How in God's name will this November card sell over 60,000 tickets?

The Millenium Stadium bill in March, even with Amir Khan on the undercard, a 15-fight undercard, tickets at £15 and relentless advertising around Wales for months, sold a reported (reported by Sports Network) 35,000 tickets (those there said it looked more like 20,000).

How can you top that without, say, Ricky Hatton on the card as well? You can't.

Kessler has never been on British TV, whereas everyone remembers Peter Manfredo from The Contender.

Oh and by the way, I hate to say it but Kessler may very well school Joe.

A lot of this fight depends on Kessler's power. If he can keep Calzaghe off him he'll win, if he hits hard enough he'll KO Joe coming in

In a slow paced boxing match Calzaghe doesn't have a hope, Kessler will pick him off left, right and centre. Calzaghe has always struggled against stand-up pure boxers (Opreda, Reid, Starie, Woodhall), he doesn't cut off the ring well, can't weave forward or stick the jab (he can flick the jab) or find gaps (you can't hit through gaps when you don't turn your knuckles). His only hope is to stick to Kessler's chest and try to take him out early with his winging hooks, or completely out-work him

I've got a feeling we'll see another Hamed-Barrera, with Kessler being Barrera

Calzaghe boxed out of his skin against Lacy, but he's never ever looked near that sharp in thought and reaction in any other fight and he's not exactly getting any younger (and his hand isn't exactly getting stronger)

I reckon Kessler gets him. Kessler's in his prime. He has some kind of back injuries so he avoids time-waster fights and tries to take lucrative matches/fights that count. Joe hasn't faced many long-range boxers. I think Joe finds himself out of range and, frustrated by the 4th round, he starts waving his right arm about as he does and throwing his left from out of range, falling from southpaw to orthodox. He does that and Kessler picks him to pieces


Mind you, neither of these guys are the best in the division. That's Froch

Everyone in wales wants this fight and cant wait to see it- i think 50-60k will turn up for it easy....

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The reason why he looked so sharp in the lacy fight was down tot he fact he actualy had respectfor lacy and carried some fear into the fight... everyone else he knew he would school so just fucked about and fought to mancho..

Kessler is something he will take serious, even BEFORE he fought lacy he said then kessler will be his toughest fight a SMW...

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Originally Posted by Preme

even BEFORE he fought lacy he said then kessler will be his toughest fight a SMW...

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No he didn't. He said Lacy was by far the 'best of the rest' and how Lacy would probably be even tougher than the Eubank fight

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Originally Posted by Nium

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Originally Posted by Preme

even BEFORE he fought lacy he said then kessler will be his toughest fight a SMW...

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No he didn't. He said Lacy by far the 'best of the rest' and how Lacy would probably be even tougher than the Eubank fight

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what fighters sya in public and what fighters say behinde the scenes are two different things.

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Originally Posted by Preme

Everyone in wales wants this fight and cant wait to see it- i think 50-60k will turn up for it easy....

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The reason why he looked so sharp in the lacy fight was down tot he fact he actualy had respectfor lacy and carried some fear into the fight... everyone else he knew he would school so just fucked about and fought to mancho..

Kessler is something he will take serious, even BEFORE he fought lacy he said then kessler will be his toughest fight a SMW...

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I think Preme's in the bes position to judge this and your probably right but i still cant seemore than 35 thousand turning up

I can see it and wouldnt back against Joe

Really can't see Kessler beating Joe... he's fought stronger fighters and he's fought more skilled fighters... Kessler is good at what he does... but he's very, very text book...

He doesn't have enough of the 'x factor' to give Joe problems and although he's an athletic bloke... I really don't think that he's strong enough to be able to blast Joe out...

Adam I meant 60,000

The cheapest tickets for this fight were in fact £30 not £15 as originally stated.
Calzaghes popularity has been helped by the fact that his fights are all shown free and primetime on ITV which is 1 of the main networks in the UK.

The only trouble I see with filling the stadium is casual boxing fans who went to the Manfredo farce being skeptical about the quality of opponent this time.

Buncey said the cheapest tickets were £25 - that must mean they were 15 ;D

After the last letdown (ref's fault) against Manfredo, I would be a little hesitant to shell out more cash.

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

Andrade was a tough opponent he totally handled but ya resume is just OK.

Kessler may be textbook but i'd argue he has one of best jabs in division which will cause huge problems for Calzaghe to stay in a rythm and he also has the punching power which also presents a huge concern. This fight is not a given for Joe at all and i think Kessler brings more elements of potential danger than Calzaghe who relies on hand speed.

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Originally Posted by Sugar_Shaw

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Originally Posted by Preme

Everyone in wales wants this fight and cant wait to see it- i think 50-60k will turn up for it easy....

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The reason why he looked so sharp in the lacy fight was down tot he fact he actualy had respectfor lacy and carried some fear into the fight... everyone else he knew he would school so just fucked about and fought to mancho..

Kessler is something he will take serious, even BEFORE he fought lacy he said then kessler will be his toughest fight a SMW...

