I think there are just so many factors coming into this fight to be able to properly call...

I know people talk about kessler style and what not, but i don't think it's his style that will cause calzaghe any real trouble, he has beaten taller fighers, and guys who fight like kessler before... and the style seemed to play into joes hands...

The main things i would bring into questions is of course calzaghes hands...

Will they hold up? we all know his hands are dodgy and seem to be getting worse every fight, it seems almost imposible for joe to go through a fight without hurting them or adleast one... if he badly hurts his hand early on that will be major problem for him...

Is he as great as he was? In his last two fights his timing has seemed to be off a fair bit, something he will need to have perfect to beat a guy with kesslers style... Anyone who has followed Joe knows that when he is frustrated by being in the ring with lesser fighters he can get a bit sloppy and fight to their level, but has this been the case in his last few fights though? Calzaghe has barley sparred in years, he has been a little more active of late, but had a fair lay off after lacy, i doubt he sparred with any realy intenet during that lay off or the bika build up, shit he hardly sparred before lacy, the manfredo fight was to short for him to really shake off any rust or keep sharp from - the lack of out of fight ring time could really be a factor and affect his timing coming into this...

Joe's power, most will agree in his younger days before the real hand problems he hit extremlly hard, as an amature the doctor told he he would never turn pro due to him hitting to hard for his size... hence the problems... but now at this point of his career with young tought hard hitting hungry fighter, his lack of power could be again agasint him, if he has little to throw to hurt kessler i don't know if joe will be able to stay on the back foot for the night and box like that, he likes to mix it up alot, but without the power i could cost him...

As for kessler, i don't really see anything amazingly special about him. he is a very very good boxer, puts his punches together well, moves well and has a nice jab. There seems to be power behinde his punches although i think its been blown up a bit, as for his chin, well i havn't really seen it be tested so i can't honestly form a opinion on it yet, as of yet its seems sturdy.

But the thing is, this can be one of those fights where the young lion sees his change at dethroning the aging alpha male... calzaghe is getting on, he is still world class, but quit a few years past his prime IMO... Guys like kessler often view these sort of opitunites as a once in a life time chance and often put on a display they will never be able to match again due to the magnitue of such an ocasion... and this is something that could really favour kessler...

With all that said and done, i will have to pick calzaghe by a UD, maybe maybe a slim slim chance of a late TKO... i know kessler is no lacy style wise, but as of yet i have never seen kesslers chin or heart be truly tested... a lot of people take a shot at lacy and slag him off, but fuck me did that boy show unbelieveable heart and chin in that fight to take what he did and keep going...

if done right and joes stays on the outside early, is able to raise his game for a fight like this i would expect him to confuse and frustrate kessler early on picking up the early rounds and with minimal damage to his own hands. as the fight goes on and the rounds in the bag i would expect calzaghe to open up a bit more, become a lil mroe creative and kessler starting to force things and become more hittable and suseptable for combos and clean hits...

Depending how joes hands hold up and how much power he really has lost i would expect calzaghe to finish by a UD, not one sided, but not to close either, if he picks his punches right and doesnt get carried away i see no real reason why he doesn't maybe put on a late showing and finish him off in the very late rounds... i know kessler has looked fit, but ho fit exactly? its one thing when your jabbing your way to a UD, another when your getting hit all night long and trying to throw back...