We’re all set for a classic in London
Any boxing fan will know why London’s O2 arena is sold out tonight.
Two of boxing’s toughest warriors face each other as Nottingham’s Carl Froch takes on Dane Mikkel Kessler but the reason for the hype? Their first fight.
It was an epic battle with both boxers going toe to toe for 12 rounds.
Since then, I think both boxers have shown improvements, Froch winning four out of five, only losing to world number one Andre Ward and Kessler winning three straight, all by KO.
In their last meeting, Froch chose to fight tactically in the early rounds, circling the ring and picking his moments to attack, looking to conserve energy until the later rounds. Perhaps his energy levels weren’t what he would have wanted, the infamous ash cloud that delayed flights meant Froch was sitting in airports far longer than he would have liked before his arrival into Denmark and it may have disrupted his preparation.
Kessler seemed to sense it. He tried to finish it early and pressed the action, working behind his jab and starting with attacks to the body.
As the fight wore on, both boxers had their moments. There were a lot of close rounds that could’ve been scored for either boxer but the fight ended with a thrilling 12th round and Kessler winning a very close points decision.
Tonight’s fight could pick up right where it left off, with round one effectively becoming round 13!
Carl Froch has a unique style. He doesn’t do everything correctly but he is very effective in his awkwardness. There’s nothing pretty about how he fights but he has developed his own style that works. He is a big, strong, tough super-middleweight and his best asset may be his mentality. From what I’ve seen of him, he is as tough mentally as he is physically.
Three weeks ago, I travelled to Denmark and got to see Kessler up close. He sparred with my team-mate George Groves and they had a very good work out. After the sparring I watched him do pad work with his coach Jimmy Montoya. I could see Kessler has made improvements. He’s tightened his defence; his movement looked good. But, crucially, he didn’t move back in a straight line, a mistake he made in the first fight and he was certainly in good condition, weighing only one and a half pounds over his fighting weight with three weeks to go.
From what I saw in the gym, there will be no huge change to Kessler’s tactics tonight. He was training to fight his fight, to do what he does best which is to press forward with good balance and tight defence and throw hard, fast combinations.
Both boxers share a champion’s mentality. They have both been to the top, know the pain of losing and are hugely popular in their homelands. That’s what will make tonight hugely defining for both men’s careers.
But if I had to choose, I’d go with Froch. They’re two well-matched champs but he has home advantage and I think the disruption to his preparations due to the ash cloud was a big reason why he didn’t win the first fight.
Froch has also shown slightly better form of late and seems to have more momentum going into the fight. That makes a big difference to a boxer as the confidence they gain from previous outings transforms to their performance in the ring.
Regardless though, this has all the ingredients to be one of the best fights of year and as a fight fan myself, these are the nights that I look forward to. Enjoy the fights and may the best man win.
My team-mate George Groves also fights Noe Gonzales in a title eliminator tonight. It’s a big fight for George but I’m confident he will win. He is one of the best prospects to come out of England in some time and winning tonight could lead to a fight with Froch or Kessler.
