Mauro
I’m not an “I told you so” kind of guy but I do like to be right. Having both James Kirkland and Andre Ward come out to play this year has been kind of cool. I’ve gotten to see them both grow into their own as fighters over the same period of time I began knocking out my first fight reports. That’s quickly becoming my favorite part of the job. Ringside in Vegas is cool and all but it’s nothing compared to getting to know young and hungry fighters, see them refine their skills and then show them off on the biggest stages possible while succeeding. Another young fighter I have gotten to know as he approaches the turn in the road towards Title Land is John Molina, Jr. who for my money is the funniest fighter in boxing. I’ll have more on him this week as he finishes up training for his Shobox appearance against Martin Honorio on Saturday at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, CA. Alejandro Perez, who fights as the co-feature on that card is another.
With Kirkland, it was “this guy’s going to be star” at first bell. With that ferociously entertaining style, I instantly knew The Austin Assassin could only be an untelevised walk-in bout for so long. I had a lot of people tell me Joel Julio would outbox him and/or knock him out. I was more than happy to be right that time. Sadly, the rise of Kirkland is on hold. Hopefully, he will be able to right his ship once he gets out in June.
With Ward, it was more gradual. Though I dug watching him in the Olympics, I honestly thought very little of him as a pro early on; subscribing to the Junior Roy Jones label. I actually missed the Darnell Boone fight where he was rocked and dropped in the fourth round so that image has never entered my frame of reference. Truthfully, I didn’t really catch on to him until I moved to Los Angeles. Ward was coming off a three fight string in late 2007 when his promoter Dan Goossen announced at a press luncheon Ward would face Roger Cantrell in St. Lucia. It was there that I first met and heard Ward and his trainer/ Godfather Virgil Hunter speak in person. It was their singular belief in each other and God that had me believing everything they told me about Andre’s future. While I’m more of a Buddhist than anything, I loved their Bruce Lee-esque approach to fighting; that in order to successfully combat all manner of styles you must be both well-rounded and fluid in your approach. Their unshakeable yet humble certainty that they were building Andre as a fighter the right way was palpable. It was there that my preconceived notions about Ward as a Roy Jones, Jr. clone were dispelled.
While his opponents haven’t been what some would have liked for an Olympic gold medalist up until the Edison Miranda fight, there has been a slow and steady progression that has allowed him to work on different aspects of his game while adjusting to life as a pro. Unlike Bill Belichick who gambled and lost last week, Goossen gets to say “I told you so” to any of the doubters who said Ward should have had this or that place by now. 5 years as a pro, 115 rounds in 21 fights with 13 wins by way of stoppage and one title belt. Not too shabby for twenty five year old if you ask me.
Now on to the fight.
In the interest of full disclosure, I had a rare occurrence this Saturday night. I had something I absolutely could not get out of that wasn’t a fight. I watched it later that night, around one in the morning or so. Despite what you are thinking I had not had a drop all day so I was clear and awake being the night owl that I am. But I did have John Novoselac over at Doghouseboxing.com tell me who won (I couldn’t wait. I’m a junkie, what can I say?). Johnny mentioned that it was stopped on cuts. He said they happened because of head butts and that there was some holding but overall it was “a coming out party, man. A coming out party.”
So I had a little more info than I needed coming into the viewing but like I said, I couldn’t wait to hear.
When I sat down, I expected to see a clutch and foul fest. What I saw instead was the culmination of years of hard work. Ward had a solid game plan that shifted and flowed even if Kessler didn’t adjust to what he was doing at the time. He never let Kessler get either a bead on him or a rhythm. I used to think Miguel Cotto was gifted at shifting from southpaw to orthodox (and I still do) but right now, today, there is no one in the game who is more effective at it than Ward. He used so many different tools in this one. From tricky foot work that faded in and out and circled one way or the other to slipping punches to the hard jab he changed up throughout the fight, Ward put it all on display.
Andre fought aggressively from the start in both style and demeanor. His fighter presence from the first bell was much more dynamic and completely in charge. If someone didn’t know boxing sat down to watch this fight and you only told them it was a title fight, I think they’d assume Ward was the champ and Kessler was challenging for his title just on body language alone.