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I think Preme's in the bes position to judge this and your probably right but i still cant seemore than 35 thousand turning up

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35kpeople shownd up to the manfredo fight were welsh... this fight you would get 50 r more welsh turn up + K's of danes.... 60k for this fight easy imo....

i got over 20 people in my SMALL town signed up to see this fight in under 10 mins tonight.... the welsh love our heros... and joe is our biggest!

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

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Lacy was in front of Calzaghe all night and allowing him to counter punch. He lost every round, got his eyes swollen and cut, broke his jaw and got knocked down en route to hanging on for dear life.

Kesslers game has many more faces. His footwork alone will ensure he won't end up like Lacy.

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

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Lacy was in front of Calzaghe all night and allowing him to counter punch. He lost every round, got his eyes swollen and cut, broke his jaw and got knocked down en route to hanging on for dear life.

Kesslers game has many more faces. His footwork alone will ensure he won't end up like Lacy.

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As far as Kessler's footwork and boxing ability go, fighters can look like Sugar Ray Robinson at a certain level until they get moved up in class, then they can look ordinary or worse. If the Calzaghe that faces Kessler is anything like the Calzaghe that fought Lacy, Kessler will be fighting somebody in a different class to anybody he's fought before.

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Originally Posted by AdamGB

Really can't see Kessler beating Joe... he's fought stronger fighters and he's fought more skilled fighters... Kessler is good at what he does... but he's very, very text book...

He doesn't have enough of the 'x factor' to give Joe problems and although he's an athletic bloke... I really don't think that he's strong enough to be able to blast Joe out...

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More skilled than Kessler u wanna elaborate ? who ?

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

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Lacy was in front of Calzaghe all night and allowing him to counter punch. He lost every round, got his eyes swollen and cut, broke his jaw and got knocked down en route to hanging on for dear life.

Kesslers game has many more faces. His footwork alone will ensure he won't end up like Lacy.

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As far as Kessler's footwork and boxing ability go, fighters can look like Sugar Ray Robinson at a certain level until they get moved up in class, then they can look ordinary or worse. If the Calzaghe that faces Kessler is anything like the Calzaghe that fought Lacy, Kessler will be fighting somebody in a different class to anybody he's fought before.

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The footmovement of Kessler is excellent. We saw that against Andrade. Against Beyer, he didn't have to move. Beyer had nothing that could hurt Kessler, so why run. Every time Beyer came forward, he got tagged. Yes, Calzaghe can dance around Kessler, but then he can't land anything. Calzaghe can't win this fight from a distance. Kesslers jab is to good and to fast. Calzaghe must get inside, and on the way in he will get tagged and Kessler will move away.
Kessler will walk through calzaghe, he may loose more rounds than his previous career combined,but he will win

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Originally Posted by Scrap

I can see it and wouldnt back against Joe

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Joe will take him out. Ricky Hatton will put up an entertaining fight if he fights Floyd but will end up getting beat up, a lot like Arturo Gatti, just probably not quite that bad. That was a really one sided ass beating. Speaking of Gatti i hear he is contracted to fight not just Gomez from The Contender, but after that, he is signed to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Gatti is so done, I was worried about him being embarrassed by Gomez. Now I am worried he will be seriously physically injured with the second fight in the line up. I wish the guy would call it quits before the day comes when we wont be able to understand what he is saying anymore and he wont be able to either. It is scary because brain damage is a progressive thing...it gets worse over time. I am scared to see an interview with Gatti five or ten years from now...what an exciting and gutsy fighter...he sacrificed himself and his well being for our entertainment and in my opinion that puts him up with some of the most exciting and awesome fighters to watch, ever...but that fighter in physical ability is long gone. The heart may still remain and does but at this point it may be more dangerous to him than not. Oh well...back to the topic...you know those crazy English and Welsh fans. If they put Calzaghe and Hatton on the same card, it will do the numbers.

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

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Lacy was in front of Calzaghe all night and allowing him to counter punch. He lost every round, got his eyes swollen and cut, broke his jaw and got knocked down en route to hanging on for dear life.

Kesslers game has many more faces. His footwork alone will ensure he won't end up like Lacy.

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As far as Kessler's footwork and boxing ability go, fighters can look like Sugar Ray Robinson at a certain level until they get moved up in class, then they can look ordinary or worse. If the Calzaghe that faces Kessler is anything like the Calzaghe that fought Lacy, Kessler will be fighting somebody in a different class to anybody he's fought before.

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The footmovement of Kessler is excellent. We saw that against Andrade. Against Beyer, he didn't have to move. Beyer had nothing that could hurt Kessler, so why run. Every time Beyer came forward, he got tagged. Yes, Calzaghe can dance around Kessler, but then he can't land anything. Calzaghe can't win this fight from a distance. Kesslers jab is to good and to fast. Calzaghe must get inside, and on the way in he will get tagged and Kessler will move away.
Kessler will walk through calzaghe, he may loose more rounds than his previous career combined,but he will win

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You've only ever seen Kessler's jab/footwork/whatever against fighters in a much lower league to Calzaghe. It's easy for a fighter to look unbeatable against a certain level of opposition then look useless when they're moved up in class. How Kessler looked against Andrade or Beyer gives no clue to how he'd do against Calzaghe. I heard the same thing about Jeff Lacy. All the American pundits from Bert Sugar on down were talking about how Lacy was the new Mike Tyson, how he had the power/handspeed/footwork etc. They all said Calzaghe would be blown away. When they finally got in the ring, Calzaghe beat Lacy like a gong for twelve rounds. The same thing will happen against Kessler.

