By Troy Ondrizek
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com
The upcoming super-middleweight title fight between Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32KOs) and Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29KOs) is quite possibly the most important fight that the sport of boxing has had in years. The levity of that statement is settling in at this moment, years, really, the most important fight in years; how can this be? Undoubtedly there have been some big fights this year alone, I mean De La Hoya/Mayweather was a big fight, but it really didn’t carry the same historical importance of what is about to take place next month.
There have been fights between future hall-of-famers, up and coming champions, and major upsets; yet none carry the weight and the questions that Calzaghe/Kessler does.
Granted the super-middleweight division isn’t necessarily a division steeped in history with great fights and great fighters, but there have been a few greats that have blessed the division with their presence. But this fight is so much more than the division; it truly has much to do about alphabet titles, legacies, and legitimacy for all. Basically it all boils down to legitimacy; the legitimacy of Kessler as a paper champion and contender; the legitimacy of Calzaghe’s 10 year reign as a alphabet champion; the sanctioning organizations themselves and the men they have chosen to represent them in this dysfunctional division; and the legitimacy of this being a unification match.
Okay, I’ll address the last statement first. This is not a unification match in a theory sense, I repeat; this is not a unification match theory sense. Yes both men have titles from different sanctioning organizations, but we are blessed with a linear champion in this instance (Calzaghe) and thus those titles mean nothing. This fight is all about the true super-middleweight title and there is one champion (Calzaghe) and the number one contender (Kessler). We are fortunate to have this much clarity on who the champion is, if only the lightweights were this organized.
With that subject addressed, we seamlessly move on to the fact of how much claim does Mikkel Kessler really have to being a champion? Well if we think in absolutes, then he has none. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is a great fighter and has held belts for some time, but Joe Calzaghe became the linear champion when he battered Jeff Lacy into obscurity. Kessler had yet to become the contender he is today and many still had Markus Beyer along with Jeff Lacy ahead of him. So no matter how many shiny trinkets are attached to Mikkel’s waist, Joe is the champion and he is the challenger. Granted, there is no more worthy challenger than Kessler and Juan Diaz is in the same boat as Kessler is.
Now that Calzaghe has been the linear champion for a little over 18 months, what type of credibility does give his 10 year spread as the WBO’s champion? Well there were a few different title holders during that span, but the only other fighter of note was Sven Ottke. A man that captured the IBF in 1998, only a year after Joe and Ottke went “undefeated” up until his retirement in 2004, without there ever being a realistic hint of a unification bout.
Granted, if I was Joe I wouldn’t have fought Ottke either, at least in Germany. For being the “Pride of Wales” in Germany would’ve garnered nothing but a loss to the “Phantom”. You see Sven was called the Phantom more for the fact that if you beat him mercilessly you still wouldn’t see a win; Ottke got more dubious decisions in his favor than Primo Carnera. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure my harsh stance against sanctioning trinkets seems like the rants of a keyboard warrior. So I will give some credit to Joe and Mikkel and all the other alphabet titlists. Sometimes how a man earns a title shot can be a bit questionable, but you have to win to earn anything in this sport and it does take some skill to get there and stay there like these two men have.
Joe states that Mikkel has never fought a fighter like him and won’t be able to handle his combination of speed and power. Sorry Joe, you don’t have that combination. Wait; listen to me for a second before you decree that I’m simply out of my mind. Calzaghe has some blazing handspeed that’s for sure; however that’s when he slaps. Though Joe does have a bit more accuracy and throws better combos in his fit of rage. He loses his superior quickness when he sits down on his punches. He still beats his man to the punch due to respectable handspeed and throwing his punches straight. Calzaghe can switch things up inside the ring and adjust well, he possess both speed and power but not at the same time. His one truly consistent attribute is accuracy, no matter the intentions on his punches; they seem to find a home.
Mikkel has the prototypical European style; he throws jabs followed by straight rights and a left hook to the body. He is upright, in front of you, and willing to trade. Joe claims to know this and says the Dane won’t touch him. I hate to break it to you Joe, those punches come faster than you expect due to how ramrod straight they are. Sure Mikkel is easily found and in front of you but try to step around his punches and eat of few of those power shots. Librado Andrade did well after blocking all of those punches with his head, but the fact he was still conscious and upright was a bit eerie.
Some say Mikkel is limited, but he is limited to power, combinations, and a burning desire to mix it up. Joe is fast, but timing can beat speed. Mikkel has better technique and more power, but Joe is more gifted. This is a beautiful mixture of styles between two men who have so much to prove, with this being their best opportunity.
A finality is what we will get as a result from this clash. Cotto/Mosley will give us a contender for the winner of Mayweather/Hatton, and the latter will theoretically remove someone’s “0”. But neither fight will give us or the participants as many answers as Calzaghe/Kessler can.
