My classmate and I were talking about Kelly Pavlik and how Joe Calzaghe picked RJJ over him I said that Joe was playing it safe he disagreed with me he said that Kelly Pavlik is a Poorman's Kessler and that Joe would have KO'ed Pavlik and I laughed at him saying Calzaghe and Knocking someone out does not belong in the same sentence today and he got pissed and told me to do some reaserch on Kessler and right now I'm watching his fight against Andrade. My question is How good is this guy if it wasn't for Joe Calzaghe I would never known this guy? Which of his fights should I watch?
You have impeccable timing or something, as Kessler fights in like twelve hours against undefeated Dimitri Sartison. The Beyer fight is a quick display of Kesslers skills. And you can't go wrong with the Mundine fight either.
Let's see He turned down a fight against Miranda His best performances were against Bumdine, and Beyer He's only fought like twice outside of Denmark He's got a very stationary style, not much of a mover but is heavy handed, great chin, would love to see him fight a top 5 for a change, he's still young, and he held his own against Cal, arguably top 5, but very limited. BTW, a fight between Kessler-Pavlik would be a toss up IMO
K-oss is right. personally I think Kessler is very good but not great. he is around the top now at 168lbs but its an average division. he's well beaten everyone in front of him except Cal. a great boxer like Cal or some of the greats from the 90s or 80s would beat him easily on points.
K-oss summed up Kessler perfectly. Add that he's European and that's why you've never heard of him. The talent pool is shallow in Europe and Asia. It's a fact. Calzaghe is great but he's the exception, not the rule. Plenty of Euro boxers come to the states with perfect records and high KO rates only to get stopped like they were out of the amatures. That's exactly the difference. Our amature system is a remarkable proving ground for prospects, with the exception of Mexico and Puerto Rico other countries are lacking. Your suspicions against Kessler are well founded but not against Zag. Calzaghe is a special fighter. He's probably be ducking Pavlik but his reasons are legit. Pavlik is the wrong weight and unproven at Zag's championship weight. It's a fair stance.
Plenty of American boxers build up gaudy records and get stopped when they fight real competition as well, is it easier to do so in Europe? Of course, but when four of the top five at HW and CW's are Euros as well as strong fighters throughout other divisions it's tough to paint them all with the same brush. Combine current success with strong interest and increasing funding for amateur programs in Europe and I imagine the trend of strong European fighters will only continue. Has Kessler fought almost completely in Denmark? Sure, but much more importantly he's fought four top guys in his division in his last five fights and acquitted himself very well. You used the word "our" to describe Americans and their fighters, that's incorrect logic, there is no "us" and "them", with boxing interest high all over the world there are great fighters sprouting up everywhere, generalizing about any of them will rarely be correct. EDIT: Tam-Tam beat me too it, and was far more succinct.
Agreed. Kessler is obviously a very good fighter, but where he stands in comparison to Pavlik is really hard to tell. Pavlik does have bigger wins under his belt though.
Above 160, certainly. Below it, not so much. Look at the #1s for each division: HW - Wlad, Big Sam, Valuev, Chagaev, Maskaev, Povetkin, Thompson, Sultan (Europe) CW - With Haye moving up.... Stevie? Adamek? I dunno. (Toss up I think) LHW - CalSlappy, Dawson, Tarver, Hop, RJJ, Johnson, Diaconu (Europe has the champ, the division is better for N.A. though) SMW - I still say CalSlappy, Bute, Kessler, Mundine, Lacy, Inkin. (Europe) MW - Kelly Pav, Winky, Abraham, Taylor, Sturm (N.A.) ----------------- 154 - ODLH? Spinks? Alcine? Sergeiy? Mora? (N.A.) WW - Cotto/Margarito then Shane, Williams, Clottey, Cintron, Zab, Berto.... (N.A) JWW - Hatton then Paulie, Bradley, DHop.... (Europe) LW - Joel, Diaz and Campbell, plus D Diaz and Julio diaz (N.A.) SFW - Pac, JMM, Guzman, Valero, Juarez, Soto, Gamboa, (N.A. > Europe) FW - Guerrero, Luevano, Linares, John, Velasquez, Solis, Cruz (N.A. > Europe) SB - Izzy, Rafa, Molitor, Lopez (fucker), Caballero, Jhonny, DPDL.... (N.A. > Europe) BW - Hasegawa, Penalosa, Mares, Silence (N.A. > Europe) SFly - Mijares, Munoz, Montiel, Navarro, Vic, Arce (N.A. > Europe) Fly - Donaire, Pong, Naito, etc (we'll call this a pass) LFly - Solis, Sosa, Calderon, Cazares (N.A.) Now that's some postin'.
At the lowest weight classes it kinda becomes an amalgamation of Asia and Latin America with the largest depth. The very fact that N. America, Europe, Japan & SE Asia, and Latin America are all producing a fair number of strong fighters should make any "this region is greater than sign this region" a moot point.
north america - Definitions from Dictionary.com North America The northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending northward from the Colombia-Panama border and including Central America, Mexico, the islands of the Caribbean Sea, the United States, Canada, the Arctic Archipelago, and Greenland.
Man, I don't give half a shit what the dictionary or any definition says. Mexico ain't North America. Nor is Columbia, Panama or any of that. You got Canada and the USA, fuckall else.
Kessler is not a stationary fighter, he just don't move his upper body that much. If Kessler came over hear and worked with an american coach he would be nasty. Kessler would end the Kelly Pavlik bandwagon IMO. I like Pavlik, hes a very good fighter. However, the guys in the heavies like him because he's a white guy with an afliction t-shirt(the old identify with your kind), so I dont like him that much. LOL at the guy calling Kessler stationary, he moves vary well.
