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Thursday 1st November 2007
Couple of morons in here going 0-2 along with their Calzaghe/Lacy predictions.
This coming Saturday, boxing's current longest-reigning title-holder, WBO super middleweight champion "The Pride of Wales" Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32KOs) from Newbridge, Wales will step in the ring with the most dangerous opponent of his career, WBA/WBC champion "Viking Warrior" Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29KOs) from Copenhagen, Denmark. Close to 60,000 boxing fans, mostly rooting for Calzaghe, are expected to pack the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales to witness a unification bout that has the attention of the entire boxing world.
The story of the fight is Kessler's strength and youth vs. Calzaghe's speed and experience. Calzaghe, in what may be his last fight at 168, is looking to beat the biggest threat to his career before he decides to venture to the world of light heavyweights. Kessler, finally landing the fight he's been trying to get for the last few years, is looking to begin his legacy by unseating one of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and placing the first blemish on an undefeated streak that began in 1993.
The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, predictions and strategies for the big fight.
Michael Katz - Joe Calzaghe is the obvious choice - a huge home-court advantage goes along with faster hands and feet, his southpaw stance and more versatile boxing. Who has Mikkel Kessler beat? Markus Beyer? Liberado Andrade? But like most Americans, I'm not that familiar with these guys so I look at the odds and see Calzaghe is only an 8-5 favorite. Kessler is being bet by someone. I figure that someone must know more than I do, which of course is not that difficult. Therefore, Kessler to win and since I doubt if he'll get a decision unless it's lopsided, I'll pick him by knockout. Maybe around round seven.
Keith Idec - Calzaghe by unanimous decision. Calzaghe ALWAYS fights to the level of his opposition and Kessler is perceived to be the biggest threat to become the first man to beat him since 1993. The huge pro-Calzaghe crowd affected Peter Manfredo Jr., but it shouldn't bother a confident Kessler. If Calzaghe tries to brawl with Kessler, though, he could find himself in a much more vulnerable position than he was when he fought Byron Mitchell.
Tim Smith - Joe Calzaghe is slick, the epitome of a southpaw. I just wonder how his paws will hold up against Mikkel Kessler, who takes a pretty good shot. I still like Calzaghe's speed against Kessler. Calzaghe by decision.
Lem Satterfield - Joe Calzaghe by decision. I believe, even at his age, that he can out-work Mikkel Kessler.
Kieran Mulvaney - Calzaghe is unlike anyone else Kessler has faced: he's unlike anyone else fighting at the top level today. Yeah, he slaps with his punches, but he slaps bleepin' hard. He is fast, he has great footwork. And yet: Jeff Lacy and an aging Chris Eubank aside, there isn't that much on Calzaghe's resume. He's never faced someone who is simultaneously as young, as big, as strong, and as technically accomplished as Kessler. I think it takes the Dane a little while to figure him out, but that he starts timing him and slowing him down with that stiff jab of his. Kessler is more conventional and predictable, but I think he's better. Just.
Kessler by decision.
Jake Donovan - Joe Calzaghe by split decision. Why? Because I'm already on record in Fred Sternburg's list picking Kessler to win in the same manner. I tried flipping a coin, but it keeps landing on its side. Toughest fight of the year to pick. Both fighters bring different elements to the table, but it's what makes them so perfectly matched. I picked Kessler in the other poll in siding with youth. So to maintain my spot on the fence, I'll take Calzaghe here, siding with the house fighter who should manage to steal just enough close through workrate to squeak this one out.
Mitch Abramson - Mikkel Kessler is strong, but he seems a bit robotic, kind of like Jeff Lacy was. That is good news for Joe Calzaghe, who I predict will coast to an easy decision.
Patrick Kehoe - Perhaps, new lights are ready to shine and Jermain Taylor's fate will be a foreshadowing of what awaits Joe Calzaghe against Mikkel Kessler and Shane Mosley against Miguel Cotto. Perhaps, next-gen giants are already among us, ripe with power and purpose. Kessler does, indeed, look strong enough and big enough and intend to do more than enough to pound out an unmerciful win over Calzaghe. But in this matter of dueling undefeated super-middleweights, I choose supreme skill over the consuming fire that is strength fed by speed and daring. I side with the veteran Calzaghe in his need to confirm what began against Jeff Lacy, that Joe Calzaghe remains on a mission to prove his greatness. So far, Calzaghe's had no real equal."
