OK guys, I have literally only just got in through the door back at my place, and I am totally buzzing after a great evening down in Cardiff. I haven't read any other posts, nor have I watched any of the fight on TV, but I thought I'd post my thoughts on the fights from the cheap seats in the stadium, and how I saw it.
First off, there is the apparent knockdown. From where we were sitting, it looked as though Calzaghe had looped in a left hand that had contacted Kessler who did slip a little as well, but I do believe it looked like a legit knockdown from the third tier of the stand.
As for how I saw the fight going, I thought that the first seven rounds were pretty even, with Kessler and Calzaghe trading blows and rounds in exciting fashion, and the fight seemed to be swinging back and forth. Also, I thought Kessler had Calzaghe rattled twice during those rounds, with one example in the third or fourth seeing Calzaghe on the back foot and seemingly on shaky legs. However, Calzaghe kept moving forward, and did seem to be outlanding Kessler's shots, but Kessler's seemed to have more venom. Calzaghe's flurries were exciting to watch, and had the crowd on their feet quite a few times.
As for the bit of showboating, it looked as though Kessler caught him once or twice with his hands down, and that was really not smart on Joe's part. However, going down the stretch Calzaghe edging away from Kessler, and I ended up with Kessler getting the last round, but Calzaghe winning by two rounds, 115-113.
I was a little surprised with the scorecards, especially the wide one, but overall I felt Joe deserved the victory, and proved his place as the best Super-Middleweight in the world, and unified champion.
I'll upload the pics in a few minutes, though I was way up in the top tier, so I'll see how they turn out.
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