Kessler producing more knockouts with new fighting style

By Boxing News - 05/24/2013 - Comments

kessler#300By Scott Gilfoid: Since WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) last fought IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) in 2010, he’s changed his fighting style and it’s lead to him having much more power than he had in the past.

Kessler’s left hook and right hand are more formidable weapons now than they were the last time he fought Froch. Kessler expects that style to work well on Froch tomorrow night at the O2 Arena in London, UK.

Kessler said to Sky Sports “I feel like I’ve been working on my technical boxing skills very much for the last two years and that’s why I have stopped my opponents so fast and I feel good this way. I feel l have a new style but better. I think it’s better [more effective] for Carl now.”

To be sure, Kessler does look like a dramatically different fighter than he was when Froch fought him in 2010. Kessler is sitting down on his punches a lot more now than he was back then, and his left hook is now a major weapon for him, as well as jab and right hands to the body.

Kessler seems a lot more dangerous than when Froch fought him, and it’s difficult to imagine Froch being able to take Kessler’s left hook or body shots without hitting the canvas in pain.

None of Kessler’s last three opponents have made it past the 6th round, and he seems to have gotten better in his last two fights. In other words, Kessler is peaking right at the worst moment for Froch because he’s going to be dealing with a whole different kind of fighter this time when he steps inside the ring with Kessler.

Froch has been stunned in fights against Kessler, Andre Dirrell and Jermain Taylor, but tomorrow I have a feeling that he’ll not only be stunned but he’ll also get stopped.

Kessler is hoping that Froch comes out aggressively on Saturday night because it’ll give him plenty of opportunities to get his big shots off. If Froch walks into one of Kessler’s big left hooks, it could be all she wrote for Froch. I think Froch will get up from the knockdown and start slugging instead of clinching, and that’ll make it easy for Kessler to finish him off with another big left hook to the head or a fight hand.

Froch doesn’t know how to fight other than to come forward leading with his head. You can’t count on Froch doing the smart thing if he’s hurt because he’s always looked to slug after he’s been stunned. I guess he has too much ego for his own good and that causes him to do the foolish thing sometimes. He’s gotten away with it in the past, but on Saturday night I don’t think he’ll be able to get away with fighting stupid after he gets hurt by one of Kessler’s left hooks. If Froch gets dropped or staggered, believe me, Kessler will finish him off straightway.



Comments are closed.