Cliff Rold - Kessler’s age is a factor but so is his concentration. He showed in defeating Anthony Mundine on Mundine’s turf in Australia that he can muster incredible concentration under pressure. He almost pitched a shutout against the athletic Mundine on perhaps Mundine’s best day. Calzaghe will have his moments, and the fight will have its ebb and flow, but Calzaghe’s tendency to drop his head when he throws the overhand right will allow Kessler to eventually begin timing the right hand off his jab.
When that happens, likely sometime at the midway point in the fight, Kessler will begin to break the older man down, frustrating him and emphasizing his slight advantage in size. Kessler by late stoppage, probably around the 11th round, in an event that colors both men in glory.
TK Stewart - Teddy Atlas always says, "Give me a guy that can do more things and I'll give you a guy that will win." In this fight it boils down to the fact that Joe Calzaghe can do more things than Mikkel Kessler. To start with, Calzaghe is a soutpaw, and that always makes the best laid plans go awry. Calzaghe is unbeaten over the past 17 years for a reason and he is very versatile in the ring with the ability to throw lots of punches, fight on the inside or on the outside with equal deftness and he's a very decent puncher in spite of the criticism that he tends to slap with his punches. Granted, Kessler looks very good on paper with his 39-0 record, but this fight will be fought on canvas - not on paper. My feeling is that Kessler is a little too straight up, stiff and one dimensional and that he'll have problems dealing with Calzaghe's foot movement and hand speed.
If there was a picture beside "European boxing style" in the dictionary that picture should be of Mikkel Kessler because he stands up as straight as a pin. In the end, this fight will come down to experience, quality of opposition and versatility. Calzaghe has the advantages in those three areas and I think he'll win a close fight by unanimous decision in front of his hometown fans.
Bob Cannobio/CompuBox - Calzaghe by unanimous decision...home cooking the difference for Joe…
Dave Sholler - This fight is all about output. Joe Calzaghe has quick hands and does a great job of using angles. His southpaw stance is always difficult for opponents to deal with and his work rate is well documented. His opponent, Mikkel Kessler, is a strong fighter with a penchant for effective jabbing. Stylistically speaking, it should be an intriguing bout.
In front of a pro-Calzaghe crowd, it's hard for me to believe that Kessler can eek out a decision. Furthermore, I'm hard pressed to think the Dane can KO Calzaghe. Kessler has a great tool bag to work with, but in the end, I think it's Calzaghe's unorthodox technique that proves to be the biggest hammer. Calzaghe by decision.
Brent Matteo Alderson - As much as I respect Calzaghe's longevity and well-roundedness, I still think his level of competition has been sub-par and feel as though the media over-rated Lacy. If you think about it Lacy struggled with Omar Sheika and except for his bout with Pemberton, wasn't ever really that impressive. He looked the part, with a Evandereque physique and was an ex-Olympian, but his assent to the world title can be attributed to the proliferation of titles. I think Kessler is the goods and I am going to make a significant wager on this bout. I'm not sure why, but I think Kessler is special. Maybe it's because he's consistently sought out the toughest fighters out there. Andrade, Beyer, and Mundine are tough guys and Kessler didn't wait ten years to go after the best fighters in the world. I like Kessler by knockout before seven.
Larry Tornambe - I look for a busy fight from both men. Calzaghe with more punches and Kessler with the power. I think Calzaghe takes it on a unanimous decision.
Troy Ondrizek - Calzaghe will control the tempo and spacing of the fight for the first three rounds with Kessler trying to find his range. As Calzaghe's confidence grows he gets more aggressive and will be looking to put on a show and make a statement that he is indeed superior to his Danish foe. In the fifth round Kessler will storm back due to Calzaghe's overconfidence and will stop him in the 5th or 6th round. Kessler mid-round T(KO).
Ronnie Nathanielsz - I recall how my valued friend Shelly Finkel praised Calzaghe after he whipped Finkel's fighter Jeff Lacy. And Shelly knows his boxing and a champion when he sees one.
Calzaghe may be seven-years older than Kessler but I believe he has too much fight in him to let the age difference become a factor. Besides, he can box and he can fight, depending on what his opponent does. He is also too experienced for Kessler who is likely to go for broke and pay the price. But as long as it lasts it should be a good one.
Paul Gallegos - It should be a good fight, but Calzaghe will work his way a well-deserved unanimous decision.
Joe Harrison - Calzaghe has the experience and exceptional handspeed. On the other hand, age is against him as he takes on a hungry lion in Kessler. Calzaghe will have much more on his plate against Kessler than when he faced names like Lacy, Manfredo, and Bika. This bout's going the distance, but Calzaghe's reign will come to an end. Kessler by unanimous decision.
