By Scott Gilfoid: Thus far, WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO’s) has gotten through his eight year pro career without once tasting the bitter sting of defeat as he’s beaten a string of mostly European opposition. Recently, the 32-year-old Froch beat Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell, easily the best opponents of his career, but didn’t look at all good in beating them. Froch calls these wins “good” but in looking at the fights over a number of times, I didn’t see them as impressive performances by Froch. He got the wins, to be sure, but Froch could have easily lost both of the fights. Tonight, Froch faces Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KO’s) at the MCH Messecenter Herning, in Herning, Denmark.

Froch says “I am here to knock out Mikkel Kessler. he has never been in the ring with someone like me.” I wish that was so, Froch. The fact is Kessler HAS been in with a fighter just like you. Kessler easily defeated a then undefeated Librado Andrade by a lopsided 12 round decision in March 2007. Andrade is like a carbon copy of Froch in terms of fighting style, and if anything, is even busier than Froch in letting his hands go.

Froch’s style of fighting won’t be any kind of surprise for the talented Kessler tonight. In fact, it will be more of the same kind of opponents that Kessler has typically feasted on during his 12 year pro career. Right now, a lot of people are thinking that Kessler is on his last legs because of his recent 12 round decision loss to Andre Ward last November. I’m not one of those people. Kessler lost to a superior fighter in Ward – its as simple as that.

If that had been Froch in there with Ward on that night, my guess is that the fight would have been much more one-sided with Ward absolutely schooling Froch like he was pupil. If Froch wasn’t disqualified for fouling, I think he would have ended up getting stopped by the talented Ward. But that’s what I mean by saying that I think it was a case of Ward having too much game compared to Kessler.

There’s no shame in that. But as bad as Ward made Kessler look on that night, I think Kessler is still probably the 3rd best fighter in the Super Six tournament behind Andre Dirrell and Ward. I think Kessler dominated the rest of the opposition – Froch, Arthur Abraham and Allan Green – without any problems whatsoever.