If ever a rivalry that was 1-1, crammed full of two-way violence, absolutely screamed for a part three, it is the super-middleweight rivalry that went down between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler.
British pride Vs. Danish pride. Two men who had so much mutual respect (there was no need for any trash-talk or pre-fight silliness here), going at it in a search for supremacy.
The first fight took place 15 years ago today. Kessler was 31 years old, and he was 42-2(32). Froch was a year older and unbeaten at 26-0. “The Cobra” was the reigning and defending WBC champ at 168 pounds.
The two warriors gave us a great one, a special one—a modern-day classic of a fight. Froch, as he had done in previous fights against other fighters, faced Kessler in his homeland. What came was a superb fight, one that was full of ebbs and flows. In the end, Kessler edged Froch on the cards, this by surprisingly accurate, if not entirely accurate, scores of 117-111 (a disgrace of a card), 116-112 (not much better), and 115-113.
The fight was so exciting and controversial that a rematch was demanded. And so it came, in May of 2013 – this time in London.
Dubbed “Warrior’s Call,” the sequel proved to be an even better fight in the opinion of some (Froch fans understandably). By now, Froch was 30-2(22), while “The Viking Warrior” was 46-2(35). These two men, who knew each other so well and were also well-matched, again gave their all to gain supremacy. And again, the fight went all the way.
This time, the two warriors were contesting two world titles: the IBF and the WBA 168-pound belts. Froch won the early rounds, Kessler commanded the middle sessions, and then Froch roared back to take the late rounds. It was another great battle. And this time, it was Froch who won via a unanimous decision; one that nobody could argue with, the scores being 118-110 (admittedly, this was too wide), 116-112, and 115-113.
The rubber match never materialized, despite much talk of it possibly happening at the time. Instead, these two great, respectful, and – to repeat – so evenly matched modern greats left it at one win each.
In some ways, this makes the rivalry between Froch and Kessler all the more special.
Now, dare we ask the question – which of these two was the overall greater fighter!?