Jaime Estrada - I really believe that Mikkel Kessler will do to Calzaghe what Kelly Pavlik did to Jermain Taylor.
Alphonso Costello - Despite being 35-years of age Joe Calzaghe’s stamina and boxing skills should overcome Mikkel Kessler’s youth as well as his straight and accurate punches. I could see Calzaghe hitting the canvas, but he should make it to the final bell and win an indisputable decision.
Ernest Gabion - I have Joe Calzaghe winning by unanimous decision.
JC Casarez - Mikkel Kessler by decision. I see this fight going at a fast pace early, as both men will look to establish their positions. Kessler will be at his best when fighting from a distance where he can use his reach and jabs to set up right hands that will pay dividends late against the older Calzaghe. Joe will have his moments when they fight in the clinch where he can use his speed and uppercuts but I expect youth to prevail as Kessler pulls away late with a decision.
Sammy Rozenberg - I think Kessler's time has finally come. Too big and too strong. Kessler by knockout in ten.
Bradley Yeh - I don’t think Kessler can win on points unless he has the kind of power that makes Joe stay away for 12 rounds, and just try to survive. Can that really happen in front of Joe’s home crowd with the pride these guys will bring into the ring? No. And nor should that be required, as all Joe has to do in that case, should Kessler really be able to deliver and absorb at percentages that favor him, is utilize his experience to take away the distance and leverage that Kessler has. Then the game is speed, defense, fitness and experience, and of course boxing.
It’s to beat a good fast southpaw. Game set and match there for Joe I think.
John Hively - Joe Calzaghe by a close decision.
Rick Reeno - I’ve been banging my head against the wall on this fight. Every single day I question my pick. For starters, I’m not exactly sure why the media is making such a big deal about Calzaghe’s age. The man is 35, not 45. Calzaghe has taken very little punishment in his career and upon reviewing several of his fights in the last five-years, he’s barely lost a step. At the same time, I think the experience factor is closer than most people think. Kessler has fought and beaten several tough opponents, he went to the heart of Australia to defeat hometown hero Anthony Mundine in front of a hostile crowd.
Kessler is missing something that Calzaghe has already shown, the heart of a champion. We don’t know if Kessler has the heart to win a long grueling fight. Kessler has not been thoroughly tested and he‘s never had to suck it and come from behind to win. Calzaghe has been hurt in past and knocked down, but showed the heart to rise to his feet and win. Both of these guys are big super middleweights who can take a punch. I also don’t think Kessler has what it takes to outbox Calzaghe if he realizes that he can’t score a knockout. I’m going with my gut and picking Calzaghe to win a decision.
The story of the fight is Kessler's strength and youth vs. Calzaghe's speed and experience. Calzaghe, in what may be his last fight at 168, is looking to beat the biggest threat to his career before he decides to venture to the world of light heavyweights. Kessler, finally landing the fight he's been trying to get for the last few years, is looking to begin his legacy by unseating one of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and placing the first blemish on an undefeated streak that began in 1993.
The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, predictions and strategies for the big fight.
Michael Katz - Joe Calzaghe is the obvious choice - a huge home-court advantage goes along with faster hands and feet, his southpaw stance and more versatile boxing. Who has Mikkel Kessler beat? Markus Beyer? Liberado Andrade? But like most Americans, I'm not that familiar with these guys so I look at the odds and see Calzaghe is only an 8-5 favorite. Kessler is being bet by someone. I figure that someone must know more than I do, which of course is not that difficult. Therefore, Kessler to win and since I doubt if he'll get a decision unless it's lopsided, I'll pick him by knockout. Maybe around round seven.
Keith Idec - Calzaghe by unanimous decision. Calzaghe ALWAYS fights to the level of his opposition and Kessler is perceived to be the biggest threat to become the first man to beat him since 1993. The huge pro-Calzaghe crowd affected Peter Manfredo Jr., but it shouldn't bother a confident Kessler. If Calzaghe tries to brawl with Kessler, though, he could find himself in a much more vulnerable position than he was when he fought Byron Mitchell.
Tim Smith - Joe Calzaghe is slick, the epitome of a southpaw. I just wonder how his paws will hold up against Mikkel Kessler, who takes a pretty good shot. I still like Calzaghe's speed against Kessler. Calzaghe by decision.
Lem Satterfield - Joe Calzaghe by decision. I believe, even at his age, that he can out-work Mikkel Kessler.
