April 19th, 2010

Preview of Carl Froch v Mikkel Kessler, 24th April, Herring, Denmark

 

By Chris Baldwin

It is difficult not to feel a little sympathy for Carl Froch.

The likeable native of Nottingham, England should have been riding the crest of a wave in the aftermath of a career best performance which ensured that, at the turn of 2009, he wore the proud mantle of being Britain’s only reigning, world champion. As the premier fighting attraction of terrestrial broadcaster ITV, Froch’s engrossing Fight-of-the-Year contending, title winning effort against Canadian Jean Pascal (then 21-0) had been watched by a over ten thousand fevered supporters inside the Trent FM and an estimated audience of millions more in the comfort of their sitting rooms.

All of which makes the last year and a bit seems all the more perplexing.

Inside the ring, Carl’s stock continues to be upwardly mobile. Whilst he can no longer lay claim to being the only world titlist in England (Amir Khan at Lightweight and David Haye at Heavyweight have both since collected their own trinkets), Froch (26-0, 20 KO) has cemented his place at the peak of the British fight game with a pair of legacy enhancing title defences over notable American fighters.

The first of these, an astonishing, last round knockout of former undisputed middleweight king Jermaine Taylor (then 28-2-1) in April 2009, was rendered all the more remarkable for being scored in the middle of his more celebrated opponent’s own backyard and whilst (ridiculously for this writer) Froch trailed the American by four points on two of the three judge’s scorecards. It was the kind of win which ordinarily elevates a fighter into super-stardom.

Except for Carl, it did nothing of the sort. Remarkably, Froch’s promoter Mick Hennessey failed utterly to find a broadcast platform for the Taylor fight which meant that precisely no one in Britain was able to witness Carl’s defining moment live on television. Considering the gravity of the fight and the level of support previously afforded to the personable champion, a 24 hour, tape-delayed broadcast by ITV4 provided scant consolation. It was, quite frankly, a shocking way to treat their former star attraction.

The upside for Froch, however, was that the Taylor victory earned him the kind of respect he has always craved within the boxing fraternity. When Showtime announced their ‘Super Six World Boxing Classic’, it was inevitable that Froch would be invited to take part and, keen as always to fight the best possible opponents, Carl was only too happy to put himself forward to compete. Froch’s first assignment was a fight in Nottingham against the talented but unexposed American, Andre Dirrell.

In the event, the fight in October 2009 was dreadful, thanks in no small part to the antics of Dirrell (then 18-0), who showed what might generously be described sound defensive acumen by avoiding Froch’s wild attacks and scoring occasionally with some crisp counter punches. Those less generous scribes described the challenger as having run for his life for the first nine rounds, a view this writer shared, coming alive only when deducted a point late on for persistent fouling and after having thrown himself to the floor on a number of occasions for the sole purpose of avoiding being hit.

It was an eye-watering spectacle, with the Englishman doing his best to force the ‘action’ yet never looking like he was making much headway en route to a wafer thin, split decision victory. Even Froch himself later told Boxing Monthly that “by mid stage I’d given up interest in the fight. Bored”!

I can’t say I blame him.

Still, a win is a win, and for Froch it was his third top tier success in less than twelve months and surely now the public recognition he craved would follow. That it didn’t says much for yet more unsatisfactory broadcasting travails which saw not a single British broadcaster take an interest in the bout as the date drew nearer. Indeed, until a week or so before the bell was due to ring, it seemed likely that another media blackout would be the order of the day; a situation only partially remedied when a brand new satellite broadcaster, Primetime TV, sprung up seemingly from the ether and decided to screen the fight on a pay-per-view basis. As a channel which didn’t even exist until a week before the bout, Primetime had no opportunity to market the fight and more consternation followed when it became clear that those who subscribed to Virgin Media, as opposed to satellite giant SKY, had no opportunity to purchase the bout for reasons which have yet to be satisfactorily explained. Even the broadcast itself was largely a shambles, with many subscribers losing the signal prior to the bout and found themselves paying good money to stare at a screen full of snow. It is certainly true, though, that the unkind wryly noted that these people hadn’t missed much...

