IBR on The Cruelest Sport

Leading into their rematch at the O2 Arena in London, England, Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler appeared to be fighters on different trajectories. Since their first fight in 2010—which ended in a close unanimous decision for Kessler—Froch has continued to face the best opposition available. A loss to eventual Super Six Tournament winner Andre Ward was mitigated some by defeating Arthur Abraham, outworking Glenn Johnson in the rugged Jamaican’s last quality performance, and savaging Lucien Bute in five lopsided rounds. With his flattened nose, insolent sneer, and belligerent casualness, Froch is proof that a loss is not the death-knell of a career. Froch overcame defeats by refusing to deviate from the same gauntlet that caused him to stumble. Kessler, on the other hand, spent nearly fourteen months out of the ring after beating Froch, recovering from an eye injury before feasting on three easy marks in re-acclimatizing to combat. Questions abounded regarding Kessler’s durability, his decline, even his zest for fighting when he said he would retire if he lost to Froch “fair and square.” After twelve fervent rounds before a raucous throng of over 18,000 spectators, Kessler indeed fell to Froch by unanimous decision in a performance that should quell the rumors of his demise for the time being.

Read “That Insolent Sneer: Carl Froch W12 Mikkel Kessler” on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Leading into his fight against Lamont Peterson at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Lucas Matthysse was a fighter whose notoriety exceeded his exploits. That he was a ferocious puncher was undeniable—as was the craft with which he delivered those destructive blows—but a reputation based on victories over the likes of Humberto Soto and Ajose Olusegun seemed unwarranted, if not completely unjustified. Durable and skilled, Peterson was considered the first legitimate threat to Matthysse since his dubious defeat at the hands of Devon Alexander in 2011. In a fight that was never competitive Matthysse destroyed Peterson, whom referee Steve Smoger saved at 2:14 of the third round. It was a chilling performance, one that would surely have reconciled Matthysse’s achievements with his reputation had the latter not already taken on a life of its own.”

Read Machine Head: Lucas Matthysse TKO3 Lamont Peterson on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“A room full of monkeys plunking away on typewriters would struggle to script a scenario where Amir Khan is anointed the grand prize of a junior welterweight tournament. Yet this is what Golden Boy Promotions proposed when they hatched their plan to pit the fighters in their 140-pound stable against each other. Khan has since decided to move to welterweight in pursuit of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., but thankfully the tournament persists. For however bogus Khan’s seeding in the tournament was, the path to determining Golden Boy’s best junior welterweight is almost guaranteed to satisfy the sanguinary. That path stands to get littered in gore this Saturday, when Lucas Matthysse faces Lamont Peterson at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.”

Read “The Violent Men: Lamont Peterson-Lucas Matthysse Preview” on The Cruelest Sport.