I have to say that while holding normally bothers me and fouls uncalled do so even more, I didn’t have a problem with either in this fight other than they halted the bout and cut Kessler’s face to ribbons. I hope he recovers as he seems to be both a good guy and an honorable fighter. The holding was initiated by both guys at different times. More on that in a later response.
Other than the first head butt, which was initiated accidentally by Kessler at the end of third round, the last head butt was the most noticeable to me. It was pretty bad but I didn’t feel it was intentional. It was more of an Evander Holyfield “I’m taking this real estate, feel free to stay at your own peril” kind of thing. One of the head butts was caused by Ward’s southpaw stance which is a common enough occurrence that we can chalk it up to an aggressive southpaw moving forward against an opponent who hates moving backward. It happens. Sometimes a lot. See Margarito vs. Santos I and II.
If you want to know why a fighter would need to fall in low with the top of his head when rushing in look at Kessler’s face and then look at Ward’s. When you are in close and leather is flying and you’re slipping or ducking shots, it’s best to tuck your chin and move past a guy diagonally or into him to smother his punches. While it may not be pretty and it may not seem fair, the fighter is just protecting himself on the inside. If you have to butt or there is a possibility for it in the way you are fighting, the top of the head is the place for you have it happen to. Simple as that.
I think more than anything Ward’s opening lead left hooks and hard jab surprised Kessler and threw him off balance. To paraphrase what Ward said before the fight, “You look at me and think ‘That’s Andre Ward?” Then you get in the ring with me and realize that’s a whole different story.” While he isn’t a one punch knockout artist (I don’t think he is trying to be), Ward hits solid enough to buzz you over the course of a fight or hurt you if he can walk you into something. He did both throughout the fight.
As for not liking his style, well, I think it may end up depending on his opponent. Against Taylor, we might get more of the same. I think Ward can knock Jermain out considering how Taylor’s last few fights have gone. In a way, that might make the fight even more dangerous for Taylor. Accumulation of punishment, in my opinion, is a much worse way to get stopped than one or two punches catching you. The thinking that Ward’s lack of KO’s makes him some kind of safe haven needs to be thrown out the window. This is a dangerous fight for Taylor.
Up until his last two fights, the one thing I had missed from Ward’s game was passion. There was an intensity missing. The kind that says “I’m here to win at all costs.” He was almost too cerebral in his approach. He looked like a guy with tons of technique or tools at his disposal but was unsure of how or when to use each of them much less make them work in concert. He showed me a different side at the King’s Gym in Oakland in an eight round sparring session. Then he put that tougher, rougher side to work in the Shelby Pudwill fight that he was preparing for that day. And we saw Saturday the culmination of all he has been putting together. I think Ward is really starting to find himself in there and it’s safe to say Ward was right when he said on Saturday “the final transformation from boxer to fighter will take place tonight.”
PAC JUICE?
Hey Gabe, keep up the great work spreading the good word. I’m getting sick of these headline hunting fighters and trainers accusing Manny Pacquiao of using steroids. What he’s accomplished has been exceptional without a doubt, but that doesn’t mean that it could only have been accomplished by the use of steroids. Did they say the same thing about Henry Armstrong or Sugar Ray Robinson? I’m not going to lend these accusations any more spotlight than they deserve but one fighter who claimed something was "weird" suggested that lighter fighters coming up in weight can’t just take Cotto’s best shots with something underhanded going on. To my knowledge steroids have absolutely no impact on your ability to take a punch, am I correct? (For more on that watch any MMA fight). But then again, this comes from a fighter who’s currently ’training’ for a big fight who proudly boasts that he stays up til 4 or 5AM and goes out every weekend partying. Hmmm, I wonder if he’d trained as hard as Manny he might be singing a different tune. These unfounded allegations are not only disappointing and disrespectful to a very respectful individual but they just make everyone making them look petty. What are your thoughts?
Take care,
Travis in BC
Everyone everywhere is looking for a headline these days, Travis. From the valet to the penthouse, people are going to do and say anything to get where they are trying to go. It’s just how it is anymore. Same as when you get some success. Fools always try and knock you down. Right now, we have two fighters in Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr who have traversed many, many weight classes looking for the guy to bring out their best both financially and as a fighter and now they’ve finally found it in each other (We hope). I’d rather focus in on that at some point in the near future than talk about what some angry fighter had to say. Let the haters hate, I say. I’ll be on the dance floor.
