Super Six goes Stateside
Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward conducted some open workouts earlier this week ahead of their WBA super-middleweight title fight this Saturday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland California. The bout is the third installment of Showtime TV´s Super Six Boxing Classic, and it sees the only two fighters yet to compete, Kessler and Ward, go head to head.
In the first two installments of the series, Carl Froch squeaked past Andre Dirrell in a WBC light-middleweight title defense in Nottingham with an unimpressive split decision, while Arthur Abraham made himself the man to beat in the tournament with a barn-storming twelfth round knockout of Jermain Taylor.
Potentially, this could be the best fight so far. Abraham was simple too strong for Taylor, and by half-way through the fight it had ceased to be a contest. Dirrell was ultra-cautious and negative against Froch, who simply didn’t have the skills to capitalize.
This Saturday we see Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 ko´s), the two time WBA super-middleweight champion, fighting literally in his opponent, 25 year old Oakland resident Andre Ward´s back yard.
Kessler has lost just once on a close decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2007. Calzaghe was the dominant fighter of the super-middleweight division for a decade, and as Kessler hurt Joe several times with booming straight rights, there was no disgrace in losing the narrow verdict. Calzaghe himself rates Kessler as his toughest opponent. The way Kessler seems perfectly happy to defend his crown in his is opponents hometown is similar to the supreme confidence shown by Vitali Klitschko in his recent WBC heavyweight title defense against Los Angeles born Chris Arreola at the Staples Centre in LA.
But Ward will be no pushover. He won the Gold medal in the light heavyweight class at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He is undefeated in 20 bouts (13 ko´s) and in his last fight but one he decisioned the dangerous, hard punching Colombian contender Edison Miranda. At 6´1´´, Ward is as tall as the 30 year old Dane Kessler.
At Mondays press conference, both fighters were confident, with a refreshing level of respect for their rival.
“I have never fought a fighter who was so nice such as Andre Ward. He is a strong and fast fighter who can change his fight from right to left. We are both confident that we can win. I don’t see myself as the favored; this makes me give it my all.`` said Kessler.
“I am going to show everyone that I am the champion. The fact that I have to come all the way over here was just a bad negotiation, but I want people to know that I am not afraid of fighting out of my hometown. I will be the champion not only of this fight but of the tournament.``
Ward was equally respectful in his comments.
“I am taking on the toughest opposition and it suits me fine because I haven’t fought any slouches and there is a reason for that.`` said Ward.
´´ Had I slacked up with my past opponents, I would lose. But I understood what kind of fighters I was facing. I knew that they were all tough … Just as I know this to be true about Kessler too. I know how to roll with the punches.”
BIG FIGHT ODDS: KESSLER 5/11, WARD 9/5 bet365