a non ticket seller yet nearly sells out The O2? Who was buying them? Maybe have to give Groves credit. And I was at Wembley too and Groves had at least half of the crowd. Of course they wasn't going to be anything like that for the next one. Just like Lee Froch on Twitter trying to sell the last of the Bute tickets the day before... As for the undercard, I'm sure he got rewarded for adding his name to a show that was being crucified for going PPV. Still did maybe 10x what Froch-Kessler 1 did though, wouldn't you say?

[SNG]

I've never made a secret of the fact I don't like him, never have, but supported him against Ward, Dirrell, Bute etc. He just winds me up. I was one of the very few who bought all his fights on Primetime. And you're at it again with Ward... It looked pretty full to me when he boxed in Oakland. Plus, everybody knows he's had massive legal problems. When Carl was on Primetime was it because nobody was interested in him or politics?

Ah Mickey, must we really start one of those boring back and forths again?

OK if we really must... the fact is that nobody cares about Ward. Nobody misses him or commiserates his absence.

Let's compare where they are following their last fight.

"According to Nielsen, last Saturdays' Andre Ward-Edwin Rodriguez fight on HBO drew 1.2M viewers, peaking at 1.3M. Considering HBO paid $3.15M for the fight that's poor." Dan Rafael

They fought in a 9,000 capacity venue and there was plenty of room at the back. Hardly ripping up trees is he? considering he is the P4P no2 in the world and an Olympic gold medallist with the full might of HBO behind him.

Froch just sparked out a guy in front of 80,000 at Wembley. That guy struggled to sell out a 10,000 in his following fight and was on an undercard the fight afterwards. Meanwhile Carl has got the entire world asking him for a fight and the millions / exposure to go with that status.

And you want to talk about Primetime?

Much of that is true, but a lot of Ward's problems are down to having Goossen as a promoter. Big Dan, much like Gary Shaw, was very much a promoter/accountant. Do the deal with the TV company, take your cut, job done. The job of promoting the fight and boxer was generally left to the TV company, who often didn't care what the crowd was like. They are about filling schedules and an Andre Ward on your roster, is a bit like a film company having a movie that will win awards but not make much money.
It will be interesting to see what Roc Nation are like. If Ward fights in New York or Vegas with the full Jay-Z sales pitch, more people will start paying attention. He is already the best super-middleweight out there, making him more popular shouldn't be too hard.

No one will make that lad as popular as they think he should be, he is boring. His fights are boring, his personality is boring, his reign as champion has been boring, his super six tournament was boring, even his legal problems with his promoter were boring. Has anyone seen him interviewed? fornicate me.

[mickey1975]

Have you seen Froch interviewed? I know what he's going to say before he does.

[sammy95]

http://www.worldboxingnews.net/20150121 ... -line.html

This article suggests it will be Dirrell in against Degale if Froch vacates and definitely not Kessler, whether Dirrell comes over here is a different question entirely.

I can't help but feel sorry for Gilberto Ramirez though, ranked either second or third in all sanctioning bodies, although it does appear that he is going down the WBO route.

[SNG]

Have you seen Froch interviewed? I know what he's going to say before he does.

Oh I agree, I'm not his biggest fan, but his fights are great. Ward can't fall back on an exciting style, Froch is better in an interview than Ward, says a lot about Ward.

[ALI]

the fact is that nobody cares about Ward. Nobody misses him or commiserates his absence.

Nonsense, he has been missed and most fans as far as i can tell are pleased he is finally getting back in the ring. His style may not set pulses racing but his talent cannot be denied, most true fans of the sport will appreciate his fights. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ward can do in the next phase of his career. True there is not much competition in his own weight class, but thats not his fault. Fights with the likes of GGG, Kovalev, Stevenson etc are huge fights i'd be very excited about. Something tells me Ward would do them all.

I'd like to see DeGale get a shot at Ward down the line, i think he would stand a better chance than most would likely give him. I believe he actually signed to fight him not so long ago but Ward opted for another oponent, was that the Rodriguez fight perhaps?

[gobbles]

http://www.worldboxingnews.net/20150121 ... -line.html

This article suggests it will be Dirrell in against Degale if Froch vacates and definitely not Kessler, whether Dirrell comes over here is a different question entirely.

I can't help but feel sorry for Gilberto Ramirez though, ranked either second or third in all sanctioning bodies, although it does appear that he is going down the WBO route.

IBF will order Degale v Dirrell, but if Eddie wins the purse bid, Dirrell will pull out and Eddie will try and slide Groves in.

Kessler hasn't boxed since 2013 so couldn't be nominated for a vacant title shot.

[Finn]

I've not seen a single performance that indicates James Degale can defeat Mikkel Kessler.

Wilczewski had him in all sorts of trouble, and then lost every round to Abraham in his next fight.

I don't think he has the blood & guts in him, should it get tasty.

Degales substantially better than he was in 2011 when he was novice, he turned some type of corner around 2013 imo.

[TJ77]

Have you seen Froch interviewed? I know what he's going to say before he does.

Now that is funny

[Yes We Can]

I've not seen a single performance that indicates James Degale can defeat Mikkel Kessler.

Wilczewski had him in all sorts of trouble, and then lost every round to Abraham in his next fight.

I don't think he has the blood & guts in him, should it get tasty.

Degales substantially better than he was in 2011 when he was novice, he turned some type of corner around 2013 imo.

Degale looked poor fighting in leisure centres, his career was going nowhere at that time and his opponents werent at the level to keep him interested.

His best performances have come in his biggest fights, Smith, Periban, Gonzalez and even Groves. I have no doubt he would produce a stellar performance win or lose against Froch.

If Eddie shows the faith in JDG that he and Mick Hennessey did in Froch then Degale will be a star attraction, like Froch he won't duck a challenge, like Froch he may lose some, but like Froch he'll have the balls to dig deep and come back.

The Groves fight was the best thing that could happen to Degale.

[ste1983]

Any news on Degale thought the deadline was Saturday?

Noticed he was ringside at the o2 show, did they mention him at all? (I taped it and only watched the fights back couldn't be bothered with all the shite sky talk in between)

[ILikeBeer]

Any news on Degale thought the deadline was Saturday?

Noticed he was ringside at the o2 show, did they mention him at all? (I taped it and only watched the fights back couldn't be bothered with all the shite sky talk in between)

I saw him at ringside too. If they mentioned him, I didn't notice them doing so.

Probably Hearn's idea of keeping him on Sky.