Mikkel Kessler, widely regarded as the best super middleweight in the world today, will face off against Andre Ward this Saturday at the Oracle Arena, in California.
The bout marks the third fight in the Super six tournament, which is aimed at breathing some life into the previously flagging super middleweight division, which was missing the presence of previous king Joe Calzaghe.
Ward is a prospect to Kessler’s seasoned veteran, and this is just about the biggest test he could be taking. He does have an impressive record thus far, although obviously not anyone close to Kessler’s level. He does also have an Olympic gold to his name as well though, and a few bookmakers are even tipping him as the dark horse to win the tournament.
Sizing up the skills of the two fighters, the clear advantage in most areas belongs to Mikkel Kessler. He has more power and a better chin, not to mention a better record and more experience going the distance. (Ward has only done the full 12 twice before). On Ward’s size, he does have great hand speed and movement, as well as solid fundamentals. His aggression can seem lacking at some points though, and this will cost him against Kessler, who will be looking for the knockout from the opening bell.
The verdict:
Ward will go into this fight with confidence, but will quickly realize he has bitten off more than he can chew. He is literally against the second best super middleweight in living memory behind Joe Calzaghe, and it will be apparent to everyone watching. He can hit the Dane all night with clean shots to little effect, which will affect his confidence sooner or later. Kessler will be chasing him down fr the first few rounds, and Ward may even win most of them, but sooner or later Kessler will unload and it will be lights out for Ward.
It isn’t all bad for Ward though, I can see him beating anyone else in the tournament in the later fights (The tournament is round robin style with points awarded after each bout, not knockout in the early stages). Whether his confidence will be rattled after Kessler dissects him is another matter, but he definitely has the style to beat most of the other fighters. If this does ring true, then this fight might well be replayed in the eventual final, which will probably go exactly the same as this one will.
