BoxRec

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.