Welcome to the forum kirk;

Have your first CC on me!

Manfredo being well known was part of the problem. Everyone knows he's a bit crap.

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

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Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing

Looking at Kessler's record there doesn't seem to be anybody worth mentioning on it except Beyer who was at the end of his career. The fight will be a Calzaghe-Lacy repeat almost certainly.

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Lacy was in front of Calzaghe all night and allowing him to counter punch. He lost every round, got his eyes swollen and cut, broke his jaw and got knocked down en route to hanging on for dear life.

Kesslers game has many more faces. His footwork alone will ensure he won't end up like Lacy.

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As far as Kessler's footwork and boxing ability go, fighters can look like Sugar Ray Robinson at a certain level until they get moved up in class, then they can look ordinary or worse. If the Calzaghe that faces Kessler is anything like the Calzaghe that fought Lacy, Kessler will be fighting somebody in a different class to anybody he's fought before.

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The footmovement of Kessler is excellent. We saw that against Andrade. Against Beyer, he didn't have to move. Beyer had nothing that could hurt Kessler, so why run. Every time Beyer came forward, he got tagged. Yes, Calzaghe can dance around Kessler, but then he can't land anything. Calzaghe can't win this fight from a distance. Kesslers jab is to good and to fast. Calzaghe must get inside, and on the way in he will get tagged and Kessler will move away.
Kessler will walk through calzaghe, he may loose more rounds than his previous career combined,but he will win

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You've only ever seen Kessler's jab/footwork/whatever against fighters in a much lower league to Calzaghe. It's easy for a fighter to look unbeatable against a certain level of opposition then look useless when they're moved up in class. How Kessler looked against Andrade or Beyer gives no clue to how he'd do against Calzaghe. I heard the same thing about Jeff Lacy. All the American pundits from Bert Sugar on down were talking about how Lacy was the new Mike Tyson, how he had the power/handspeed/footwork etc. They all said Calzaghe would be blown away. When they finally got in the ring, Calzaghe beat Lacy like a gong for twelve rounds. The same thing will happen against Kessler.

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I don't like it when people compare Lacy with Kessler. What do they have in common really? Stylistically they are totally different, Lacy is smaller, slower, come forward in-fighter. Big punchers are always more overrated.

Kessler is a boxer-puncher who does his thing so well, he's bigger, he's got a great jab, great right hand, moves well, great handspeed for a big man, he dominates all of his opponents.

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Originally Posted by jangeorg

I don't like it when people compare Lacy with Kessler. What do they have in common really? Stylistically they are totally different, Lacy is smaller, slower, come forward in-fighter. Big punchers are always more overrated.

Kessler is a boxer-puncher who does his thing so well, he's bigger, he's got a great jab, great right hand, moves well, great handspeed for a big man, he dominates all of his opponents.

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Lacy actually has a longer reach than Kessler. I watched Kessler fight Bayer and Andrade on Youtube and they're both truly dreadful, slow, one-paced one dimensional fighters. Kessler isn't much better. He's OK, but nothing special. He's definitely been well-managed. When Calzaghe fights Kessler, you're going to see the difference in class between Calzaghe and Mexican roadsweepers like Andrade.

@ kirk. Kessler made them look bad, just as Calzaghe made Lacy look bad. Calzaghe is a great boxer no doubt about that. Is Kessler a great boxer ;) I think so and I believe that he can take Calzaghe out. So does Kessler since he have had his eyes on Calzaghe for a long time. I remember Enzo Calzaghe once said that Calzaghe was the best out there and the second best would be Kessler.

So what is inline is a fight between the 2 best smw. Basically anything can happen.

While im picking joe to win, at this Point of his careere i think kessler might have what it takes to snatch a close win...

Unless he damages a hand early in the fight, I see another comfortable win for Joe. Kessler may be the best contender out there right now, but he's the best of a bad bunch.

Froch is the next (or maybe only ever) dominant super-middleweight. Mark them, my words

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Originally Posted by Nium

Froch is the next (or maybe only ever) dominant super-middleweight. Mark them, my words

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He's another guy who's looked good against second raters. In fact third raters, he hasn't even fought the class of opposition that Kessler has. You can't really say how good he's going to be until he competes at world level. Move him up in class and he may look ordinary.

Joe will be thoroughly dominated in front of less than 20,000 people (of the reported 60,000, and 90% of which Amir Khan fans) and no American TV cameras, and Hennessy will slide in on ITV

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Originally Posted by Scrap

I can see it and wouldnt back against Joe

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I think some people are forgetting just how popular Joe is in Wales and the UK in General.
Joe wins in front of at least 45,000 easily 8)