Oakland, California was host to the final bout in Group Stage 1 of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Hometown fighter, Andre Ward was granted the first victory for the Americans in the tournament over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler.
Not so much was the outcome a surprise as the tempo of the fight itself somehow generated shock. Paper statistics flatter Andre Ward; he is undefeated and boasts an Olympic gold medal to boot. Even with that, he still managed to enter the fight as somewhat of an unknown quantity. His win over Edison Miranda would have been his most notable until his performance against Kessler. The Viking Warrior, for his part, entered into the fight with a very impressive record of 42-1 with 32 knockouts. His sole loss was owed to the apparently insurmountable Joe Calzaghe. Kessler’s name was frequently being tossed up in early predictions of the tournament’s ultimate victor.
This night in Oakland was hostile territory for Kessler, and he was exposed to loud verbal jarring as he made his way into the ring. The crowd turned to their sunnier side for Ward’s reception, cheering vibrantly and collectively voicing the hope that Ward’s promise would be fulfilled. He did not disappoint them.
Most prominent in Ward’s arsenal is his speed; he is quick with his hands and on his feet. His speed alone seemed to be the element that prevented Kessler from assimilating himself into the action. Both fighters began tentatively, assessing each other before committing to a certain course. Kessler seemed to never quite make peace with his.
Ward depended on his footwork in the early rounds. He was soundly landing punches from the outside, finding great success in his jab. He began with his legs quite far apart, almost straddled, and he would lean forward to throw his hands and then lean quickly on his back leg to move out of Kessler’s range. He was in constant motion and he continued in that vein to effectively thwart any aggression from Kessler.
Kessler seemed displeased with the flow of the fight from the outset, as though he was never able to meld his style with Ward’s. His frustration was clear. Sometime around the fourth round, a head butt occurred, marking Kessler’s face. Unable to stalk Ward down, Kessler presented with a very meager punch output. He moved forward, but his hands were tied up in the task of guarding himself from Ward’s outside onslaught. He was not accruing points, nor was he giving himself the opportunity to land a shot with any impact.
Once Kessler incurred damage under his eye from the clash of heads, he was unable or unwilling to actively engage in the fight. He began to back up, and it was Ward who was coming forward. Kessler claimed that more than a few head butts occurred, and he seemed convinced that they were intentional. Two of the head butts were obvious; and one was particularly gruesome. When the replay was shown, Ward was seen practically diving into Kessler’s face. In slow motion, the head butt actually had a quantifiable duration. Kessler’s face twisted in agitation and pain.
More likely than it being a deviant plan on the part of Ward to drill his head into Kessler’s, the impetus for the head butts is probably attributed to the progression of the action in the fight. Ward began in the early rounds playing the part of the hunted; he was landing his punches cleanly and accurately, but he was doing so in perpetual backward motion. Kessler was the hunter, coming forward. When it became apparent to Ward that Kessler couldn’t negotiate with his speed, he became emboldened. He stopped backing away, and started coming forward. It seems possible that even Ward himself was surprised by Kessler’s relative lack of effective aggression in the bout. His surprise mutated into some form of elation laced in with a super dose of confidence, and the result had him lunging excitedly and carelessly forward to initiate an inside attack on Kessler.
Kessler griped about the handling of the clinches by referee, Jack Reiss. He claimed that Ward was hitting him after Reiss gave the command to break. From his perspective, Kessler made it clear that he thought he was the victim of dirty fighting tactics on the part of Ward. Banged up and frustrated beyond compare as the bout wore on, the deficient output of Kessler was deteriorating further in its form. His infrequent punches were inaccurate and wide; very much the antithesis of what Kessler usually demonstrates.
After the seventh round, Kessler informed his corner that he couldn’t see. The statement was a bit disconcerting to viewers, as it appeared that blood was not obstructing his view at the time. The issue of the earlier head butt raised a question of what might possibly be the cause for his blurred vision. Nonetheless, Kessler insisted on continuing to fight, reentering an already losing battle minus the service of one eye. Kessler was brave and resilient, but it didn’t provide him with the tools to compete convincingly. The action was permanently called to a halt when Reiss asked the doctor to assess the condition of Kessler’s eye. At that point it was bloodied, and cuts were deepening above and below the eye. The doctor forced the bout’s stoppage and it was called officially at 1:42 of the eleventh round.
Despite claims of foul play, Ward gave an impressive showing. Beyond doubt is his speed, the effectiveness of his jab, his punch accuracy, and his stamina. He began the fight as a constantly moving force and he concluded in the same manner. By soundly beating Mikkel Kessler in his first bout, he is steadily crafting himself into a more known quantity. His speed might be the asset to neutralize Abraham’s power, Froch’s awkwardness, or Dirrell’s evasiveness. It would unquestionably raise problems for Taylor’s stamina.
The tournament has just seen the conclusion of its first phase, and it is early to try to determine a winner. But seeing the result of this latest bout has injected a distinct energy into the contest. Some may still be unconvinced by the idea, but it at least introduces a concept of assurance rarely seen in boxing nowadays. The tournament guarantees that the top fighters in the division will meet in the ring, and in doing so, it will satisfy curiosity over the outcome when the best fight the best.
