Tweet
It all depends on how much Kessler has learned from the Calzaghe fight. In that bout he bolted from the traps (delivering some of the sweetest uppercuts I've seen for a while) and then fell apart when Joe switched tactics and went to the body after round four*.
That's the difference between opponents inside and outside the top ten in any division. The former almost always have a plan B (or, in Joe's case, a plan C, D, E ... etc) to switch to when things are going **** up - and you MUST be ready with your own counter strategy.
Kessler wasn't. He just carried on plugging away with what gave him success in the early rounds and Joe carved him up like a Sunday joint.
Dawson isn't the chameleonic fighter that Calzaghe is, but he can mix things up (especially with his footwork) when plan A isn't bringing him success.
Kessler isn't a natural fighter. I don't mean that in an utterly negative sense because few (including many champions) are. Natural fighters have that fluidity of motion (like Mayweather, Leonard, Whittaker, Jones, Ali & Nunn) which allows them to adopt and master myriad fighting styles without seemingly any difficulty**. Kessler is purely manufactured and thus finds it hard enough to hold down one technique. But if he wants to move to that next level he’s going to have to mix things up. I’m not saying he needs to adopt a totally different fighting style when he begins to struggle. That’s beyond him. It’s more an issue of subtleties: small adjustments in footwork and angles; break up the pace; rely less on the right cross; look for opportunities to close the space and hunt the body (thus opening up opportunities to deliver that lethal uppercut).
With that extra bit of adaptability Kessler will be a tough nut for anyone within a natural weight class – including Hopkins and Dawson. The latter has to be worried about those heavy hands that drummed a tattoo on the face of Andrade. If Dawson does have a dubious chin, Kessler will test it.
* I know Kessler had hand problems in the run up to this fight, but I’m not sure what impact they had on his performance.
** When I say “natural fighter” I don’t necessarily mean “great”. There are plenty of what I call natural fighters that are/were anything but. Herol Graham was one of the finest natural fighters I’ve seen, capable of performing feats bordering upon the magical. Unfortunately he was cursed with the chin of a domino.
That's the difference between opponents inside and outside the top ten in any division. The former almost always have a plan B (or, in Joe's case, a plan C, D, E ... etc) to switch to when things are going **** up - and you MUST be ready with your own counter strategy.
Kessler wasn't. He just carried on plugging away with what gave him success in the early rounds and Joe carved him up like a Sunday joint.
Dawson isn't the chameleonic fighter that Calzaghe is, but he can mix things up (especially with his footwork) when plan A isn't bringing him success.
Kessler isn't a natural fighter. I don't mean that in an utterly negative sense because few (including many champions) are. Natural fighters have that fluidity of motion (like Mayweather, Leonard, Whittaker, Jones, Ali & Nunn) which allows them to adopt and master myriad fighting styles without seemingly any difficulty**. Kessler is purely manufactured and thus finds it hard enough to hold down one technique. But if he wants to move to that next level he’s going to have to mix things up. I’m not saying he needs to adopt a totally different fighting style when he begins to struggle. That’s beyond him. It’s more an issue of subtleties: small adjustments in footwork and angles; break up the pace; rely less on the right cross; look for opportunities to close the space and hunt the body (thus opening up opportunities to deliver that lethal uppercut).
With that extra bit of adaptability Kessler will be a tough nut for anyone within a natural weight class – including Hopkins and Dawson. The latter has to be worried about those heavy hands that drummed a tattoo on the face of Andrade. If Dawson does have a dubious chin, Kessler will test it.
* I know Kessler had hand problems in the run up to this fight, but I’m not sure what impact they had on his performance.
** When I say “natural fighter” I don’t necessarily mean “great”. There are plenty of what I call natural fighters that are/were anything but. Herol Graham was one of the finest natural fighters I’ve seen, capable of performing feats bordering upon the magical. Unfortunately he was cursed with the chin of a domino.
Comment