Kessler gets the better of Froch during stare down at weigh-in

By Boxing News - 05/24/2013 - Comments

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By Scott Gilfoid: If you were to pick a winner at today’s stare down at the weigh-in between WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) and IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) without a doubt it would have to be Kessler.

Froch didn’t look confident, and he seemed to be kissing Kessler’s backside for some reason. Just look at Froch smiling, patting Kessler’s arm, as if saying ‘Take it easy, you win. I won’t cause you any trouble.’ I’m just saying.

Looking at Froch one gets the sense that he was subservient to Kessler and unable to meet his stare when Kessler gave him a mean look and leaned forward to dare Froch to do anything. When Kessler did that, Froch backed off and started the glad handing business.

When I see a fighter do thing like that, 9 times out of 10 they lose. It’s all mental. The battle is won before the two fighters step inside the ring. Froch grabbed Kessler’s hand and gave a hand shake and tried to get him to ease off on the stare down.

Froch’s face looked like it was turning red at the time in an unconscious blush response in the presence of someone that might be perceived as a superior threat to him.

As far as the weights go, Froch weighed in at 167.9 lbs. and Kessler at 166.74. Kessler looked mean like a tank ready to trample Froch on Saturday. I didn’t see any areas of weakness in his physique and he looks in prime condition ready to take Froch’s International Boxing Federation strap from him in front of his own British fans.

I’ve seen Froch at past weigh-ins where he decimated his opponents before and during the fight, and this time Froch didn’t have the same eye of the tiger, the same focus. What I saw in his eyes was pure 100 percent worry. He knows after all that months of flapping his gums about how he’s better than Kessler, it all could be over for him on Saturday night if Kessler beats him for a second time.

I mean, where does Froch go after getting whipped by Kessler for a second time? He can’t fight Andre Ward because that fight will be off the table, perhaps permanently, with a loss to Kessler, and I doubt Kessler will want to go back and fight Froch for a third time.

He’ll have already beaten him twice, so where’s the gain of fighting him for a third time. The only fight I can see out there for Froch after a loss to Kessler is for him to go back and try to prove that he’s the better man than Andre Dirrell.

If Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn can make a nice money offer to Andre Dirrell or maybe even Anthony Dirrell, he might be able to lure them to Nottingham where Froch can try and beat Dirrell without controversy this time. We already know what happened four years ago when Dirrell ventured over to Nottingham in the Super Six tournament and lost by a controversial 12 round split decision.



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