Did Kessler really impress anyone on Saturday?

he looked ok he will beat ward imo

I wouldn't put much stock in Kessler's performance considering the man hadn't stepped in the ring since last October and was clearly rusty fighting against an awkward opponent. I think more should be said of Ward going three rounds with a fighter who was blown out by John Duddy inside of three minutes. Ward was hitting this guy with everything but the kitchen sink and couldn't stop him outright. Not only that, but seemingly the only time Pudwill attempted to mount an attack, he was able to slip Ward's jab and counter him.

true. i also think ward is going to stay in the southpaw stance more than he usually does because i think kessler has trouble with southpaws (i.e calzaghe) and now this guy..is it a coincidence? kessler is good in almost every department he does nothing great but everything decent..slick boxers are a nightmare for his style Markus Beyer was also a southpaws and look that happen to him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjdK3A14KGo

It was a tuneup. He was supposed to get a dominant KO and he did. Can't ask much more than that against an unknown mando after a longass layoff.

OK, man. Got no space to sig it, this is my confirmation. :boxing: Cool. I'll put it in my bets-thread. Good luck.

I've always had a hunch for Ward to win the tournament outright. I think he's gonna be too slick for Kessler, his foot and upper body movement is gonna be difficult for Kessler to handle. The fact that he's on home turf should also mean he doesn't show any tentativeness. Plus, Kessler isn't coming into the tournament with solid momentum, all the inactivity might be deadly at his age. I'm surprised Ward didn't go southpaw against Pudwill, I fully expect him to do that in the Kessler fight. Maybe he was preserving it. I'm still not fully confident in Ward's chin but it stood up well against Miranda. I got 100k on Ward. Anyone wanna take that up with me?:boxing: I'll take that 100K keyser.

If you made a new thread today with that title you would get way fewer on board. I won't make a new one. I'm not Larrysmith...... But I'm gonna bump the old one just for you!

I don't think Mikkel's so proactive at sussing out awkward guys, he kinda changes but not to any great deal. Perdomo was a rangey lefty which was clearly causing problems for him, he couldn't do what he wanted. He obviously didn't plan well enough or adapt well enough in fight. I never really for a second thought he was going to lose though, so there is that. I wasn't impressed with him saying he was surprised by Perdomo coming out agressive as he normally doesn't do that, and he looked stunned in the breaks. This is pro boxing Mikkel, revel in it, and take on the battle and be pleased by it, as a viking warrior would be. I still got him winning the tourney but he needs to be better prepared for the style match ups ahead of him.

Who will win Kessler or Ward? I'm still backing Kessler all the way. It's'just that Ward has a better chance than before. The thing is, if he didn't shake off all the rust, he may find himself in a hole he cannot get out of against Ward.

More and more are starting to shift I see. You really should join the bandwaggon as it's taking off! :lol1: http://www.boxingscene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=305053

that punch in the 3rd that KD Perdomo, from youtube looked like it hit him on the shoulder, the commontary was in danish so i couldnt tell what they thought - did he slip or what was the story there? It was a a punch that bounced of the shoulder and glanced the top of the head. It was not a 'real' KD as he was off balance and the force of the punch on the shoulder tipped him over, but technically he was down and as such it's a KD and a 10-8 round.

Judging from ringside (well almost) I think Perdomo surprised Kessler by coming out 100MPH. I think that Kessler had expected a slower, less aggresive start, but it was obvious to me that Perdomo had come to win and he was looking to stamp his authority from the get-go. Perdomo landed very well with hooks to the body and showed some very good movement that prevented Kessler from controlling the fight with his jab as is his costum. So let's face it. Kessler looked rusty and I was slightly worried after the first 2 rounds. Kessler then impressed me by changing tactics and putting the pressure on Perdomo who had used a lot of energy in those first 2 rounds. It was obvious that Kessler then had the key to the win and he began landing that big right. And that power looked more deadly than I can remember and the delivery is quicker than a snakebite. So all in all he looked a bit sluggish/rusty which is what is to be expected, but when he stepped that half a step closer thereby finding the key he looked quick, swift and lethal. that punch in the 3rd that KD Perdomo, from youtube looked like it hit him on the shoulder, the commontary was in danish so i couldnt tell what they thought - did he slip or what was the story there?

Who will win Kessler or Ward?

Judging from ringside (well almost) I think Perdomo surprised Kessler by coming out 100MPH. I think that Kessler had expected a slower, less aggresive start, but it was obvious to me that Perdomo had come to win and he was looking to stamp his authority from the get-go. Perdomo landed very well with hooks to the body and showed some very good movement that prevented Kessler from controlling the fight with his jab as is his costum. So let's face it. Kessler looked rusty and I was slightly worried after the first 2 rounds. Kessler then impressed me by changing tactics and putting the pressure on Perdomo who had used a lot of energy in those first 2 rounds. It was obvious that Kessler then had the key to the win and he began landing that big right. And that power looked more deadly than I can remember and the delivery is quicker than a snakebite. So all in all he looked a bit sluggish/rusty which is what is to be expected, but when he stepped that half a step closer thereby finding the key he looked quick, swift and lethal.

I agree. Ward is going to be a very tough matchup for Kessler. One that he may very well lose. It's just alarming how much slower his feet were. I've been thinking the fight over now, and unless it was due to the inactivity, his speed will cost him. I think it's a much more level playing field now.

Kessler appeared to have ring rust in the first two rounds, but looked good in rounds three and four. He did seem a bit older and slower in his footwork than he was against Andrade. Fighting the young, hungry Ward in his hometown isn't going to be easy. If he were fighting Taylor in Denmark first, I would be 100% confident that Kessler would win. I agree. Ward is going to be a very tough matchup for Kessler. One that he may very well lose.

Kesslers very vulnerable to straight punches. Look at the Calzaghe fight, and Perdomo. Perdomo was getting some decent shots in, although he's not that great of a fighter, he still was doing decent. I was personally surprised at how competitive the fight was in the first and second round. I was like "who's this Perdomo guy, he doesn't look bad." The reality set in and I realized "Okay this guy sucks, it's only a matter of time." But Kessler didn't show me anything I didn't know, in fact this fight might have raised more questions than anything. Yes, I know he easily won in 4 rounds, but he didn't impress me.

I'm a Kessler fan, and wasn't impressed; but then again, I wasn't expecting much. He was rusty and his timing was off, but got better as the fight went on. I'm disappointed in the fact he didn't go more rounds. I would've liked to see how he would've looked in the 6th or 7th rounds.

I agree. There were times early where Kessler looked easy to hit as well. That's not encouraging when you consider he's going up against Ward, a very skilled and accurate puncher. Kesslers very vulnerable to straight punches. Look at the Calzaghe fight, and Perdomo. Perdomo was getting some decent shots in, although he's not that great of a fighter, he still was doing decent.

I like Kessler, and i thought the tourny was gonna be between him and AA, but I thought he looked like pure shit. I watched it about an hour ago was very disappointed in his performance. Hopefully it was just a case of ring rust, and he did look better once he upped the tempo a bit, but he floored the guy by hitting him on the shoulder in the 3rd (well thats what it looked like on youtube), and for the stoppage it was Calzaghe Manfredo in disguise. He only hit him once (after he stunned him with a good right), from 3 inches with his left and the rest of the punches missed or were blocked. Maybe i'm being too critical, but i hold Kessler to a higher standard than saturday's performance. His opponent was pretty shit. And he struggled to hit him. I agree. There were times early where Kessler looked easy to hit as well. That's not encouraging when you consider he's going up against Ward, a very skilled and accurate puncher.