Kieran Mulvaney - Calzaghe is unlike anyone else Kessler has faced: he's unlike anyone else fighting at the top level today. Yeah, he slaps with his punches, but he slaps bleepin' hard. He is fast, he has great footwork. And yet: Jeff Lacy and an aging Chris Eubank aside, there isn't that much on Calzaghe's resume. He's never faced someone who is simultaneously as young, as big, as strong, and as technically accomplished as Kessler. I think it takes the Dane a little while to figure him out, but that he starts timing him and slowing him down with that stiff jab of his. Kessler is more conventional and predictable, but I think he's better. Just.
Kessler by decision.
Jake Donovan - Joe Calzaghe by split decision. Why? Because I'm already on record in Fred Sternburg's list picking Kessler to win in the same manner. I tried flipping a coin, but it keeps landing on its side. Toughest fight of the year to pick. Both fighters bring different elements to the table, but it's what makes them so perfectly matched. I picked Kessler in the other poll in siding with youth. So to maintain my spot on the fence, I'll take Calzaghe here, siding with the house fighter who should manage to steal just enough close through workrate to squeak this one out.
Mitch Abramson - Mikkel Kessler is strong, but he seems a bit robotic, kind of like Jeff Lacy was. That is good news for Joe Calzaghe, who I predict will coast to an easy decision.
Patrick Kehoe - Perhaps, new lights are ready to shine and Jermain Taylor's fate will be a foreshadowing of what awaits Joe Calzaghe against Mikkel Kessler and Shane Mosley against Miguel Cotto. Perhaps, next-gen giants are already among us, ripe with power and purpose. Kessler does, indeed, look strong enough and big enough and intend to do more than enough to pound out an unmerciful win over Calzaghe. But in this matter of dueling undefeated super-middleweights, I choose supreme skill over the consuming fire that is strength fed by speed and daring. I side with the veteran Calzaghe in his need to confirm what began against Jeff Lacy, that Joe Calzaghe remains on a mission to prove his greatness. So far, Calzaghe's had no real equal."
Cliff Rold - Kessler’s age is a factor but so is his concentration. He showed in defeating Anthony Mundine on Mundine’s turf in Australia that he can muster incredible concentration under pressure. He almost pitched a shutout against the athletic Mundine on perhaps Mundine’s best day. Calzaghe will have his moments, and the fight will have its ebb and flow, but Calzaghe’s tendency to drop his head when he throws the overhand right will allow Kessler to eventually begin timing the right hand off his jab.
When that happens, likely sometime at the midway point in the fight, Kessler will begin to break the older man down, frustrating him and emphasizing his slight advantage in size. Kessler by late stoppage, probably around the 11th round, in an event that colors both men in glory.
TK Stewart - Teddy Atlas always says, "Give me a guy that can do more things and I'll give you a guy that will win." In this fight it boils down to the fact that Joe Calzaghe can do more things than Mikkel Kessler. To start with, Calzaghe is a soutpaw, and that always makes the best laid plans go awry. Calzaghe is unbeaten over the past 17 years for a reason and he is very versatile in the ring with the ability to throw lots of punches, fight on the inside or on the outside with equal deftness and he's a very decent puncher in spite of the criticism that he tends to slap with his punches. Granted, Kessler looks very good on paper with his 39-0 record, but this fight will be fought on canvas - not on paper. My feeling is that Kessler is a little too straight up, stiff and one dimensional and that he'll have problems dealing with Calzaghe's foot movement and hand speed.
If there was a picture beside "European boxing style" in the dictionary that picture should be of Mikkel Kessler because he stands up as straight as a pin. In the end, this fight will come down to experience, quality of opposition and versatility. Calzaghe has the advantages in those three areas and I think he'll win a close fight by unanimous decision in front of his hometown fans.
Bob Cannobio/CompuBox - Calzaghe by unanimous decision...home cooking the difference for Joe…
Dave Sholler - This fight is all about output. Joe Calzaghe has quick hands and does a great job of using angles. His southpaw stance is always difficult for opponents to deal with and his work rate is well documented. His opponent, Mikkel Kessler, is a strong fighter with a penchant for effective jabbing. Stylistically speaking, it should be an intriguing bout.
In front of a pro-Calzaghe crowd, it's hard for me to believe that Kessler can eek out a decision. Furthermore, I'm hard pressed to think the Dane can KO Calzaghe. Kessler has a great tool bag to work with, but in the end, I think it's Calzaghe's unorthodox technique that proves to be the biggest hammer. Calzaghe by decision.
