Is Kessler all that good?

[eagle]

I think the thing that i like about Kess is that he is fighting all the best opponents he can as champ straight away.
His reign already includes. Mundine in australia, Lucas Beyer Andrade, now Joe C. Not a bad resume.

At the same time Joe fought Sobot, Giminez Ferrerya, Reid and Thornberry.

Not knocking Joe too much here but Kessler is willing to fight harder opponents much earlier in his reign as champ.

[donnydarkoIRL]

[/quote]
Well Mick,He may not have boxed several huge name, but thats largely due to the fact that there really were'nt that many big names around during Calzaghe's reign. Quite simply, he couldn't box superstars as they really weren't there. Lacy is the first that springs to mind and Calzaghe took a fight with him as quick as he could.

However Jo has boxed a number of what i would deem "intermediate," fighters. Guys that are there giving it there all, restricted only by their skill limitations etc.
Guys like Salem, Bika, Reid all gave Calzaghe tough tests but Joe ticked the boxes.
Similarly to RJJ, not that many huge names but the way he ticked the boxes was incredible!
[/quote]
Right donny.
But what I did is the same thing he did to Kess which was point out his 2 biggest opponents. (Tho I don't agree with him)
And trust me I know and understand all about not having big names for him to fight.
I was agreeing with you up until you mentioned RJJ cause IMO RJJ & Joes careers are worlds apart.
RJJ fought Hopkins, Toney, Paz, McCallum and also won a title as a Heavyweight P4P the best fighter of his era.
So you mean to tell me Salem, Bika, Reid hold grown against RJJs opponents?
Like I said I didn't want to hack at Joe but if Kess is gonna get hacked for that then lets look at both of their opponents.
[/quote]
Hopkins Toney and McCallum are undoubtedly great names to appear on any resume...What can i say you can't really debate or argue the greatness of a fighter such as Roy Jones. That would be like saying Muhammad Ali was average-ish. But if one was forced into a situation to argue with you on that point I suppose the most sensible route would be to argue about his opposition...Guys like Danny Garcia were hardly awe inspiring?
Anyway. in a sense Mick i'm agreeing with you on many levels.
Kessler deserves to be respected. I recognise that.
However i feel that we must take another factor into account. Had Joe and Kessler been active in an other era i believe they would be more recognised and viewed as greater as they now are. I guess what i'm trying to say is BOTH kessler and Calzaghe would have beaten many and most of the best in any era AND they would have, had they been given the opportunity.

[CutMeMick]

Hopkins Toney and McCallum are undoubtedly great names to appear on any resume...What can i say you can't really debate or argue the greatness of a fighter such as Roy Jones. That would be like saying Muhammad Ali was average-ish. But if one was forced into a situation to argue with you on that point I suppose the most sensible route would be to argue about his opposition...Guys like Danny Garcia were hardly awe inspiring?
Anyway. in a sense Mick i'm agreeing with you on many levels.
Kessler deserves to be respected. I recognise that.
However i feel that we must take another factor into account. Had Joe and Kessler been active in an other era i believe they would be more recognised and viewed as greater as they now are. I guess what i'm trying to say is BOTH kessler and Calzaghe would have beaten many and most of the best in any era AND they would have, had they been given the opportunity.

I agree they would have cause they both would have had better opposition to face.
I think it's safe to say that once the bell rings nore Siaca, Beyer, Eubank or Mitchell will matter much.

[donnydarkoIRL]

No they wont matter at all
The winner of this fight will be as good as certifying their legacy though. A loss would be much more damaging to Calzaghe's legacy i feel as Kessler has youth on his side.

It's an entertaining matchup i'm looking forward to.

[Fenster]

Right Eubank is rated top 10 but you would agree that when he fought Joe he was nowhere near that?
IMO, that's like giving Tszyu credit for his win over JCC.

Don't want to be picky, Mick, but.. Kostya was an established champion in his pomp, Chavez was lightyears passed his best and never went on to do a thing, for obvious reasons.

When Calzaghe fought Eubank he'd never even been passed 8 rds, it was a huge step-up in class, so even though Eubank was slightly passed it, it was a great win for Calzaghe which was underlined when Eubank went on to fight two tremendous fights against Carl Thompson for the Cruiser title.

