Kessler: "Ward Ruined My Style, I'll Beat Carl Froch"

Kessler admitted it was tough to fight Ward. “He was very fast and very good. He ruined my style,” he said. “It was not my day. Now I will go home, watch the tape and then bounce back stronger than ever.”

Said Wilfried Sauerland: “Congratulations to Andre Ward, he fought a great fight and deserved to win. I was impressed by his speed and his technical abilities. However, the referee should have stopped the holding and headbutting, but we do not want to take anything away from his performance and his victory. Mikkel will come back and do very well in this tournament, no doubt about that.”

Added Kalle Sauerland: “Ward proved today that he belongs into this tournament and that he is a great fighter with a golden future. The great thing about the Super Six World Boxing Classic is that Mikkel can take revenge soon as their paths might cross again. Mikkel and his team will analyse the fight closely and draw the right conclusions. I have no doubts that the Viking Warrior will come back stronger than ever and we will see an exciting fight against Carl Froch. That fight will be massive.”