Ward: “He’s [Kessler] a typical European fighter” – Boxing News
November 1st, 2009
By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten American Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KO’s) fired off some salvos on last night’s Showtime bout, saying this about the 30-year-old Mikkel Kessler: “Right now, Mikkel Kessler is the man, but he’s a typical European fighter with a little flair. He has a little more special effects than most European fighters.” I have to say that I totally agree with Ward.
It’s been one of the worst divisions in boxing up until the talented Americans Andre Dirrell and Ward burst on the scene. At the same time that Dirrell and Ward emerged, Joe Calzaghe, Kessler’s conqueror, decided it was time to fold up the tent and retire from boxing. Strange timing, I must say, but I guess Calzaghe decided he had enough of boxing and didn’t want to stick around and risk his unbeaten record against the young lions like Dirrell and Ward. Without Calzaghe around, Kessler has suddenly found himself seen as the number #1 fighter in the super middleweight division.
It’s hard to see why though, because Kessler hasn’t beaten anyone that I consider to be talented. However, Kessler feels different about it, remarking “He [Ward] hasn’t fought the best in the world; I have.” Yeah, right, Kessler. You beat Librado Andrade, Anthony Mundine, Markus Beyer and Eric Lucas, so we’re supposed to consider you as having fought the best in the world?
Man, I don’t see any of those guys lasting 12 rounds with Dirrell and Ward. I see those as easy fights for both Ward and Dirrell. It just shows you how weak the super middleweight division is if that’s Kessler’s best wins of his 11 year pro career. Kessler is in the last 1/3 of his pro boxing career and doesn’t have much more time left before he’s forced to call it a day. It’s too bad that he’s facing the talented Ward at this point in his career rather than earlier on because Kessler has slowed down in the past couple of years and doesn’t look like the same fighter he was in 2006.
“This tournament [the Super Six tourney] is a dream come true for me,” Kessler says. I know it’s a dream, but it’s about to become your nightmare, Kessler, because you’re facing a much better fighter in Ward than you ever have faced in your entire career. Ward would have mopped the deck with Calzaghe in 2007, back when Kessler was younger and more able bodied. Now, Kessler will be facing a fighter that is superior in every facet of his game – offense, defense, speed and youth.
Kessler appears in denial about Ward’s superior talent, commenting “He’s a typical American fighter. I know how they fight. I know how they move their head. I am a faster fighter. I have fast hands. I know just what to do.” First of all, Kessler, you’re not the faster fighter, Ward is, okay? Second of all, you won’t know how Ward moves his head because he is completely unpredictable. No one can guess what Ward will do with his head because he moves constantly and doesn’t have a set pattern of fighting.
Ward: “I feel like to a degree I’m being overlooked. Beating Mikkel Kessler will definitely be sending a message that Ward is a serious player in the Super Six tournament.” I absolutely agree with you, Mr. Ward. The deluded boxing fans are overlooking you, but they’ll find out on November 21st just how wrong they were when you school Kessler and make him look like an old man in the process of giving him a beating of his life.
Tags: 37 Responses to “Ward: “He’s [Kessler] a typical European fighter” – Boxing News”
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This has to be the most idiotic and unprofesional sports article i have ever read.
This is the last time i will be visiting this site when i need some serius pre-fight information.
This aint objective in anyway, this is straight forward propagandistic.
Which serius editor would allow such a tool as Scott Gilfoid to comment on anything. Let alone write articles.
Shame on you !
i read the comment regarding ward bein able to wax the floor with calzage———–have you lost your mind. Ward would have to be able to beat bernard hopkins and roy jopes jr today===before u give him a chance against calzage who in my opinion would had got his azz handed to him if he fought roy jones jr or b-hop in there primes=========in their primes they were made of gold——-roy jones owned boxing for 10 years————–marque fighter== roy and bernard beat people up == they did not pitter padder, run around the ring- have their records padded——-they just waisted you– you really thing ward is all that—- then u dont know boxing—————good luck
Fight fans, this super 6 is all about styles. You will pick the fighter of choice based on what style you like——-when it all comes down to it———it will be pure talent that takes charge—–we will not know that for a couple more fights. regarding taylor- he is done. Ward is untested and has fought no talent- his record was padded from get. Ward fans dont get ur feelings hurt, but truth is truth. Dirrel is a cry baby, but has the talent to hurt you. dirrel has speed and can place his shots well– ok, he holds- will they all hold at times, some more than most. If ur all that, then holds dont mean crap- u know how to fight around and trough it. example being- ricky hatton. that guy was the king of holding- nobody said crap about it- mayweather had all the answers for those who like to hold– guess what, no holding because he was to good to allow you to do so. back to the super 6—all around solid fighter is going to be kessler- has fought the best- has the best wins- hits hard, has good speed- he mayber mechanical, but he knows how to cut down the ring for all the speed fighters== my favorite to win is dirrel——-so lets get it on
Let the best man win…
Kessler is not your “typical” euro fighter-he has very good all-round boxing skills.He pushed a peak Calzaghe to the limit and if you asked Joe who he fancied before the tourney,I bet he’d say the Dane!Anyway,yet another one of your typical offerings.
Scott, I like Ward. But outside of speed, what has been all that impressive about Dirrell???
