BERT SUGAR PRE-FIGHT ANALYSIS

by Bert Sugar

STRENGTHS OF BOTH FIGHTERS

JOE CALZAGHE ("The Pride of Wales")

- Calzaghe has quick hands and lands with deceptive speed.

- Can frustrate his opponent with evasive body movements.

- Possesses great technique and exceptional ring "smarts".

- Will be fighting in front of 60,000 partisan fans at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

- Sees the fight as the most important fight of his career, one which will cement his legacy, saying, "This is the only fight I want because a victory over Kessler will mean the most to my career...more than the beating I gave Jeff Lacy and even more than my win over Chris Eubank which began my world title reign."

MIKKEL KESSLER ("The Viking Warrior")

- An excellent boxer-hyphen-puncher, uses his jab to set up his right.

- Is a combination puncher with fluid movement.

- Has one-punch knockout power in both hands, especially his right which he used to knock out Markus Beyer in the third round to win the WBC portion of the title.

- Has handled southpaws easily, as he did with Beyer, and anticipates little difficulty in facing the southpaw Calzaghe.

- At 28, seven years younger than Calzaghe, is in his prime and looks to make the super middleweight division what he calls "Kessler's Kingdom."

WEAKNESSES OF BOTH FIGHTERS

CALZAGHE

- Has had ragged, uneven performances is several fights, including his fight last year against Sakio Bika, and must be "at the top of his game" for Kessler.

- Tends to look down when he comes in, leaving himself open to opponents--and to Kessler's power-laden punches.

- Although a champion for 10 years, with 20 successful defenses of his title, Calzaghe is 35 years old and the question is whether he's past his prime.

- Has fragile hands, especially his left which he broke in his fight with Evans Ashira two years ago.

KESSLER

- Is very predictable, using his jab to set up his right hand almost in a Lawrence Welk a-one-and-a-two manner.

- Has only fought outside Denmark twice in his 39-fight career and may be affected by the 60,000 Welsh fans cheering Calzaghe's every move.

- Can be outfought from the outside, Calzaghe's turf.

WHAT EACH MUST DO TO WIN

CALZAGHE

- Because he doesn't have the one-punch knockout power of Kessler, Calzaghe cannot afford to get into a slugging match, especially in the early rounds.

- If the fight goes into the later rounds, Calzaghe must keep his concentration, neither showboating nor faltering, as he has in prior fights, but continue to respect Kessler's power and "outthink" his opponent.

- Calzaghe's strength is in his handspeed which he must use from the outside, outjabbing and outmoving the slower Kessler.

KESSLER

- Kessler cannot afford to be affected by the singing, screaming Welsh crowd but must concentrate solely on his opponent, Calzaghe.

- With more fluid movements, Kessler must work his way in an attempt to engage Calzaghe in a slugging match where his strength is superior.

- If the fight goes into the later rounds, Kessler should try to walk down and wear down the older Calzaghe, using his strength and youth to carry the fight.

Bert Randolph Sugar is the co-author of "My View from the Corner" with legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, now in bookstores.