Kessler vs. Ward: The Moral Finale

October 21st, 2009

By Nikolaj Ovesen: According to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Ricard Olsen who has been Kesslers trainer through most of his career, calls the fight against Andre Ward, the moral finale of the tournament.

He was ringside at the super six premiers at Berlin and gave his thoughts on the Abraham/Taylor and Froch/Dirrell fights.

“Abraham box like a beginner, and Taylor can apparently no longer take a punch” He [Richard Olsen] said about the first fight. He wasn’t exactly impressed by the technical level in the Froch/Dirrell fight either, and has openly stated that he thinks the hardest fight in the tournament for Mikkel Kessler will be the first fight against Andre Ward.

Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler are without a doubt ahead of the other contestants when it comes to technique, followed by Jermain Taylor. Abraham and Froch doesn’t really rely that much on technique, but rather good defense (in Abraham’s case) and brute strength. Dirrell obviously has the potential to be a good technician, but from what we saw in his fight against Froch, he’s still too inexperienced to compete with Kessler and Ward on a technical level. That being said, I still look very much forward to his fight against Ward.

Look for November 21st to be a great day of boxing. Look for it to be a day where, arguably, two of today’s best technicians, and the two favorites (According to Ricard Olsen) to win the Super Six Tournament, goes toe to toe and delivers a great fight. It’s not something anyone should miss.