Mikkel Kessler decisions Carl Froch in Denmark
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 6:16 PM EDT
in Boxing Results and Post-Fight Analysis
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In a tremendous fight that likely leads the Fight of the Year race for 2010, Mikkel Kessler outpointed Carl Froch to take Froch's undefeated record and his WBC title, and get himself squarely back into the Super Six World Boxing Classic race.
Kessler (43-2, 32 KO) won on scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111. Bad Left Hook scored it 115-113 for Kessler, with the "Viking Warrior" sealing the deal in an electric, Rocky-like 12th round effort from both men. It was Kessler who controlled most of the fight, pressed most of the action, and just did the better overall work. Froch had his moments, and won some rounds, and was close in some more, but he came up just short. Carl Froch has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and immediately post-fight he didn't complain too much. He simply said if it was at home, he feels he would have won. (In a bit of hilarity, the in-ring interviewer basically said, "Yeah, we saw that in your last fight," and moved on.)
This is probably the biggest, best and most important win of Kessler's career. He looked relaxed in the ring, and even when a bad cut was opened late in the fight, he didn't panic or get out of his gameplan. Froch seemed a bit off in this one, truthfully, but that was probably more caused by Kessler not ever getting too flustered. Froch just did not get the openings he might have expected, and found himself in a dog fight with a guy who supposedly could be beaten mentally.
Froch (26-1, 20 KO) faces Arthur Abraham next, tentatively in August. Kessler's third Super Six fight will be against Allan Green, who fights Andre Ward on June 19. Froch-Abraham is shaping up to be a crazy war of a brawl, as both will have everything to gain and lose in that one. The updated Super Six standings have Abraham still ahead at 3 points (two fights), followed by Andre Ward (one fight), Andre Dirrell (two fights), Kessler (two fights) and Froch (two fights) at two points apiece. Green has no points. Can you imagine if Allan Green upset Andre Ward in June? This whole thing would be bananas.
Hats should be off this evening to Mikkel Kessler, who came back strong from a terrible loss to Ward and out-fought the always-game Froch, who gave his all as usual and can hold his head up high. It was a fantastic fight and a gritty display from both men.
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I want to reserve judgment until after the tournament is over
But on a H2H basis, prime for prime (while in the weight class), I think that three of the best eight SMWs in the history of the division on a H2H basis are active, albeit one of them isn’t in the Super Six. I suspect it goes something like this:
1. Jones
2. Calzaghe
3. Toney
4. Ward
5. Bute
6. Eubank
7. Benn
8. Kessler
9. McCallum
10. Collins
I’m probably opening this one up for controversy though…
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
And McCallum could possibly be higher
but he just didn’t have enough of a body of work at 168 to really know whether when he fought there, it was more like the middleweight destroyer version or the light heavyweight pretty good but not great version of McCallum.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
thanks for including me. I think I’m more properly about 5 or 6, but 10s a good spot to start.
"Yes Gina, I am a Wise Cracker"
by lcollins1 on Apr 24, 2010 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Good Stuff
Can’t wait to see the fight on dvd.
I tend to agree that Ward is the man to beat,tichbou,and that includes Bute but i think this great tourney has a few more suprises in store yet. :)
I’m looking forward to it and can’t wait for Ward v Dirrell.I think i might take Dirrell in that one.
I'll definitely be watching the replay on Showtime
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
with a Froch interview in there. He bitches, but less than I would’ve thought.
"Yes Gina, I am a Wise Cracker"
External links to fight coverage, etc. are OK in this thread.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow...
The Fight went exactly as I expected it to with the exception that Kessler survived and Froch lost !!! I really thought that Froch would win a come from behind TKO !!! I guess I overated Froch’s power !!! Bute would kill these two !!! Ward is way overated on his win versus Kessler.THAT Kessler would’ve been a more even matchup for Ward.In shape and ready to go to war.
