Undefeated George Groves staked his claim to the winner of tonight’s fight between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler by destroying #11 WBC super middleweight contender Noe Gonzalez by an impressive 5th round TKO. Groves landed a booming right hand to knock Gonzalez out.
Carl Froch
Carl Froch boxing news
Atlas picks Froch to beat Kessler
ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas is picking IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) to defeat WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) in their fight tonight at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
Atlas’ reasons for going with Froch echo a lot of the same reasons others are picking Froch. He feels that Froch has improved considerably in the three years since he last fought Kessler in 2010, and sees him as a more confident fighter at this stage in his career despite being a year older than Kessler.
Froch maybe favourite but Kessler has a bigger point to prove
Conventional boxing wisdom seems to dictate that Carl Froch will tonight avenge his 2010 defeat to Mikkel Kessler in their much-anticipated rematch in London.
Froch, who still disputes his loss on Danish soil, insists if their first bout had been on home territory, he too may have been seen to have eked out a narrow victory akin to Kessler’s in Copenhagen. I respectfully disagree.
What is undeniable however is that the first clash between Froch and Kessler was a certifiable classic, boasting one of the most fervid and frantic 12th rounds in recent boxing memory. While there are those who evidently doubt Kessler’s ability to win a second bout, there are few who doubt the rematch will pick up right from where the first fight left off, in impassioned fashion.
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch II: Expect a great fight!
The long awaited rematch between Mikkel “The Viking Warrior” Kessler (46-2, 35KOs) and Carl “The Cobra” Froch (30-2, 22KOs) will take place this Saturday, May 25th at the O2 Arena (Millennium Dome) in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. The bout will be televised on HBO at 6:00p.m. ET and Kessler’s World Boxing Association World Title and Froch’s International Boxing Federation World Title will be on the line.
The last time these two men meet in the ring was in Herning, Demark, on April 24, 2010, as Kessler earned a hard fought 12 round unanimous decision during the Super Six Showtime Boxing Tournament by three scorecards of 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112. This was a great, competitive, back and forth bout in which both fighters had their moments. Kessler slightly outland and outpunch Froch, however, the fight was a bit closer than the scorecards indicated.
Froch vs. Kessler 2: Legacy and a date with the Legend of Longevity are on the line
Although few fighters if any can match the quality of opponent that Carl Froch has faced since his introduction to the big time in his 2008 fight with Jean Pascal, make no mistake about it, his legacy is on the line. Not only legacy but a fight with the legend of longevity Bernard Hopkins, is waiting in the wings in what would be a hall of fame sealer for Carl “The Cobra” Froch. There is only one problem. The Viking Warrior is standing in his way and Mikkel Kessler has plenty of skill along with grit to make his “Warrior Call” be heard to the roof tops of the O2 Arena in London. Another week, another 50-50 fight and win-win for boxing fans across the world.
According to the some betting lines Carl Froch ranges from an almost 2-1 favorite, all the way up to an astronomical 4-1 or 5-1 on a betting website in the U.K. Carl Froch has been the more active fighter since their fight in 2010, as well as facing the better opposition. Meanwhile, Mikkel Kessler was forced to take two separate breaks, one over a year and one almost a year, to heal his eye injuries that nearly forced him to retire from the sport. What if anything is different besides location from the first fight and will this fight play out in similar fashion?
Kessler’s promoter: Froch is starting to crack from the pressure
Kalle Sauerland, the promoter for WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s), thinks IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) is showing the hallmarks of a fighter that is mentally crumbling under the pressure of his big-fight rematch with Kessler this Saturday night in London, England.
Earlier this week, Froch talked of potentially killing Kessler in the ring this Saturday, and Sauerland sees that as a sign that Froch is going to pieces.
Sauerland said this about Froch as quoted by the Dailystar.co.uk “We think this type of talk shows that Carl is cracking up under the pressure. This is the biggest fight that Carl has ever been involved in…he’s the favorite and his fans expect him to win, so maybe he’s feeling the pressure.”
Froch goes overboard with comments about Kessler
There’s a right way and a wrong way to try and hype a fight, and IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) showed a prime example of the wrong by talking about possibly killing his opponent WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) in their unification fight this Saturday night in London, UK.
Froch said this to Telegraph.co.uk “If I have to I will kill this f***** [Kessler]. I will kill him. It sounds brutal, it sounds horrible, but that is what it means to me…when I smash his face in, I am going for the kill.”
Carl Froch: Let the gloves do the talking
The past few months have been exceptionally exciting for fight fans across the globe. Match ups such as, Rios v Alvardo, Floyd v Guerrero, Donaire v Rigondeaux have once again given the die- hards an opportunity to grab ‘a cold one’ and cancel all their weekend night time engagements. Super fights are now being made more often which in turn has woken up the sport that many critics claimed was dying a slow death.
This weekend will be no exception as IBF Super-Middleweight Champion Carl Froch takes on Denmarks WBA Champion Mikkel Kessler. This will be the second time the pair meet, and Froch is eager for revenge after losing a close affair on points back in 2010.
Kessler looking to beat Froch in front of his own fans
Kessler wants to show that his win last time wasn’t because he was fighting at home in Denmark. It was because he was the more talented fighter than the upright, easy to hit Froch.
Kessler said “I want to show Carl and all of his boxing fans that I’m better than him.”
Well, if the fight follows the pattern of their last fight, Froch will come out aggressive; taste some of Kessler’s power and back off immediately. Last time, Froch fought in spurts where he would come at Kessler for some exchanges and then back away after Kessler got the better of him. The fight followed this pattern until late in the fight when it clear that Froch was well behind in the fight and needed to sweep the championship rounds in order to have a chance to win.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler II: Preview & Prediction
When Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch (30-2, 22 KOs) squares off against ‘Viking Warrior’ Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KOs) for the second time this Saturday, it will have been more than three years since their first grueling encounter in Group Stage 2 of the Super Six Boxing Classic. That contest unquestionably represented the most compelling and entertaining match-up in the entire super middleweight tournament, and there is good reason to believe the rematch will be an equally competitive battle that rivals, or perhaps even surpasses, the original. Froch and Kessler are still both universally recognized as two of the very best 168 pound boxers in the world, just as they were on April 24, 2010 when Kessler was awarded a hard fought unanimous decision on his home turf in Denmark. What can we expect this time from these two proven warriors? Will ‘The Cobra’ strike the Dane with a lethal bite, or will ‘The Viking’ savagely slay the serpent?
Carl Froch has fought five times since he faced Kessler, going 4-1 during that stretch, while Mikkel has won all three of his bouts. Of course the lone loss suffered by Froch was at the hands of Andre Ward, who is widely viewed as an elite pound-for-pound talent on par with Floyd Mayweather Junior. No shame there. Kessler himself was soundly beaten by Ward previously. The fact that Froch bounced back from the loss with an impressive brutal knockout against Lucian Bute holds far greater importance when searching for clues to explore that might give us some indication of what to expect on Saturday.