The question remains, though, of what exactly Mick Hennessey is doing to ‘promote’ Carl at this juncture. The answer remains something of a mystery and the conclusion that Froch is being denied the exposure that other, less successful or talented fighters have obtained under different promotion has become increasingly difficult to refute. Underexposed and largely unloved, arguably Britain’s premier boxer continues to fly under the radar, impressing boxing’s intelligencia with his toughness and determination to fight yet facing constant criticisms of his awkward style, low left hand and wild uppercuts. Indeed, there remains one regular contributor to this website’s forum who refers to Carl as ‘the fighting farmer’.

Criticisms aside (and some of them are perfectly valid), Froch remains undefeated and continues to get the job done. Deathly dull and difficult to actually watch (in every conceivable sense) though it might have been, the Dirrell victory looks more impressive in light of unbeaten former middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham’s (then 31-0, 25KO) subsequent failure against the same opponent in Detroit last month.

Whilst Dirrell acquitted himself with far more distinction –he was clearly refreshed by an opponent whose peek-a-boo style married much better to his own than Froch’s crude but constant pressure, the ending remains wholly unsatisfactory. After conceding round after round, the Armenian finally opened up in the tenth and floored the challenger with a flush straight right down the pipe which was inexplicably ruled a slip by referee Lawrence Cole. Into the eleventh, Abraham seemed buoyed by his relative success in the previous round, but when Andre slipped in a neutral corner, Arthur foolishly took the opportunity to launch a perfectly placed but entirely illegal left hook which again floored Dirrell and, after a second or two, saw the American collapse in a heap, seemingly unconscious and apparently unable to continue. It was a bizarre episode, made all the more so by what seemed a strangely delayed reaction by the American, but the disqualification which followed was as perfunctionary as it was justified.

If Dirrell’s improved showing put Froch’s effort in their bout into a more forgiving light, there is precious little consolation for his next opponent to take from his first ‘Super Six’ foray. Former unified super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32KO) began his ‘Super Six’ campaign as many seasoned observer’s favourite to life the crown. The Viking Warrior’s many supporters pointed to an outstanding professional record of forty one wins from forty two fights, with his only defeat coming narrowly at the hands of retired former super-middleweight kingpin Joe Calzaghe in a bout the Dane had led at the halfway point. Where Froch is wild and impetuous, Kessler is neat and tidy, operating in textbook fashion behind a spiteful left jab followed by a hurtful straight right hand. Further evidence was provided by an impressive super-middleweight resume, with previous victims Anthony Mundine (PTS 12), Librado Andrade (PTS 12), Markus Beyer (KO 3), Eric Lucas (TKO 10) and Manny Siaca (RTD 7) succumbing for the loss of a bare handful of rounds. His first assignment, against undefeated former US Olympian Andre Ward (21-0 13KO) wasn’t considered likely to trouble him unduly by all but a small minority of seasoned observers. Only a handful of reporters saw that Kessler’s failure to adapt in that losing effort against Calzaghe might provide the blueprint for danger in the shape of a tricky, quick, heavy handed and confident American.

In the event, the small minority were proven entirely accurate. For Kessler, the fight quickly descended into a nightmare as Ward used his swift hands and angles to befuddle the Dane from the opening bell. Complaints that the American was over-reliant on his head were valid but in no way can be used to excuse an otherwise anaemic performance by the reigning and defending WBA champ. Eventually, with the champion’s famed technique seemingly having failed him and looking thoroughly despondent, Kessler was put out of his considerable misery when the fight was halted at the end of the tenth round with the Dane deemed unable to continue due to cuts sustained in accidental head clashes. Behind by four and six points (twice) on the cards, Mikkel duly dropped a lopsided technical decision and forfeited the 168lb crown awarded by many to him, by default, when Calzaghe called time on his illustrious career.

For Ward, it was a breakout performance which has ignited a career which many had feared was in danger of stagnating. For Kessler, it must make anguished reviewing. At least he has been magnanimous, telling Boxing Monthly that:

“He was much the better fighter on the night...Ward managed to take my strengths away, pretty much like Calzaghe, and I will make sure it never happens again”

The problem for Mikkel is that, despite his claims to have learned a second painful lesson, it seems that the secret is now well and truly out. When Calzaghe stood and tried to trade with Kessler, he found himself being hit and falling behind so wisely found an alternative, speed reliant strategy which paid rich dividends. Ward, meanwhile, simply dispensed with the initially trading and flummoxed his man with angles and crunching counter punching from start to finish.