Oh yeah, there’s loads of American fighters i really like but Scott Gilford is slowly turning me against all of them. i.e Andre Ward, i really like this guy but i’m gagging for him to lose just to pi*s Scott off. Well done Scott, What a muppet.
Typical basic Euro fighters 2 Yanks 0. That’s all that needs to be said. I can’t wait for Scotts excuses when Kessler Ko’s Ward.
kessler will beat ward as ward isnt strong fast or technically brilliant he was a brilliant amateur a poor proffesional
kessler was a good amateur an elite pro closing calzaghe down and smashing him unfortunatly kessler didnt possese the ability to counter his speed and in out style ward will jump in and be hammerd all night and end with a tko
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
And, a knock out on either side is very unlikely. Andre Ward doesn’t have alot of power in my opinion. But Kessler was not able to put away Andrade who he seemed to be able to hit at will. So I don’t see how he would be able to knockout Ward, a guy with much better fundamentals and defense. This fight will be somewhat of a chess match.
Kessler will have no answer for Ward’s leaping left hook. Its called pot shotting. On top of that, Ward won’t even throw the lead left hook if Kessler doesnt ever lean to his own right before throwing a punch. Ward by UD.
Too old, too slow, typical Euro fighter, a throw-back to the 60’s?
Isn’t this exactly the same thing you wrote about Froch…
When will you do the honourable thing and stop writing just like you promised?
typical European boxer. what’s the super six score?
oh yea
EUROPE 2
USA 0
andrade was robbed against bute. Calling him the best of the division is laughable at best.
As for ward, let’s see if he lives up to the hype. I would guess not. I think if he jumps in trying to throw left hooks like he has in the past he won’t get through the fight. Kessler will flatten him.
What a rubbish. How can you say that Andrade wouldn’t last 12 rounds with Dirrell? It must be something wrong with your head.
I agree somewhat that SMW was the weakest division in boxing while CALZAGHE was around. Thats why he stayed there.
Ward will win on Nov.21.
jamie-after Kessler finishes Ward I hope you see just how smart your comment is.
ward wud have mopped the floor with Calzaghe… give your head a wobble you fool
Scott- If JC were in his prime and while I’m doing the what ifs I may as well say and didn’t have the bad hands I’d gladly take all of your money. He would beat all six of these fighters and barely break a sweat. The super middleweight division didn’t fill-up until Joe moved on, or hadn’t you noticed. There is a reason that a lot of fighters went from middleweight to lightheavy an didn’t stop at super middleweight. Joe wasn’t from the states and he wasn’t black but he was a Great fighter.When he was in the ring he always came to fight.
i just know i will be sitting in section A for this fight on 11/21 enjoying it!
SMW is the worst division? Are you on crack?
SMW is the worst division? Are you on crack? It hasn’t been a bad division for almost a decade!!! The current talent, even without your “American saviors”, would still be the envy of almost every other division!!! Don’t write about boxing if you don’t know anything about it!
This is PR disguised as journalism.I am hard pressed to think of a better example of unprofessionalism than this garbage.This is nothing more than an attempt to suck the $%*hole`s of Ward,Dirrell,Goosen-Tutor,and GSP.
That is the biggest load of crap I have ever read, Scott Gilfoid should be shot! What a load of bollocks, go get another job as you know nothing about boxing, idiot.
Your forget Lucian Bute. The IBF world champion. He is now the best supermiddleweight in the world. I like Andre Ward. he is a great fighter. I hope he will be able to beat Kessler.
Without Direll and Ward there are no talent:
- Kessler
- Bute
- Andrade
- Froch
- Green
- Abraham
- Miranda
- Balszay
- Sartison
- Taylor
No talent? really?
There are so many “typical” european fighters with a belt out there and if you add the world amateur champions and the olympic champions as well………..damn these Typical Euros dominate boxing lol
When Mikkel will beat the blackie then blackies will cry again lol!
what one of those typical European fighters with a world championship belt?
1 DIRRELL WILL BE LIKE ALI AGAINST FROCH
2 DIRRELL WILL PROBABLY KO FROCH
3 FROCH WILL BE HURT AND HIS CAREER FINISHED
ALL WRONG GILFOID.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED WRITE THESE ARTICLES FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT A BIT OF INSIGHT, BUT YOUR WRITING A LOAD OF RUBBISH. YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SORRY TO THE PEOPLE WHO READ ON THIS SIGHT FOR TELLING THEM LIES
ONE ARTICLE IS AN OPINION, TWENTY ARTICLES AND GETTING IT SO WRONG IS UNPROFESSIONAL.
Ward has pointed out what everybody already knows, if he says hes guna outshine him then hes saying what alot of people before him have said and failed to do.
Ward aint no Calzaghe. Wards gettin beaten here big time.
PEOPLE WONT BELIEVE THE THINGS YOU WRITE GILFOID BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS GET IT WRONG.
Wait, you say Kessler hasn’t fought talent – what talent has Ward and Dirrell fought? The biggest name either of them fought was Carl Froch, and Dirrell had to resort to running and holding to squeeze through that one.
Hey wait a minute “steve” calling young people bad writers is not good! I am 13 and I write decent articles for this site.
all yanks are just mouth and there is nothing better than watching them eat there words!