Two undefeated super middleweight champions face off just moments from now in a unification title fight, Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KOs) faces off against Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29 KOs). Let’s hope this is a competitive action packed fight, Calzaghe has easily defeated his last few opponents so he should be due for a tough one.

If there are any entertaining knockdowns/knockouts during the course of the fight, I’ll try to get them posted A.S.A.P for the boxing fans out there who aren’t able to see this live.
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Round 1
Calzaghe comes out looking to pressure Kessler immediately, jabbing and pressing the action. These guys appear to be skipping the boring first round “feeling out” process, both men seem willing to trade punches now. Neither fighter scored any hard significant punches, and both guys were very active. An extremely close round, it could be scored either way, but I’ll give it to Kessler.

10-9 Kessler

Round 2
Calzaghe fired off a few wild shots in the first minute of the round, not landing much. Kessler has landed a few crisp shots but nothing very damaging. The ref has warned Calzaghe for holding behind the head. Kessler lands the first big shot of the fight, which sends Calzaghe back into the ropes, Joe recovered very quickly. Kessler tried to press the action more, but Joe fought him off quite well. Right before the bell Joe landed a few good shots, but the round was easily controlled by his opponent. Kessler looks very measured.

10-9 Kessler.

Round 3
Calzaghe is VERY aggressive in this round, after the first minute passed by Joe opened up with a wild flurry of punches, backing Kessler up against the ropes. Kessler seemed to have edged him out in the first two rounds so Joe is switching tactics which is a smart move. He hasn’t hurt Kessler at all but his new aggressive style is preventing Kessler from having the same success he did in rounds 1 and 2. Calzaghe is scoring with hard shots, the crowd is going wild with each one. Very effective round for Joe, I think he’ll be pressuring his opponent from this point on

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 4
Joe comes out a little more patient than he was in the last round. The two men stand in the middle of the ring and trade a furious barrage of punches, Kessler got the better of the exchange but didnt hurt his opponent too bad. Joe recovered fast and seems to have a real sturdy chin. Kessler has scored with two big uppercuts within this round, he’s doing a very smart thing but fighting with controlled aggression, if he choses to get wild and careless he’ll play right into Calzaghe’s hand.

10-9 Kessler

Round 5
In comparison to the last few rounds this one has been relatively quiet, no significant shots by either guy for the first two minutes. They haven’t exactly taken the round off but the action is slower. In the last minute of the round blood starts to trickle from the nose of Kessler. Calzaghe controlled most of the action so he gets the round.

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 6
The guys have abandoned the brawling style and are boxing in the middle of the ring. Joe is landing most of the shots but they all seem to be light jabs.Calzaghe’s hand speed is becoming a factor for the first tie in the fight, none of the shots are big but he’s scoring much more than he has at any point in the match. Kessler seems timid and a little gun shy, this could possibly be a turning point in the fight unless Kessler changes his approach.

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 7
Kessler’s cornermen told him he was behind in the fight between rounds, HBO’s boxing analyst Harold Lederman has the fight 58-56 for Calzaghe. The action seems more of the same from round six, Calzaghe lands a nice combo in the middle of the round snapping Kessler’s head back. Kessler seems to sense the urgency and begins opening up his offense in the last minute of the round. A few of Kessler’s shots are definitely finding a home, Calzaghe is now bleeding from a small spot above his nose. This has been the closest round of the fight.. hard to score. I’ll give it to Kessler.

10-9 Kessler

Round 8
Kessler comes out more aggressive than he’s been most of the fight. He’s ripping shots into Calzaghe but most have been blocked. The guys are throwing hard shots, at this pace someone is gonna get hurt very soon. Calzaghe lands some hard shots and stuns Kessler but he punches Kessler behind the head and the ref pulls him off to warn him. Kessler still seems hurt but continues to slug it out The crowd gives a standing ovation after the round.

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 9
Kessler recovered between the rounds and comes out swinging. His corner is being very honest with him about his position in the fight and he’s responding with the proper urgent work rate. With half of the round over neither guy has landed any big shots. Kessler has controlled most of the action so he has the slight edge going into the last minute of round 9, Calzaghe opens up his offense and scores a bunch of great shots. He didn’t hurt his opponent but he clearly outboxed him down the stretch to steal the round.

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 10
Harold Lederman has Calzaghe winning the last five rounds of the fight, ahead 88-83 on his scorecard. I don’t think he’s winning by that big of a margin but this should give you guys a good impression of how close some of the rounds are. The guys are standing in the middle of the round firing off hard shots, Kessler is getting wild with his offense. He lands two hard shots in the corner and clearly knows he’s behinon the scorecards. Very close round, Kessler landed the more significant shots, but Calzaghe has the crowd and the announce team in the palm of his hands. Kessler’s corner is advising him he needs a knockout

10-9 Kessler

Round 11
Calzaghe is putting up a pretty good boxing show right now, while Kessler is clearly rattled and hungry for an exchange, Calzaghe seems very cool, calm, patient, and aware he’s in control of the fight. Mentally its pretty apparent he has the edge, and he hasn’t looked this good since the early portions of the fight.

10-9 Calzaghe

Round 12
Kessler is giving calzaghe everything he has, he knows he needs to put Calzaghe out to win the fight. He’s landed a really hard shot and momentarily stunned Joe. Calzaghe isn’t completely backing down from the action but he’s fighting smart to preserve his victory. Kessler is throwing some ferocious shots, most aren’t landing but he’s going in for the kill.

10-9 Kessler

Amazingly I have the fight even after twelve rounds, but HBO has Calzaghe easily winning. The fight was much closer than the home crowd would lead you to believe. Let’s see what the official ringside judges think…….

117-111
116-112
116-112

Calzahe Wins.

and my scoring apparently sucks.