It seems to be the case that the Dane’s textbook fundamentals are no preparation for a fighter unwilling to stand in front of him or unwise enough to come to him in straight lines. Speed, angles, trickery and counter-punching seem to be enough to counteract Kessler’s Plan A and it is fairly easy now to imagine the travails that might befall Mikkel in a fight with a slick, box and move counter puncher like Andre Dirrell. Alarmingly for the Dane’s many supporters, in two losing efforts at the highest level, it has to be noted that when Plan A falls apart, there doesn’t appear to exist a suitable Plan B, and on both occasions he has shown visible signs of confusion and discouragement. The truth of the matter is that when the going got really tough, Kessler has twice wilted in the face of a more determined foe and may lack that inner mental fortitude that marks out the truly elite boxing protagonists for the very good ones.

Against Froch, though, one has to wonder whether or not those technical deficiencies really matter. As a fighter, Carl has a lot of commendable qualities. He throws punches in bunches and possess enough power to force Dirrell to commit avoiding almost any sort of fistic confrontation. Neither his fitness nor his stamina can be questioned, and he is dangerous in the latter rounds as he is early doors, as present 168lb European champion Brian Magee (TKO 11) and former 160lb boss Jermaine Taylor (TKO 12) will testify. He has taken, and withstood, some tremendous punches over the course of his professional campaign and it is difficult to argue with the consensus that Carl possesses an excellent chin. Former victim and current light heavyweight titlist Jean Pascal landed several hard, flush shots in their bout and couldn’t put Froch on the canvas. Indeed, only Taylor has achieved that feat thus far, and in the end that third round knockdown didn’t matter much. Moreover, no-one can seriously question Froch’s mental toughness- the Englishman is as rough and ready as they come and always comes to fight. And this time, unlike the Dirrell eyesore, he won’t struggle to find the Dane who will likely stand and trade wherever and whenever he can.

However, with the best will in the world, Froch couldn’t be more different stylistically to a fighter like Calzaghe or Ward if he tried. Whilst he has reasonable hand speed, his punches don’t flow anywhere near as fast as Carl evidently thinks they do, and his tendency to hold his left hand low belies his straightforward, average defensive capabilities. Froch is a crowd pleasing, come forward brawler who lacks the speed and movement which so bedevilled Kessler in the past. He will come looking for Mikkel from the outset and will likely do so in straight lines, trying to fluster and pressure Kessler into making mistakes. The last time someone tried the same plan, Kessler jabbed his head off for thirty six consecutive minutes, as Librado Andrade would no doubt testify. Whilst Froch is undoubtedly a better protagonist than Librado, the stylistic likeness is uncanny and, for Carl’s supporters, surely unnerving.

What makes this a real, 50/50 fight is that although pre-Calzaghe Kessler would be a strong favourite over a fighter with Froch’s style, there remains serious doubt as to whether or not the version of Kessler who dealt so comprehensively with Andrade still exists. Shorn of his unbeaten record, Kessler has looked in decline as a fighter since the Calzaghe reverse, and for some the Ward fight was definitive proof of a fighter who has been exposed at the very highest level. His apparent discouragement in the latter stages of the Ward fight bodes ominously considering the mental fortitude and never-say-die attitude of Froch, who has proven himself a man who doesn’t know when he is beaten.

Froch will come forward relentlessly from first bell until last, of that there can be no doubt. The question is whether Kessler will be able to show and rely on the supreme fundamentals which have served him so well in the past, or will he fold mentally and physically once more? With Kessler’s career at world level (and continued participation in the Super Six) teetering on the precipice, his supporters will be hoping that it is the former. Tentatively this writer believes that the latter is more likely, and with Froch no doubt aware that he needs to win clearly if he is to become the first visiting fighter to taste victory in the Super Six thus far, expects Froch to take over in the latter stages and score anther career defining, late stoppage victory.

It would be nice though if, this time, people in Britain found out about it.

Kessler-Froch is available on Primetime PPV Events for Sky subscribers only and on Showtime in the U.S.