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Apr 24, 2010 7:11 PM EDT reply actions
just some dickhead
In a tremendous fight that likely leads the Fight of the Year race for 2010
Lame article. Can be seen here: http://www.badlefthook.com/2010/4/24/1442269/results-carl-froch-v-mikkel
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Hahaha!
Sorry!
I had already read that too now you remind this idiot!
But i’m reading 4 different pages and watching tv and drinking,etc!
Haha!…I never mean disrespect Scott,i just miss things sometimes :)
What are the FOTY frontrunners anyway? i dont think that there have been any truly great fights so far (i havent seen this fight though)
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Apr 24, 2010 7:24 PM EDT reply actions
off the top of my head and in no particular order
First tier:
Froch-Kessler
Antonio Escalante-Mickey Roman
Daniel Estrada-Angel Alirio Rivero
Second tier:
Marcos Maidana-Victor Cayo
Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez
Koki Kameda-Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Rendall Munroe-Victor Terrazas
Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym-Satoshi Hosono
Roy Jones Jr.-Bernard Hopkins II
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Honestly I might still have Estrada-Rivero as my No. 1, but I can all but guarantee that won’t be on any year-end list but ours. That fight was insane.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I have no idea what you’re talking about. Jones-Hopkins II was a great example of old school boxing. You must not understand, that’s why you’re hating. All those things they did were old school.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
All those fools booing just didn’t know what they were looking at. They were lured in off the sidewalk with the promise of free beer and loose women.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
If it had taken place in (year) at (place) with (old referee who takes no shit!) it would have gotten the respect it deserved.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Get offa my lawn!
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
forgot about Roman & rivero. amazing fights
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Apr 24, 2010 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd throw Concepcion-Hammond II in that second tier also
Estrada-Rivero was crazy. Complete closet classic, and seeing as how it’s not on Youtube now, it will probably get lost to posterity.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
conception Hammond was a great undercard fight
by Sweet science on Apr 25, 2010 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Just read something about Amir Khan slagging Carl Froch off about this loss
And I just can’t quite believe the shit he thinks he can talk. He’s fought no one; Froch has fought the absolute best that he possibly could, and his loss was a very close, competitive one in a simply magnificent fight. Really very disappointing: here’s one guy putting on the biggest and best fights he can, and here’s another who’s actively ducked his mandatory. Pathetic.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 24, 2010 9:11 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Yeah, I saw that. Kinda makes me dislike Khan finally.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 24, 2010 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, definitely. I also can’t help feeling he sort of bitched out on Britain before he’d actually done anything, and just when he was starting to become popular. Malignaggi by vicious KO.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 24, 2010 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
what do you mean “bitched out on Britain”? – is he not gonna fight there anymore at all? I know he’s a Roach product at this point.
"Yes Gina, I am a Wise Cracker"
He said that he feels under-appreciated and wants to live and fight permanently in America. I dunno, I really think he’s a spoilt prat Khan: he was given the most golden treatment of any British fighter in living memory after the Olympic Silver, and that’s actually including Fraudley after his £1 million deal with the BBC.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 24, 2010 9:44 PM EDT up reply actions
He is under rated and even hated by a lot of casual fans in the UK
A large part of that is his attitude and another part, something far less acceptable…
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 25, 2010 5:55 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know if his being a Muslim has anything to do with it to tell you the truth. It’s more that he can come across as a bit of an arrogant knob.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 25, 2010 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions
I have to say i believe it is partly to do with him being a Muslim,with some people anyway.The 7/7 bombings happened about 1 week before Khan’s debut fight and were very much in the nation’s thoughts.
Muslims were unpopular and people were suspicious of them at the time.
Imo,Khan did a very mature thing in trying to show his pride in Britain as well as his parent’s homeland by wearing both colours into the ring.
I think that Khan did come across as a bit cocky at the time but he was a 17 year old Olympic medallist.I think a lot of people in that situation might have been a bit over confident.
