Ward Claims Kessler's Belt

I hate it when I am wrong. But there is nothing worse than proven wrong. Former American Olympian Andre “S.O.G” Ward did just that when he outboxed and outpaced Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler of Denmark en route to a victory last Saturday. Extending his run to 21 straight wins and no losses, Ward also became the WBA Super Middleweight champion.

I have a told in a previous article why Kessler will beat Ward. I made the Danish ex-champion a good case and he did show how tough he was inside the ring. However, it was clear from the opening bell that the young American pugilist was superior in technique and style, speed, and skills.

Kessler complained to the referee about Ward’s holding tactics. Though the Dane had a point, his stand-up European boxing style could not cope with Ward’s extreme mobility inside the ring. The later rounds saw Kessler flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to land a big one.

At the end of the bout, Kessler is faced with questions. Being the tournament’s favorite, does he have what it takes to make it through after losing in such fashion in his first fight? Is he washed-up as some of his critics say? Hard to answer for sure, but the responses will be made clear when he faces champion Carl Froch next year.

Although there were some occasional head butts and excessive holding, Ward deserved such victory. Kessler drops to 42-2, 30 knockouts while Ward elevates 21-0.

The fight concludes the first stage of the Super Six Tournament. Here’s a quick recap of the scores:
Arthur Abraham – 2 points

Andre Ward – 2 points

Carl Froch – 1 point

Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, and Jermain Taylor – 0 points each

Why Mikkel Kessler Will Beat Andre Ward

There is a big reason why Mikkel Kessler of Denmark is the heavy favorite of the Super Six boxing tournament. Of all the tournament entrants, Kessler is the most experienced with 43 fights, having won 42 with 32 fights ending in knockouts. His lone loss came at the hands of one of the greats, the now-retired Joe Calzaghe of England.

Parading as the WBA super middleweight champion, Kessler will defend his title for the third time against a young American prospect, 25-year old Andre Ward, who is undefeated in 25 bouts. The fight will also be the third match of the of the Super Six contest and will be held in Oakland, California.

Several boxing pundits have claimed that Kessler is a washed-up fighter and that Ward will expose that to the world. While Kessler is five years older than Ward, the Viking Warrior is far from washed-up. Kessler is still a dangerous power-puncher who has an assortment of skills that could match or even surpass anything that Ward will bring to the ring.

There is no evidence of Kessler slowing down or eroded skills over the past five years. Though the Danish boxer had a lay-off for almost a year, he kept himself in great shape. Heck, he could box anytime and win. As Kessler enters the Super Six tournament, there is no doubt that he is in the best shape of his career.

Experience is a key element in any boxing match and that is something only Kessler can brag about. Ward may be superior in some skills, but overall ring generalship and boxing knowledge belong to Kessler.

With all that said, Ward has what it takes to beat Kessler. But his chances are slim. He may have won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in an impressive fashion and beat all 25 of his previous opponents, but Ward has never faced someone of the caliber of Kessler – big, strong, agile, and intelligent.

There is no doubt that Kessler will need to bring his A game to put Ward down. But it is Ward who needs to bring more than his best to seize a win and have a significant something to brag about.

Froch and Abraham Triumphant Against Americans

British Carl Froch and Germany’s Arthur Abraham have succeeded in garnering their respective wins in the first stage of the first round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Froch edged out Andre Dirrell in a split decision in what was a very thrilling match. In the German part of Europe, Abraham proved to be too powerful for the talented Jermain Taylor and knocked him out in the final round.

It proved to be a great night for both Europeans, staging great fights in Europe’s soil.

As expected, the younger and faster Dirrell danced around Froch and hitting him with crisp jabs and some solid shots. The early rounds saw a frustrated Froch trying to deliver his own dose of power bombs.

This pattern remained on its course until Froch found some openings in the later rounds and succeeded in transforming this bout into a brawl. And brawling is something Dirrell is not used to. Froch easily capitalized on the situation and asserted himself over Dirrell in most part of the bout.

With the win, Froch advances to the tournament with two points and elevated his record to 26-0, 20 KOs, while Dirrell suffered his first defeat in 19 bouts.

In Germany, Abraham versus Taylor seemed to be the reminiscent of Froch versus Taylor. What we all saw was the same stuff that unfolded last April. Taylor dominated the first half, gassed out, and got knocked as the 12th round was nearing its end.

After the fight, boxing pundits (most of them anyway) are now coming to a conclusion where Taylor is now on his way down and probable retirement awaits him after the tournament. Such concurrence is quite understandable considering that Taylor fades in a fight. He ran our out of steam against Kelly Pavlik, Carl Froch, and now Abraham.

This is Taylor’s fourth defeat and his second consecutive following his loss to Froch.

Winning his 31st fight in a row, Abraham proves to be a scary prospect for the other entrants of the Super Six. Not only did he win his first fight at the super middleweight level, he carried his destructive punching power with him.

Abraham’s record now stands at 31-0, 25 KOs. Taylor drops to 27-4, 17 KOs.

Next month, we’ll see how the young Andre Ward will fare against the tournament’s heavy favorite Mikkel Kessler of Denmark.

Super Six Kick-Off: Froch against Dirrell, Abraham versus Taylor

And like the calm before the storm, we are now entrenched in a sudden quietness before the boxing gloves thud and bodies came crashing and slamming into the canvas. As we wait for the Super Six to unfold, perhaps the most significant boxing tournament ever designed, here’s my amateurish analysis of the fighters who are to kickoff the event.

Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell
Nottingham, England

Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) and Andre Direll (18-0, 13 KOs) are not lost for words when they refer to the other. But all the trash talking and verbal jabbing come to a halt as they let their gloves make the statements with exclamation points.

Froch, despite his unblemished record and the fact that the WBC Super Middleweight belt hangs around his waist, is the unanimous underdog of the tournament. At 32, Froch is the oldest entrant of the tournament and his age might play a factor in his first fight against the younger and more athletic Dirrell.

However, Froch has extreme durability, packs devastating power in his right hand, and parades an iron chin which was vital in his last fight against fellow Super Six entrant Jermain Taylor. In what was a losing battle on the points for the Englishman, Froch suddenly unleashed a last round barrage on Taylor, which culminated in a knockout 15 seconds before the end of the final round.

For his part, the 26-year old Dirrell has youth, quickness and power on his side. An amateur standout and a former Olympian, Dirrell can and will dominate Froch early on. However, Dirrell has never fought someone as resilient as Froch and it would be interesting to see how Dirrell would compensate should Froch refuses to wear down after a projected early phase attack from the young American.

Odds: 60-40 in favor of Froch

Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor
Berlin, Germany

In a fight that will pit power versus skill, Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs) of Germany and Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs) of the United States are slated to lay it all out. While there is no championship belt involved, expect fireworks from these two once they meet inside the ring.

Abraham will be having trouble finding his range against the much skillful Taylor, who is perhaps the most multi-talented boxer he has ever faced. Shorter by two inches, 5'10" Abraham has to neutralize the height advantage as well as reach advantage enjoyed by the American by pressuring him to the ropes. Mean power-punching coupled with precision would be the key to Abraham’s victory.

Taylor, on the other hand, must not repeat the mistake he made in his bout against Froch - he paused on the offensive and allowed the Englishman to take the momentum.

There is no doubt to Taylor’s superiority when it comes to skills, but even a superior boxer is often beat by one that possesses a bigger heart. And when it comes to heart, Abraham is winner and he displayed that when he successfully captured his middleweight title (he relinquished it prior to participating in the Super Six) against Edison Miranda despite a broken jaw.

Odds: 70-30 in favor of Abraham.