By Scott Gilfoid: If you take a look at a typical boxing forum or comment section on the net you’ll often notice that WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KO’s) takes an abundant amount of criticism from boxing fans related to his win over former World Boxing Association super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler last November. Ward is called a dirty fighter because he and Kessler clashed heads a number of times in the fight.

Ward ended up totally schooling Kessler and beating him by an 11 round technical decision in their stage 1 Super Six bout in Oakland, California. Kessler ended up getting caught from the accidental head butts in the fight and fought poorly before and after the cuts. Some boxing fans seem to hate Ward because of his win over Kessler and blame him for the head butts and say he clinches too much.

When you point out that Kessler was coming forward during most, if not all, of the times that they clashed heads, they still don’t want to listen. I think there’s a lot of anger towards Ward because he beat Kessler, a fighter he wasn’t supposed to beat and fans are having a hard time dealing with Ward’s upset still. They’re just going to have to get over it and deal with it.

Ward owned Kessler in that fight from start to finish, and he’s very likely do it again if Kessler is able to make it to the semi finals of the Super Six tournament. I seriously doubt that Kessler will make it that far, though. He’ll probably get eliminated in his next fight against Allan Green in the stage 3 part of the Super Six tournament.

But it seems like some fans can’t forgive Ward for spanking Kessler and handing him a loss. Believe me; the cuts had nothing to do with Kessler losing the fight to Ward. Kessler just didn’t have an inside game and was severely lacking in hand speed as well. As soon as Ward realized that Kessler was slow and couldn’t fight on the inside, the fight was as good as won.

Ward already saw all these things on video before he even fought Kessler, so the fight was already won before the two fighters ever stepped foot in the ring. All Ward did was accomplish out what he had already known in his mind.

I expect a lot of still bitter fans to be rooting against Ward this Saturday night against Allan Green when the two fighters go at it in the Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California. And I expect there to be some hurt feelings when Ward again dominates another opponents and shows how talented he is. The Kessler fans that angry with Ward need to understand that losing is a part of the game.

Kessler had already been beaten before he entered the Super Six tournament and has been starting to show his age as he enters his early 30s. For this reason, it shouldn’t have to such a shock to the Kessler fans when Ward battered him the way he did. That’s what happens when a fighter gets old and faces a young star. I do think Kessler was briefly able to recapture a last fleeting glimpse of glory when he defeated WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch in his stage 2 Super Six bout last April.

However, father time is going to catch up with Kessler again when he fights Green in his stage 3 tournament bout. I expect Kessler to get dominated and probably knocked out by Green. Kessler then will be drummed out of the Super Six tourney, and will probably be accompanied by Froch after he loses to Arthur Abraham – if ever fights him.