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Re: kessler vs ward spoiler
Posted: 22 Nov 2009, 21:02
by stujones
I don't think Ward is getting enough credit. Kessler's being called "flat" and people questioning if he has it, and not the fighter he was when he fought Joe. All I can say is that is BS, no-one thought Kessler was shot when he smashed Haussler, with one of the sweetest KO's in recent times.
Kessler is a good good fighter, still. I'm still confident he will beat Froch. However, he faced someone with better footwork and reflexes than the 36 year old Calzaghe who Mikkel faced. Styles make fights, and Kessler always had the style to give Joe problems. Straight punches were always a problem for Joe.
Re: kessler vs ward spoiler
Posted: 23 Nov 2009, 04:53
by Autobarn
Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:.
I think we can agree Ward will be outboxing Abraham for the first half of the fight and we'll have to see if he can gut it out late, personally I think he will but we should certainly see. I don't think Abrahams defense all its cracked up to be, sure he has a tight guard but a tight guard without head movement is hardly anything impregnible
How do you see Kessler-Abraham? I reckon Kessler should pull out a UD there
definitely abraham won't win that many out of the first 6, v either andre. i see him as a clever fighter who won't panic and who gtes better and better. i also think when AA fully grows into super middle he will be even more deadly. ward has all that speed, but he does not look strong, lacks physical presence.
always fancied abraham to beat kessler, since i saw what AA could do at super middle (miranda 2 and then taylor) fights.
kessler is so strong and can grab a fight and not let go. but i feel abraham can just do more than kessler, has a few more ideas. i like it that AA is fighting slick americans as it's a real test of his game.
i wonder if sauerland think kessler is the great investment now. what with the contract dispute with team palle, plus the loss to ward - given that they already have a super 6 fave in abraham.
ward hasa great fight next - taylor - to ease into his title. i hope the final is ward v abraham, with the slick yank olympian and the mysterious, power punching unpredictable foreigner.
Re: kessler vs ward spoiler
Posted: 23 Nov 2009, 05:40
by lurkyshaka
Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Autobarn wrote:yeah but you're risking going overboard PN. make your pouint but leave out the "wanking", eh. ward was excellent, has great defense and handled the step up really well. he is awkwardly effective and has done well.
but he won't do that to everyone. he certainly won't school abraham silly. abraham has some great practise against the terrible spoiler dirrell, whom i hope he beats. if it comes down to abraham v ward (hopefully in the final), then abraham's fights with taylor, dirrell, will have been good preparation. abraham has great experience, is patient and has massive power.
ward's chin is questionable, as seen in that early fight when he was nearly knocked out.
only so much you can read into one fight, however impressive. when the style matchup doesn't favour ward, he won't be as impressive, my guess is. if he fights someone with similar speed/athleticism, like dirrell or even taylor, he probably won't shine.
let's see if he can knock out taylor, as abraham did. last time he fought a common opponent he didn't fare so well. when he held and poked his way through 12 rds v miranda (after abraham had knocked miranda into next week).
The thing is Abraham is slower than Kessler, fights at a slower pace and is shorter with less reach. The only thing he has on Kessler is power and I'd expect Kessler to beat him still. Abraham has only a punchers chance against Ward imo. And I don't think Ward necessarily did a worse job on Miranda, he couldnt KO him because he lacks power but he won every round without getting hurt, which is impressive in itself. No I doubt he'll KO Taylor, he'll lose less rounds though
As for styles I genuine believe this and the Dirrell fight are the toughest stylistic match ups. Abraham's lack of activity and even slower handspeed should make it an easier night. As for Wards chin he took a few against Kessler/Abraham without being hurt
Straight away you're making a massive mistake in your thinking of Abraham. His handspeed certainly isn't slow. He does lack activity at times and fights in spurts, but he's actually very quick on the trigger. Only have to look at his list of highlight reel KO's where he's iced opponents with punches they just never saw coming.
He waits and waits and waits some more, then he lets a lightening bolt go. He's got plenty of faults that could be taken advantage of, but when he fires his handspeed is fine. Nobody should be fooled into thinking he's slow in that department.
Re: I'm thinking that Kessler.....(spoiler)
Posted: 23 Nov 2009, 05:44
by lurkyshaka
Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:lurkyshaka wrote:Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Ward just took Ward apart and schooled him, taking full advantage of Kesslers weaknesses, Ward is the better more skilled boxer plain and simple and would do that to any version of the Dane
I wouldn't be quite so quick to jump on the bandwagon. He made mistakes last night, but Kessler was flat as a pancake and just couldn't take advantage. Other fighters in the tournament might though.
Mistakes that he can get easily away with due to speed in my view, I don't think Ward is the best thing sinced sliced bread but hes the best of the bad bunch in this tourny and by a distance
Speed only allows a fighter to get away with mistakes for so long.....then someone exposes the mistakes and brings them crashing down to earth. Ward imo has no room for comfort against the rest of the Super 6. He fought well over the weekend, but i don't think anyone should get carried away just yet.
Re: kessler vs ward spoiler
Posted: 23 Nov 2009, 08:07
by Poncey
Terry D wrote:Good win by Ward, nice tactics
Heard he picked them up in Glasgow.
Re: kessler vs ward spoiler
Posted: 23 Nov 2009, 13:37
by jamesmcdonnell
Terry D wrote:Kessler is 1-D, it is a good, solid dimension but it is what it is. He's a rock-solid Euro fighter who operated for years in a weakened division before coming unstuck against Calzaghe. I love watching Kessler fight but he is limited.
Good win by Ward, nice tactics and he hit deceptively hard in there.
Yes, he was always mechanical, but very good at doing what he did. I think it took a slick speedster with talent like Ward, to expose his lack of adaptability.