Inevitably, when you have success like theirs, moving up in weight with ease, some “I heard from a guy” rumor will rear its ugly head. We live in the steroid era of sports. Footballers, runners baseball players, you name it are getting caught left and right. Hell, we have Shane Mosley as a prime example that it happens in boxing. But honestly, I have no idea how rampant it is anymore. And while I have heard the whispers surrounding Manny, until the man tests positive, there is no evidence to suggest he is juicing other than success and a large dome that’s always been pretty large.
I’ve watched Manny work out. I have seen first hand the dedication he brings to the table day in and out and I just think the guy is special. He’s taking natural talent and athleticism along with a body that is built for fighting and making the most of it. I’d rather applaud him than denigrate him. Particularly since the man keeps raising his personal bar both in and out of the ring. Some of us will realize a dream. Perhaps a few others will realize more than one. Manny seems to be making all of his a reality and that’s fun to watch at the very least. Good for him, I say.
As for the fighter you are referring to and his comments, well, like with Manny, I’d rather look at the positive side of things whenever possible and the negative when necessary. The comments read as bitter bullshit to me and I’ll leave it at that.
HONEST GABE
You are looking like a genius Gabe.
Surprisingly Ward completely dominated Kessler. They stopped the fight on cuts in the 11th round and went to the scorecards, where Ward won by a
landslide.
Andre did a lot of holding and he was head-butting Kessler, but he was also completely outboxing the Dane. Kessler’s feet looked like he was stuck in the mud, Andre was just too fast for him. A little home town refereeing, but not too much, Ward clearly won.
Kessler is slow and overrated. When you think about it, Kessler has not really beaten a lot of top quality fighters. Kessler looked best with fighters that came straight at him. Really Mundine and Calzaghe are the only names on his resume, Mundine himself has never really beat anyone and Kessler lost pretty handily to Joe Calzaghe. Kessler may have been as overrated by the pundits as Chagaev at heavyweight. Kessler never adjusted, just kept doing the same one-dimensional slow stuff that was not working, except that he started to get wild and desperate in the late rounds.
As soon as Kessler stepped onto US soil he lost, and the crazy thing is, I’m not even particularly impressed by Ward.
Peace,
Steve
Even the blind squirrel gets a nut once in awhile, Steve.
The beauty of this tournament is that everyone at one point or another will have to go on the road. Like any sport, the man at home will have advantages. Because there are only two participants in boxing, perhaps that advantage is much more pronounced. I personally didn’t feel the fight swayed to Ward because he was at home other than the crowd.
Kessler said himself that if he fought Ward again, he would have to move side to side instead of straight ahead. I think he meant it to say that he needed to avoid Ward’s head but at the same time, it’s why he lost. He plodded forward and used about two types of punch to very little effect. When asked about the head butts Ward was pretty straight up in asking “What about the rest of the time?” Ward barely looked like he had been in a fight while Kessler’s face was red and battered from getting both head butted and hit in the face by leather all night.
I thought Kessler looked the way he did because of Ward. He’d had a tune-up to shake off his rust just this past September and looked so good everyone’s belief that he would be too much for Ward was confirmed. Hell, he had me second guessing my early prediction of a Ward victory. But as I said from the onset, the angles and fluid game of Ward was just too much too handle for Kessler. He doesn’t adjust fast if at all. His speed is good but not like Ward’s and his pressure foot work is so so. He has a sturdy chin, a solid one-two and not a whole lot more. I do think he was overrated a bit but that’s not to say he wasn’t good at all. I just am always suspect when a guy’s best performance is one in which he ended up losing.
More than anything, I think why Kessler was so highly favored in this one is because there were so many unknowns about Andre. Would his chin hold up? We still don’t know because Andre wasn’t there to be hit. Had Ward enough experience? If he didn’t before, he does now. Would Kessler drill him because of those low hands? Guess not.
I really liked what I saw out of Ward but am still convinced Kessler has what it takes to compete in this tournament successfully. Should his face heal enough in the interim and cuts don’t become a recurring theme, he can beat and possibly stop his next opponent Carl Froch, pick up a belt and be right back in the mix. Kessler does have solid power and a good beard while Froch comes forward and is there to be hit. With straight punches always landing quicker than wide, looping ones, I like Kessler in that one. At the very least, I think Froch is a great get back fight for Kessler.