Regardless of the belts Kessler's role in this fight is challenger.

Win or lose Calzaghe is one of the best ever supermiddles. If Kessler wins he's firmly cemented himself amongst the best ever supermiddles.

[Wacko3205]

Right Eubank is rated top 10 but you would agree that when he fought Joe he was nowhere near that?
IMO, that's like giving Tszyu credit for his win over JCC.

Don't want to be picky, Mick, but.. Kostya was an established champion in his pomp, Chavez was lightyears passed his best and never went on to do a thing, for obvious reasons.

When Calzaghe fought Eubank he'd never even been pass 8 rds, it was a huge step-up in class, so even though Eubank was slightly passed it, it was a great win for Calzaghe which was underlined when Eubank went on to fight two tremendous fights against Carl Thompson for the Cruiser title.

Regardless of the belts Kessler's role in this fight is challenger.

Win or lose Calzaghe is one of the best ever supermiddles. If Kessler wins he's firmly cemented himself amongst the best ever supermiddles.

Good post, well put, & well stated...especially on the last part.

[El Gamo]

Kessler is a superb fighter,has a resume comparable to that of Joe's yet has been champ for a much shorter period of time. Win or lose,Kessler has what it takes to succeed. An excellent fighter.

[Fenster]

Right Eubank is rated top 10 but you would agree that when he fought Joe he was nowhere near that?
IMO, that's like giving Tszyu credit for his win over JCC.

Don't want to be picky, Mick, but.. Kostya was an established champion in his pomp, Chavez was lightyears passed his best and never went on to do a thing, for obvious reasons.

When Calzaghe fought Eubank he'd never even been pass 8 rds, it was a huge step-up in class, so even though Eubank was slightly passed it, it was a great win for Calzaghe which was underlined when Eubank went on to fight two tremendous fights against Carl Thompson for the Cruiser title.

Regardless of the belts Kessler's role in this fight is challenger.

Win or lose Calzaghe is one of the best ever supermiddles. If Kessler wins he's firmly cemented himself amongst the best ever supermiddles.

Good post, well put, & well stated...especially on the last part.

Thanks. CC back.

If Kessler wins I think he'll reign for a good while as a very dominant champion.

[Wright]

Not seen anything of Kessler, which shows my boxing ignorance I suppose, but from reading the views of those on this site he must be decent. Never been a big fan of Calzaghe, but even though there's an unknown quantity (for me) and someone I don't care for fighting, I still know that this is a huge fight, and one to get excited about. That should be the bottom line.

[Wacko3205]

Not seen anything of Kessler, which shows my boxing ignorance I suppose, but from reading the views of those on this site he must be decent. Never been a big fan of Calzaghe, but even though there's an unknown quantity (for me) and someone I don't care for fighting, I still know that this is a huge fight, and one to get excited about. That should be the bottom line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy95JmNB4g0

He's more than just decent...but he won't fair so easily with Joe.

Check out Youtube's shots of him...theyv'e got some good stuff on there.

[Wright]

Cheers for the film - only makes me want to see the fight more. Jab looks like something that could be useful, but seems to pore a little bit. Might be the picture though. Like you say, Beyer's no Calzaghe, but then I have a feeling Kessler will be no Lacy (stating the obvious). Great fight, between two fighters who can punch. What more could we ask for?

[superheavyrhun]

Siaca and Beyer were the two worst titlists in boxing.

This is the same guy that started the "how good is Calzaghe's chin?" thread.

Any chance in changing the rule so I can this guy again please?

It is the one and the same fella, sucker for punishment this lad. If you're going to start a thread at least make some sort of an effort to argue a point.

[Mar]

Is kessler all that good = yes !! Is calzaghe all that good = yes !! That is why this is such a big fight, they are both great but now we get to find out the more important question, who is better !!

[bcollins]

I don't care if Calzaghe whips Kessler from pillar to post - he's still a damn good fighter. Fairly calm in the ring, clean technique, good attitude - I agree with the others on this thread who say we should show more respect to these guys!