Kessler-Froch: Can Carl overpower Mikkel?
March 7th, 2010
By William Mackay: If you look at some of WBC Carl Froch’s recent fights, he comes across like a rough piece of machinery that has rusted and is badly in need of oil and retooling. Froch doesn’t make anything look easy, as he tends to absorb a great deal of punishment when facing good opposition and looks slow and very hittable at all times. He faces Mikkel Kessler on April 24th, in Herning, Denmark, in a stage 2 Super Six tourney fight.
In a pure boxing match, Kessler would seem to have more than enough skills to get by the slower, more basic Froch. However, Froch will be looking to take Kessler’s head off with every shot and be trying wear him down with heavy pressure. If Kessler makes the mistake of staying in one place all night, then Froch might be able to simply overpower Kessler with his heavy hands and nonstop pressure.
But Kessler rarely fights like this. In his loss to Ward, Kessler had difficulties with the blazing hand speed of Ward. That was a problem that Kessler seemed not ready for. He just never could defend the fast and powerful punches from Ward, and ended up getting cut up over both eyes. As the fight progressed into the 2nd half of the bout, Kessler had to turn on the pressure and attack Ward after falling way behind during the first six rounds.
This was a style of fighting that wasn’t suited for Kessler, and he only succeeded in taking even more punishment in rounds seven through ten. Kessler will have to stay out of the way of Froch’s big shots if he wants to avoid getting beaten up like he was against Ward. The trick is to stay moving, make sure he uses his jab and to avoid getting caught up in Froch’s brawling. He wants his opponents to go to war with him because this is how Froch wins his fights. Unless this is a style of fighting that you’re suited to, it’s best to stay focused and not let Froch get you out of your game.
Kessler has to remain smart, and realize that he has the much better boxing skills and doesn’t need to reduce himself to slugging it out with the slow moving Froch. For Kessler to do this, he would basically be giving up all his own advantages in hand speed and giving it to Froch on a silver platter. Froch is going to try and run him down like a truck, but Kessler has to step away from him and keep firing jabs and hard combinations.
Tags: 17 Responses to “Kessler-Froch: Can Carl overpower Mikkel?”
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hey lee cooooo, carl cleaned up the domestic scene back home the next best fight for froch was calzaghe it could have filled a football stadium but calzaghe refused to man up and fight froch. robin reid took joe to a split decision, froch stopped him in 5 rounds. joe prefered to fight chumps like sheika, manfredo and vastly overated lacy and grandpa,s like bhop and jones who he should have fot years earlier not to mention chad dawson glen jonstone jean pascal.was it a crime for froch to continually call out joe which fell on deaf ears.joe ducked carl froch big time for all to see no excuses.
I don’t mind froch ,he’s a bit static at times but has heavy hands .
I wish he would box more and move his head a bit more ,he’s 31 and should consider his future health , he’s getting to old for “tear ups”.
Kessler surprised me in the ward fight as i expected more from him but then i didn’t really know much about ward .
Froch will be a better target for Kessler so froch will have to be a bit more mobile .
Froch for the win .
golden boxer, no one in the UK says jackass.
Kessler may win, but i go for Froch. Name a fighter who has fought a better last 3 than Pascal , Taylor and Carl Lewis Dirrell ?
Very good article William, it is more than likely going to go to the judges scorecards. Kessler has enough experience to avoid getting into a “war” with Froch, which will nearly always result in Froch’s favour.
The most interesting aspect is ca Kessler bounce back, Froch will be putting him under substantial pressure as he always does. Pascal held his own but could’t hurt Froch, Taylor went all out in the first half leaving him a sitting duck for a KO and Dirrell decided that avoiding anything that Froch threw and maintaining a couple of yards distace at all times would get him the title which it clearly didn’t. Kessler will have a great chance if he boxes aswell as we know he can and avoids trading, but can he maintain this for 12 rounds as Froch will come into the match as every round passes making him extremley dangerous when you are tiring and have thown a lot.
Either Kessler on points, or Froch to get a late stoppage for me!