As for your Chagaev comparison, I’m not sure I agree but it’s interesting. I think like Chagaev, Kessler has had his successes and failures due to matchmaking. Joe Calzaghe and Andre Ward are both fluid, unorthodox fighters with great pedigrees. No shame in losing to them. A lot of guys did and a lot of guys might just yet.
THE INSIDER
Hey Gabe,
Obviously a great performance by Ward. He came out and imposed himself every second of every round. But I am a bit unclear on what happened on the inside when Kessler and Andre would clinch. I couldn’t quite tell who is clinging to whom at first - and while it is clear that Mikkel’s inside game is at best pathetic, was Ward fouling? Because it sure looked like holding and punching. On one hand, I can’t say the ref was all that unfair, he just let them fight on the inside. But then I am reminded of Dirrel’s fight not too long ago, where even if the ref was ’unbiased’, allowing all of the infighting invited fouls and also clearly favored Froch. What’s your assessment of this issue?
P.S. The staredown right before the bell was so weird - they stood staring at each other and posturing for what seemed like minutes. It was certainly odd to see, but it also allows for an observation of what’s going in the fighter’s head, and right away you could tell this would one would be intense Maybe minute-long staredowns should become mandatory. Thanks!
B (NYC)
That was a weird stare down. They both seemed at once intense yet “Ok. We’ve been intense for awhile now. What the score here? What’s next?”
So you’re saying we should have a staring contest and then a fight? Let’s work on getting those belts down to one, ridding the sport of corruption, figuring out instant replay (We might have used it this weekend though I question if you can determine intention through slo-mo replay), streamlining into a league with a commissioner, changing over the judges we have, and improving fighter’s benefits and safety during and after their time in the sport before we start adding thumb wars and staring contests. On second thought, thumb wars and staring contests between Ward and Kessler would still be better than watching Chavez, Jr’s last fight. Decisions, decisions.
I thought referee Jack Reiss was understated but in charge. “Fight hard, fight clean,” he commanded and the fighters complied in my opinion. I really felt Reiss acted fairly regarding the holding and head butts. While some have called foul, he correctly ruled them accidental. Just because accidental head butts keep happening due to one guy being awkward and aggressive you don’t just start randomly taking points. He also made a solid call in noting the last head butt injury so we could go to the cards once the fight was stopped instead of penalizing Kessler with a TKO loss. Considering that Ward lost out on three points in the Super Six scoring, that was an important decision and I thought the right one.
I also liked how Reiss told the fighters to work out of clinches, marked the progress of that command and then acted accordingly. Sure, Ward initiates holding a little more than I would like but at least he does it in spurts and he keeps working on the inside. The action is pretty continuous and it comes at a fast pace. And it isn’t like he was holding Kessler’s head in place and teeing off. The wraparound move is pretty common. Having double the fights Ward has, you’d think Kessler might have been able to adjust but he didn’t to that or much of anything else Ward did. He just held on and didn’t work inside at all. Kessler looked very uncomfortable on the inside and seemed very confused after the fight about the very concept of clinching and punching. I don’t think he took Ward lightly but I question how much tape they watched. That Miranda fight should have been a clue as to how Ward might fight go. Just a thought.
I’m curious. How many people would prefer seeing the winners take each other on next with the losers fighting each other for the right to continue on in the tournament?
Food for Friday. Have a great week, fight fans.
Montoya’s Weekend Fight Pick Results
At The Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
(Showtime) Mikkel Kessler (42-1) vs. Andre Ward (20-0): Ward by decision
Actual Result: Ward TD 11
At The Sparkasse Arena, Kiel, Germany
Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1) vs. Zsolt Erdei (30-0): Erdei by decision
Actual Result: Erdie MD 12
At Casino Rama, Ontario, Canada
Marvin Sonsona (14-0) vs. Alejandro Hernandez (22-7-1): Sonsoma by TKO
Actual Result: Sonsoma PTS 12
Steve Molitor (30-1) vs.Jose Saez (17-8-4): Molitor by TKO
Actual Result: Molitor UD 8
In Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Edgar Sosa (37-5) vs. Rodel Mayol (25-4-1): Mayol by TKO
Actual Result: Mayol TKO 2
RIGHT: 110
WRONG: 34
Questions/comments? Contact Gabriel at maxgmontoya@gmail.com or twitter.com/Gabriel_Montoya