Brent Matteo Alderson - As much as I respect Calzaghe's longevity and well-roundedness, I still think his level of competition has been sub-par and feel as though the media over-rated Lacy. If you think about it Lacy struggled with Omar Sheika and except for his bout with Pemberton, wasn't ever really that impressive. He looked the part, with a Evandereque physique and was an ex-Olympian, but his assent to the world title can be attributed to the proliferation of titles. I think Kessler is the goods and I am going to make a significant wager on this bout. I'm not sure why, but I think Kessler is special. Maybe it's because he's consistently sought out the toughest fighters out there. Andrade, Beyer, and Mundine are tough guys and Kessler didn't wait ten years to go after the best fighters in the world. I like Kessler by knockout before seven.
Larry Tornambe - I look for a busy fight from both men. Calzaghe with more punches and Kessler with the power. I think Calzaghe takes it on a unanimous decision.
Troy Ondrizek - Calzaghe will control the tempo and spacing of the fight for the first three rounds with Kessler trying to find his range. As Calzaghe's confidence grows he gets more aggressive and will be looking to put on a show and make a statement that he is indeed superior to his Danish foe. In the fifth round Kessler will storm back due to Calzaghe's overconfidence and will stop him in the 5th or 6th round. Kessler mid-round T(KO).
Ronnie Nathanielsz - I recall how my valued friend Shelly Finkel praised Calzaghe after he whipped Finkel's fighter Jeff Lacy. And Shelly knows his boxing and a champion when he sees one.
Calzaghe may be seven-years older than Kessler but I believe he has too much fight in him to let the age difference become a factor. Besides, he can box and he can fight, depending on what his opponent does. He is also too experienced for Kessler who is likely to go for broke and pay the price. But as long as it lasts it should be a good one.
Paul Gallegos - It should be a good fight, but Calzaghe will work his way a well-deserved unanimous decision.
Joe Harrison - Calzaghe has the experience and exceptional handspeed. On the other hand, age is against him as he takes on a hungry lion in Kessler. Calzaghe will have much more on his plate against Kessler than when he faced names like Lacy, Manfredo, and Bika. This bout's going the distance, but Calzaghe's reign will come to an end. Kessler by unanimous decision.
Jaime Estrada - I really believe that Mikkel Kessler will do to Calzaghe what Kelly Pavlik did to Jermain Taylor.
Alphonso Costello - Despite being 35-years of age Joe Calzaghe’s stamina and boxing skills should overcome Mikkel Kessler’s youth as well as his straight and accurate punches. I could see Calzaghe hitting the canvas, but he should make it to the final bell and win an indisputable decision.
Ernest Gabion - I have Joe Calzaghe winning by unanimous decision.
JC Casarez - Mikkel Kessler by decision. I see this fight going at a fast pace early, as both men will look to establish their positions. Kessler will be at his best when fighting from a distance where he can use his reach and jabs to set up right hands that will pay dividends late against the older Calzaghe. Joe will have his moments when they fight in the clinch where he can use his speed and uppercuts but I expect youth to prevail as Kessler pulls away late with a decision.
Sammy Rozenberg - I think Kessler's time has finally come. Too big and too strong. Kessler by knockout in ten.
Bradley Yeh - I don’t think Kessler can win on points unless he has the kind of power that makes Joe stay away for 12 rounds, and just try to survive. Can that really happen in front of Joe’s home crowd with the pride these guys will bring into the ring? No. And nor should that be required, as all Joe has to do in that case, should Kessler really be able to deliver and absorb at percentages that favor him, is utilize his experience to take away the distance and leverage that Kessler has. Then the game is speed, defense, fitness and experience, and of course boxing.
It’s to beat a good fast southpaw. Game set and match there for Joe I think.
John Hively - Joe Calzaghe by a close decision.
Rick Reeno - I’ve been banging my head against the wall on this fight. Every single day I question my pick. For starters, I’m not exactly sure why the media is making such a big deal about Calzaghe’s age. The man is 35, not 45. Calzaghe has taken very little punishment in his career and upon reviewing several of his fights in the last five-years, he’s barely lost a step. At the same time, I think the experience factor is closer than most people think. Kessler has fought and beaten several tough opponents, he went to the heart of Australia to defeat hometown hero Anthony Mundine in front of a hostile crowd.
Kessler is missing something that Calzaghe has already shown, the heart of a champion. We don’t know if Kessler has the heart to win a long grueling fight. Kessler has not been thoroughly tested and he‘s never had to suck it and come from behind to win. Calzaghe has been hurt in past and knocked down, but showed the heart to rise to his feet and win. Both of these guys are big super middleweights who can take a punch. I also don’t think Kessler has what it takes to outbox Calzaghe if he realizes that he can’t score a knockout. I’m going with my gut and picking Calzaghe to win a decision.
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