Someone said war,I think that is the best way to describe this one. That is the problem for Kessler, the only people that give Froch too much to think about are those with quick movement, Kessler isnt one of those. Kessler does not have the speed of Dirrell or Ward so I think these two will be trading blows in the middle of the ring for most of the fight. If that is the case, I think it’s going to be tough for Kessler. Froch is at his prime and Kessler has been somewhat wavering over the last few fights.
Kessler was a great fighter and still has something to offer but those cuts from the Ward fight could be dangerous going up against Froch. We all saw the state of Jermain Taylor’s face after that brawl, and if those cuts open up again then Kessler could really struggle. Good luck to Mikkel, he has been an awesome fighter but certainly this is a fight that you really do not want after losing so conclusively to Ward.
Taylor picked himself up off the floor in defeat to Froch, only to run into the machine that is Abraham. I think I can see a similar situation here, bad time for Kessler to be taking on Froch. This is perhaps the perfect time for Froch to take on the former world champ.
I see it Froch by stoppage, but I think anyone could have a claim for any result come fight night. Good article.
KESSLER IS OVERRATED BIG TIME , CARL IS TO A LITTLE BIT BUT HE HAS A LITTLE MORE THAN KESSLER , FROCK BY KO!
FROCH HAS GREAT FITNESS THATS WHY HE DOES WELL IN THE SECOND HALF OF A FIGHT. OTHER THAN THAT HE IS NOT A VERY GOOD BOXER. HIS STYLE IS GUNG-HO WHICH ALOT OF PEOPLE LIKE BUT THE FACT THAT HE IS A COMPLETE TW*T IS WHY IS FAN BASE IS RUBBISH. I THINK THE MOMENT FROCH BEGAN TO SLAG CALZAGHE OFF WHILE JOE WAS FILLIN STADIUMS WAS HIS DOWNFALL.
THE KESSLER THAT FOUGHT CALZAGHE WOULD OF WHUPPED FROCH NO DOUBT BUT NOW IM NOT SURE. THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT AS CLOSE TO WHAT I BELIEVE WILL HAPPEN IN THE FIGHT COMING UP.
watching kessler against ward was sad to see im a big kessler fan but he was not himself in that fight but by no means is he shot he is a great world champion and froch is just the kind of guy that kessler can pick off all night long with froch’s low slow hands its do or die for kessler he has to win thsts why i have him winning by big Knockout..
i really dont knowq which way this one will go, i kinda leaning towards kessler altho would rather see froch win as im a englishman, if you judge it on kesslers last fight then id say froch, kessler looked sacred of dirrel and could not do anything on the inside. froch ent the besty on the inside but thats how you beat kessler and thats what he needs to do, rough him up close quarters.
This should be a good fight and both have the power to KO each other, Kessler tierd against Calzaghe so he could do the same here if the fight is fought at a fast pace.
Kessler hasnt looked good in his last two fights but Froch looked poor against Dirrel.
I cant see Froch getting a decision over in Denmark though
This fight has war written all over it and you know if it goes that way who this fight favours
I think that in his last 3 fights the opponents of Froch realy underestimate him and just said that he was more than slow and that it would be a walk in the park…but now this perception is gone and Froch will pay the price, Kessler who has a new trainer, will come in with this fight with a good strategy and win this fight…no matter how !
I think in a age where people are scared of losing their 0, Froch just want to fight the best, aynweher anytime. How can you hate him for that? I’m from the Uk and like Froch as well IMO he comes across as a likebale down to earth bloke who has deserved a shot and some decent money for a long time so good luck to him….I think he’ll KO Kessler
pick um i think froch power kesslers skill mmmmm
Froch is a tradesman with lots of amateur experience and will give Kessler all he can handle. Kessler may not be the fighter he was back when he beat Mundine etc and his last performance was ordinary. I favour the English boy.
I’m from the UK and I actually like Froch. I think he is funny, exciting to watch and brings qualities that not many other fighters have. Sure he looked slow, etc against Dirrell but so would most fighters. He has a will to win that really comes through in the second half of fights and I think he will take Kessler out.
im from the uk and i hope kessler beats froch because carl froch is a jackass