Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward Preview

Previews

The first round of the Super Six tournament comes to a close this Saturday on Showtime when Mikkel Kessler takes on Andre Ward. It’s the most intriguing of all the first round matchups and the action begins at 10 pm ET. Read on for a preview and staff picks for the fight.

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward (WBA Super Middleweight Title)
Money Line: Kessler -220; Ward +170

Mikkel Kessler, 42-1 (32 KOs), emerged as the favorite to win the Super Six tournament before any fight ever took place. He will face a stern test in Andre Ward but Kessler is the most experienced super middleweight in this tournament. He’s an aggressive boxer with power in both hands. Like a shark that smells blood, Kessler does an exceptional job of finishing fights when he has his opponent in trouble. His lone loss came to Joe Calzaghe in 2007 but Kessler has been a winner in his three fights since then. As shown in his loss to Calzaghe, Kessler can be outworked but Ward needs to be careful not to tire out too quickly. Kessler has not faced the best opposition since the Calzaghe loss so it will be interesting to see how the 30-year-old will respond to the increase in class.

While Andre Ward represents the best opponent for Kessler in the last two years. Mikkel Kessler will be the toughest opponent that Ward has faced in his early career. Ward, 20-0 (13 KOs), turned professional in 2004 after winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics that same year in Athens, Greece. He’s a slick boxer that possesses the ability to outbox Kessler. Ward also proved he can take a super middleweight punch during his 12-round outclassing of Edison Miranda. This will be Ward’s first shot at a world title and he has the luxury of fighting for it in his hometown of Oakland, CA. The 25-year-old Ward will be giving Kessler just his second fight in the United States; the other came in 2000. Both men are similar in height and reach so the fight will be predicated upon Ward’s ability to handle Kessler’s aggression.

Fight Predictions

Corey: This is the toughest fight to call in the Super Six by a landslide. Kessler is proven to be a complete fighter. He’s as good as he’s ever going to be right now. The question is: is Ward at that level yet? That’s an answer Ward himself might not even know until he gets in the ring Saturday night. He has the speed to potentially give Kessler, whose toughest fights came against Joe Calzaghe and Anthony Mundine, a lot of problems. But is he slick enough to stay away from Kessler’s harder punches for twelve rounds? And if he gets hit, can he recover and finish the fight? The winner of this fight depends on the answer to those questions. I’m going with my gut feeling in this one. Ward has his coming out party and shocks Kessler with a close decision win, 115-113.

Trent: As Corey said, this has the potential to be Ward’s coming out party, I just don’t see that potential coming to fruition. Kessler has far more experience. Ward would need to greatly exceed Kessler on talent in order to make up for that. Ward is not at that level. This could be the fight, however, that propels Ward to the next class. I could see myself favoring Ward in a rematch but not on the first go-round. I expect Kessler to take the early rounds, but then see a change in momentum for Ward as his hometown fans rally on their man. Kessler will pour it on in the championship rounds and land against a game but outworked Ward. Kessler by decision, eight rounds to four. That’s 116-112 in boxing math.