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© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
We laid down the choices, weighed them out, measured them, and then came to the unanimous conclusion. The month of November is one where glory belongs to the Pride of Wales and undisputed super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe.
On November 3, Calzaghe faced off against Mikkel Kessler in one boxing’s most anticipated bouts over perhaps the last two years and between possibly the two most skilled super middleweights to face off since Roy Jones Jr., met and outpointed James Toney in 1994.
Calzaghe finally put to rest any doubts that even the sternest of his detractors may have had by sweeping former WBA/WBC division titlist Mikkel Kessler in a 12 round masterpiece.
Calzaghe entered the ring at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales with the support of his homeland behind him and more than just a title at stake, for a win would silence all his detractors outside the UK, but a loss would set him back years in terms of the respect he has fought so hard to gain.
While Calzaghe was undefeated going into the ring against Kessler with an impressive 43-0 (32) record, he was under scrutiny by many for his choice of opponents during these last few years along with his reluctance to fight outside of the United Kingdom. where he is a huge draw.
The same scrutiny that was temporarily laid to rest after he dismantled undefeated IBF title holder Jeff Lacy in 2006 had resurfaced over the last six or so months due to his poor choice of opponent in lightly regarded Peter Manfredo from the Contender series season one.
Also, the fact that negotiations for a megafight with Bernard Hopkins were rumored to have fallen through because Calzaghe would not give in to terms set by the current light heavyweight kingpin and his promotion team. The time was here for Calzaghe to shine like never before and shine he did.
As the bell started for the fight to begin, both men seemed determined to feel the other before trying gain control. The younger Kessler would not be intimidated by the home court advantage and Calzaghe was not going to underestimate his visiting foe by jumping on him to0 quickly.
Fighting with a thinking man’s game plan, Calzaghe decided to allow his younger foe a chance to get comfortable before taking him into the deeper waters.
For the first part of the fight, it was give and take with neither man clearly dominating any of the rounds. As the bout wore on, Calzaghe began to set the tempo, forcing Kessler to fight his fight.
Just as Kessler would get off a good combination and start to turn a round towards his favor, Calzaghe would pick up the pace one step higher, taking Kessler’s best shots then letting loose with flurries that left the Danish warrior confused.
The deeper the fight went towards the championship rounds, the more Calzaghe would pour on the heat and while Kessler, being the true champion he is, never gave up, by round nine the expressions on Mikkel’s face had become that of a dejected and confused fighter.
Calzaghe’s offensive output was clearly too much for the young man from Denmark to handle.
When the final bell sounded and the ring announcer read off the judge’s scorecards, it was a resounding 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112, all in the favor of Calzaghe. It was a decision that not even Kessler disputed.
So, with his dominant performance over former 168 lb titlist Mikkel Kessler and the fact that he has finally hushed the critics whom doubted him, SaddoBoxing salutes undisputed super middleweight champion Joe “The Italian Dragon” Calzaghe for a job well done and proving why he is “The Pride of Wales”.
