Experts Smell an Upset: Kessler-Ward Picks
Safe Side Of The Ropes welcomes a new feature this week, shining the spotlight on a selection of the sport’s scribes and their predictions on upcoming major bouts. Thanks to the information super highway, every man and his pet labrador seems to have an opinion on boxing’s big nights these days, however not all are as informed as the following dudes are.
I’ll keep a close eye on their form and update the list as required, in an attempt to formulate the quintessential gang of fistic clairvoyants, who fans can hang their hats on when looking for a winner. In a two horse race, one which will usually feature a handy favourite, it should be a pretty risk free business, however boxing remains the most unpredictable of sports. Anyone with two hands and a pulse can be just a millisecond away from victory, it’s one of the reasons we love it.
Graham Houston (fightwriter.com/Boxing Monthly magazine)
“I’m going to swim against the current on this one with a lean towards Ward finding the way to box, move and fight his way through 12 rounds and emerge with the win in this, the most difficult and dangerous fight of his life”.
Tim Starks (queensberryrules.com)
“I like Ward to pull off this upset, and I think he’ll do it much like Calzaghe did, with a pretty close fight early as each fighter adjusts to the other (Kessler’s pretty smart his damn self) before Ward dials it in and pulls out the decision late by virtue of being able to fight in more ways than one”.
Ted Sares (eastsideboxing.com)
“The thing is, Kessler can knock Andre out, but Andre cannot knock Kessler out. Ward will be the runner and Kessler will be the chaser. Sooner or later, he will catch his prey and finish matters decisively”.
Doug Fischer (ringtv.com)
“I don’t think Kessler will get Andre Ward out of there, but I see him winning a 116-112, or a 115-113 type of decision”.
William Dettloff (ringtv.com)
“I think it will be too (a great fight), right up until the time comes late in the fight when Kessler’s class takes over and Ward, a good fighter but not ready yet for one as accomplished as Kessler, finds that sometimes even great speed isn’t enough”.
Steve Farhood, (Showtime boxing analyst)
“I’m picking Andre Ward in an upset. I believe that the tiger will come out in him. Being aggressive and making it an inside fight will be his ticket to victory. I’m going with Ward, to win in 12”.
Kevin Iole (Yahoo! Sports Boxing)
“Ward is my pick to win the Super Six. He’s a star in waiting, and this is going to be his stage to show the world his talent. Ward’s quickness, defensive savvy and work rate will lead him to a tough win”.
Tim Smith (New York Daily News)
“I think Andre Ward now knows what it takes to get the job done. I think he’ll take the next step against Kessler, though I think Kessler is a tougher guy. So I’m picking Ward by decision”.
Bert Sugar (boxing historian)
“Mikkel Kessler by decision. Kessler can hit, and I think that he’s technically better than Ward. I think Ward, who is excellent, is not there yet”.
Danny Flexen (Boxing News magazine)
“I go for Ward to use movement and potshotting on the outside, plus plenty of holding when Kessler gets close, to eke out a narrow, and possibly controversial decision, perhaps having survived a knockdown along the way”.
Result: Ward 6 Kessler 4
Hey Haz, how are you getting on?
I’m not as high on Kessler as others (JC fans would have you believe he’s the second coming of SRR). He’s fundamentally solid, but a bit on the basic side and I fancy Ward has more variety. Having said that, I worry about the American’s punch resistance. He was dropped by a journeyman early in his career and although he’s appeared to be sturdy enough since then, one must wonder what happens if Kessler connects with one of those sledgehammer right-hands.
I think Kessler is the safe bet, but something just tells me that Ward is going to pull this off. Don’t ask me to explain it. Kessler is a seasoned, proven world-class performer and is the rightful favourite, but my gut feeling says that Ward will come of age and eek out a narrow points victory.
Hey Dave mate. I thought the same initially……..so much so I stuck 25 quid on him at 10-1 for the tournament!! Problem was when I came to watch a bit of footage in order to knock up a prediction, Ward looks a pretty basic guy to work out.
Maybe it’s just his demeanour that has folk tipping him, he looks like a guy ready to step up to the plate and fight the fight of his life, he seems to have some sort of invisible momentum with him.
I think he’ll start quickly and Kessler will show some rust. At some point however, the big right WILL land and it’s how Ward deals with it which is the key factor for me.
I think he gets hurt and then fights to survive which will cost him, probably in a closer decision than he deserves.
I’ll be cock-a-hoop if he wins though, he’ll certainly be less than 10-1 tomorrow morning if he does!!
If Kessler wins however……and does it easily……this whole thing starts to lose a bit of lustre for me. Abraham looks a certain finalist; if Mikkel dominates here, he’ll be nailed on to be the other guy.