Froch vs. Kessler on April 27th

By Boxing News - 01/30/2013 - Comments

froch343By Scott Gilfoid: It’s reported that IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) will be fighting WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) on April 27th instead of May 25th, as originally thought, according to rds.ca. The winner of the Froch-Kessler will fight will have 90 days to face #1 IBF Adonis Stevenson.

If the winner doesn’t fight Stevenson then they’ll be stripped of their IBF title by the International Boxing Federation, that is, if they don’t vacate first to avoid the fight.
The venue for the Froch-Kessler fight is thought to be O2 Arena in London, England, but that still needs to be worked out.

One thing is for sure it won’t be taking place in Froch’s home city of Nottingham because Kessler likely won’t go for that, and I don’t blame him. After seeing Froch win one of the most controversial decisions I’ve ever seen in my life with his win over American Andre Dirrell in Nottingham in 2009, I doubt Kessler wants to find himself in the same boat as Dirrell risking fighting over there.

Froch and Kessler should be about as ready as they’ll ever be by April 27th. If Froch feels he can’t be ready by April 27th, then I don’t know that he ever will be because he should have been training already for the fight. I just hope we don’t see Froch with a bunch of excuses like the ones he used in his previous loss to Kessler in 2010 or in Froch’s loss to Andre Dirrell in 2011.

April 27th is more than enough time for Froch to be ready. If Kessler beats him again then he’ll be 2-0 against Froch, and you can’t blame the losses on the weather or Froch not having enough time to train. If Froch loses then fight then it’s going to be because he didn’t have the talent to win it, and that just the way it is.

I know some of Froch’s loyal fans believe that Froch wasn’t at his beat for his fight with Kessler in 2010 because he was delayed by an ash cloud, but these same fans might run out of patience if Froch has a whole new set of excuses for why he couldn’t get the job done.

As for the Froch-Kessler winner facing Stevenson within 90 days after their fights, I don’t see either of them taking that fight. Froch already has said that he has a three fight plan, which consists of Kessler, then Lucian Bute and finally Andre Ward. Stevenson isn’t the plans, so Froch’s IBF trinket will almost surely be cast away if Froch can get past Kessler in April.

I see Kessler dumping the IBF title as well, although I don’t see Kessler turning around and fighting Bute or Ward. I think Kessler just keep his WBA title and look to milk it in fights against the likes of Arthur Abraham and whatever contender he sees fit to take on.



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