Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler explained

Fight Date:24 April 2010
Fight Name:Super Six World Boxing Classic
Location:MCH Messecenter Herning, Herning, Denmark
Titles:WBC Super Middleweight Championship
Fighter1: Carl Froch
Nickname1:The Cobra
Record1:26–0 (20 KO)
Hometown1:Nottingham, United Kingdom
Height1:6 feet 1 inches
Weight1:167+3/4 lb
Recognition1:WBC
Super Middleweight Champion
Fighter2: Mikkel Kessler
Nickname2:Viking Warrior
Record2:42–2 (32 KO)
Hometown2:Copenhagen, Denmark
Height2:6 feet 1 inches
Weight2:167 lb
Recognition2:WBC
No. 3 Ranked Super Middleweight
Result:Kessler defeated Froch via unanimous decision

Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler was a championship fight for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Middleweight championship on 24 April 2010 in Herning, Denmark.[1]

Background

Froch defeated Andre Dirrell by split decision in his third WBC super-middleweight title defense which was a very controversial win with many believing Dirrell had won. Nevertheless, Froch got the win and the 2 points for his victory.[2] Meanwhile, WBA Champion Kessler was upset in his first Super Six match against Andre Ward who won via an 11th round technical decision.

In the buildup to the fight there were concerns that the Icelandic volcanic ash eruptions would cause the fight to be disrupted, but it went head as planned .[3]

The fight

In a closely fought contest where both men had great moments throughout the fight, Kessler took Froch's title and inflicted Froch's first professional defeat via unanimous decision, the judges scoring the contest by margins of 116–112, 115–113 and 117–111. The scoring was somewhat controversial, as some boxing announcers had scored the fight much closer, with some awarding Froch the win and others scoring it a draw.[4] [5] [6] Froch later stated that the fight was close and that he believes the decision would have gone his way if the event had been held in Nottingham.[7] [8] The fight was a contender for the 2010 Fight of the Year.

Aftermath

In August, Kessler announced he was withdrawing from the Super Six tournament due to the worsening of the eye injury he suffered during his earlier fight against Andre Ward, vacating the WBC belt in the progress. WBC, after initially announcing that it would grant the belt to the winner of the upcoming Group Stage 3 match between its number one contender Andre Dirrell and the WBA champion Ward, it was confirmed that the WBC would grant its championship to the winner of the scheduled match between Froch and Arthur Abraham, which Froch won to retain title.[9]

Froch and Kessler would fight a rematch in 2013, with Froch winning by unanimous decision in London.[10]

Broadcasting

align=center Countryalign=center Broadcaster
Showtime

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:[11]

Winner LoserWeight division/title belt(s) disputed Result
Non-TV bouts
Koko Murat Nick KlappertSuper Welterweight (8 rounds)Majority Decision.
Edmund Gerber Samir KurtagicHeavyweight (8 rounds)Unanimous Decision.
Vinni Skovgaard Diane SchwachhoferWelterweight (6 rounds)Unanimous Decision.
Thomas Troelenberg Elio CotenaMiddleweight (6 rounds)Split Decision.
Lukas Schulz Viktor SzalaiCruiserweight (6 rounds)3rd-round KO.
Patrick Nielsen Norbert SzekeresMiddleweight (4 rounds)4th-round KO.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler (1st meeting) - BoxRec.
  2. Carl Froch defeats Andre Dirrell and claims next contest with Mikkel Kessler will be a war. Telegraph.co.uk . 2009-10-18 . Gareth. Davies . https://web.archive.org/web/20091021214750/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/6364413/Carl-Froch-defeats-Andre-Dirrell-and-claims-next-contest-with-Mikkel-Kessler-will-be-a-war.html. dead. 2009-10-21. 2011-05-24.
  3. Web site: Carl Froch's bout with Mikkel Kessler to defy ash cloud . Ben. Dirs. BBC.
  4. http://www.onlinesportshandicapping.com/news-9/fight-picks/092710-boxing-news-arthur-abraham-vs-carl-froch-odds.html Boxing News: Arthur Abraham vs Carl Froch Odds
  5. http://www.boxingscene.com/carl-froch-getting-anxious-get-ward-ring--46096 Carl Froch Getting Anxious To Get Ward in The Ring – Boxing News
  6. Iole, Kevin. (2011-12-13) Mailbag: Ranking the Super Six bouts – Boxing – Yahoo! Sports. Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-01.
  7. Vester, Mark (2010-04-24) Froch: If I Was Back Home, I Would Have Beaten Kessler – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-01.
  8. Web site: Carl Froch loses belt to Mikkel Kessler. Gareth A. Davies.
  9. Web site: Carl Froch v Abraham confirmed as WBC title contes . BBC.
  10. Web site: Carl Froch gains revenge on Mikkel Kessler in gripping title fight. The Guardian.
  11. Web site: BoxRec - event.