We've all had time to digest the fairly one-sided loss to Calzaghe. The guy was considered top-notch going in to the fight... what are the current thoughts? How does his future look?
I still think he's got tremendous potential, and I didn't think it was 'one sided' either :nono: ,.. it was a 7 - 5 kind've fight in my opinion, Kessler just needs to learn to vary his attack, mix his punches up more, go to the head AND BODY, throw some more uppercuts, hooks, and mix leading with the right hand, rather than boxing behind the jab ALL THE FARKING TIME,... hopefully Kessler learns now, that he cant just rely on 1,2's,...I also think Kessler had alot of trouble dealing with Calzaghe's SOUTHPAW stance, it seemed to negate his jab, whereas Kessler to Calzaghe was just your typical Orthadox fighter, very upright and in turn an easy target for the looping left and body shots. :crafty: The best part of the fight was where Calzaghe got a bit cocky and thought he could outrade Kessler with quick flurries down the centre :crafty: ,...that was a mistake, after Kessler popped him with 4 clean shots to the mask, and a few brutal uppercuts, Calzaghe was more content to fight cautiously on the outside.
As you mention, Kessler showed some variation - and had some success - with uppercuts, but he didn't throw enough of them. He's an intelligent fighter, and I expect he's a fighter that will improve off a fight like that...and unlike Manny Steward, I expect he'd look better in a rematch (though maybe not an immediate one). Calzaghe is unique, and in any sport those kinds of athletes are often the most difficult to prepare for. Calzaghe's a lefty and awkward, and he's just so adept at getting into range and getting his punches off. It's very hard for any fighter to get and maintain the right distance against him...and Kessler had it at times, but Calzaghe just continually managed to get close enough to fire combinations. Though stylistically different, Calzaghe's performance was a bit reminiscent of the way Paul Williams beat Antonio Margarito...because it was a case of volume punching beating the harder, but more selective, puncher. Kessler landed many of the more significant punches, but for the most part that was offset by the activity of Calzaghe....though of course, Calzaghe has to do more to get into range than a fighter like Williams does.
I don´t think the fight was one-sided unless you watched Homer-Boxing Office. I don´t think Kessler will ever beat Calzaghe. It´s basically a contest, where two guys are supposed to shoot from the hip, one has to punch with a closed fist, the other is allowed to slap with the open hand. If the slapper is fast, he´ll win every time, although the other guy might be the better fighter. That´s how I look at Calzaghe´s career. :crafty:
IMO, his stock hasn’t fallen any in his defeat to Joe, which was not one sided at all- I had Mikkel ahead at halfway and Joe by 2 rounds at the finish. Joe was simply better on the night- no shame in that. He’s still the clear number 2 guy @ 168, though, and if Calzaghe vacates and moves up to 175, I’d expect Kessler to mop up without any real trouble. I don’t think Calzaghe was at all joking when he said that he would never rematch Kessler. Mikkel is still fairly young and is likely to have learned a lot from the way both men fought between rounds 7-12. I would expect Kessler to improve, and unlike Steward, I’d be less confident of Joe in a rematch than I was in the first (when I fancied him reasonable strongly). Just before the fight, Joony wrote a ‘top 10 168lb-ers ever’ and I argued then that he was wrong not to have Kessler in that list in 10th, and I still think that this is the case. MTF
Kessle should, and could, have won this fight IMO. He got caught in the game of thinking too much and not letting his hands go enough, and Calzaghe, like an old pro, outhustled him. Kessler is a very good fighter, and has the potential to be great imo, but he has to be less selective and less cerebral in tough fights.
:: What if this 'slapper' takes the other guy's best shots clean (say, maybe, some hard uppercuts in the 4th round, perhaps) and keeps coming? Maybe that would seem to indicate the other guy isn't actually the better fighter at all, regardless of whether he punches with a 'closed fist' or an open hand? opcorn:
Well, according to what has become the Roy Jones Rehab thread, 4 out of every 5 Roy junkies think he's a bum. So, he must be a bum.
kessler needs to improve his left hook. sometimes he throws it like golota used to which means he doesn't get good power on it. also, he needs to not back up so much when guys attack - that will always lose him decisions if he can't pull the trigger on the counter. he needs to plant his feet more and hold his ground. he's a huge guy at 168. if he'd imposed his strength a little more against sloppy and not let himself be backed up by joe's doggy paddles he would've faired better. i think he has great potential though. he's particularly effective at pulling the trigger on his counters which makes his tendency to back up all the more frustrating. he needs to relax more in the ring too. joe had him all tensed up going for the KO. and it's exactly what he wanted to do. sloppy needs to get his. hopefully someone will step up and do the job. sounds like hopkins is too pussy at this stage in his career. perhaps allen green could land a fight with joe - he'd have a shot i think. joe doesn't bring the brute force and power that miranda did. whole different fight.
why's he a bum? because he lost one fight? a fight in which he scored a knock-down and went the distance with a huge puncher?
I don't know who would win the mythical fight of all mythical fights. The only two unbeatable fighters in the history of fights. Prime Roy or Old Vitor. What a match.
I think Kessler is alright. I don't think that he's the next best thing like many of you guys have indicated. I mean hella people around have already crowned this guy. I mean how is it that a guy like Cotto who has fought and defeated more big name fighters never received the type of hype that Kessler has gotten. And I'm talken pre-Mosley. But to answer the thread he's solid. I don't think that he will be an all-time great at the 168lb-175lb divison. I'll Holla 5000
I still don't understand why you say that everyone is crowning Kessler as the shit. Of course there are some ignorant biased overhypers in the forums, but for the most part. People just see Kessler as a solid fighter with great skill and technique who is someone who can make some noise in the division.
Define "many"? I wouldn't even say the majority of the board, never mind the boxing public, was picking him to beat Calzaghe, or even ever said he was more than the #2 SMW in the world. Even after the fight, that still holds true. Sounds to me like he was rated exactly right.
Blah blah blah.... He is what he is. He'd lose to Calzaghe every day of the week. Mikkel is just a very good fighter that's simply not "great".