Froch,Haye and Degale are just as cocky as Khan,if not more so,but don’t seem to get the stick that he has in the past.
Froch and Haye, however, do actually go out there and put on good fights against the top guys they can face. Degale has got a lot of stick so far, and he’s only fought 6 fights – the guy won an Olympic gold and got booed in his first pro fight. Khan’s talked a lot of shit about who he can beat etc etc for a number of years, and it’s just run my patience a bit thin. Frankly, I think it’s abhorrent that he feels he can come out and slag off Froch after that performance. Maybe if Khan actually starts backing up his talk with some big performances, then he can start talking – until then, I think he should just keep it shut.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 25, 2010 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Btw, I do realise you can just as easily say that Haye has avoided the Klits, but nevertheless he put on good fights against the top guys at cruiser, and even made a John Ruiz fight good to watch. If a Klit fight doesn’t happen, then there’ll be justification for criticisms of Haye.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 25, 2010 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes,
admittedly Froch and Haye do back the big talk up more.
by Matt Mosley on Apr 25, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
OliGold
Khan will never be in a fight like that, ever. He’d get knocked out as soon as he got hit with anything resembling the weight of a cotton bud. He has skills etc, but no real chin that would withstand what those two apparently went through yesterday. I can’t wait
to see it.
by Phill on Apr 25, 2010 3:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I know – Malignaggi by vicious KO.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 25, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a very touchy subject
And I’m most certainly not saying that anyone who doesn’t like Khan is a Islamaphobe or a racist, but I do believe his ethnicity has caused some, more casual fans, to react poorly towards him in ways he doesn’t deserve.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 25, 2010 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Khan also tweeted earlier today that Maidana ducked him
Which is the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a while
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
After rewatching the fight
I think the 117-111 card is a lot more indefensible.
12th round was still really good the second time around.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Yeah, and I do think it absolutely stinks even more when you remember its bloody Tillerman. He jobbed Reid on behalf of Sauerland, and while he certainly didn’t job Froch, its typical that he’s the one who scored it 117-111. That’s a load of shit.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 24, 2010 10:15 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That might be a stellar case for round of the year
Kessler in particular showed all of the fighting guts that have been missing from his last two fights. The look on his face when he was going for the kayo was priceless. It looks like Kessler likes boxing again. He backed Carl up a lot in the second half of the fight, which was bad news for Froch. In one fight Kessler has gone from the dusty shelf to being the dark horse in this race. If he can bring that sort of determination and body punching to his next bout, he’s right back in this thing.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
great fight
I have to say that I had little respect for Froch going into this tourney but I’ve definitely come around. He’s a tough dude. Nice bounce-back for Kessler.
-Brian
I scored it 115-113 Froch
And I hate Carl Froch. I thought he dominated the early
rounds and eeked out a couple more
late to get the win.
Of course, he got a gift win over Dirrell at home, so I don’t feel bad at all.
by The Boxer Rebellion on Apr 24, 2010 10:35 PM EDT reply actions
Think about what's next
Froch-Abraham – which has a Hagler-Hearns 12 rounds packed into 2 kind of feel to it, doesn’t it?
Kessler-Green – watch Allen Green turn some heads against Ward.
Ward-Dirrell – its like the Flash racing Superman
Then we can start thinking about rematches in the semis.
Vote Quimby
Watch Allan Green's head getting turned
By Ward’s sharp punches all night.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 25, 2010 5:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Thoughts
Both fighters come out looking good, as I see it anyway. They were both determined, focused, and displayed a lot of toughness. Kessler clearly presents match-up problems for Froch, but the Brit’s strength meant Kessler had little margin for error. It was a good day for the Super Six- a compelling fight and no serious controversy (the 117-111 card being incorrect but inconsequential).
I
thought the fight looked like “Frankenstein stumbles into the Mummy’s Vault” in all honesty.
Sloppy and lacking skills. A poor man’s Foreman/Lyle, without the firepower.
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