Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward

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Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward
Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward.jpg
Date21 November 2009
Venue Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
Title(s) on the line WBA super middleweight championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer Flag of Denmark.svg Mikkel Kessler Flag of the United States.svg Andre Ward
Nickname "The Viking Warrior" "S.O.G."
Hometown Copenhagen, Capital Region, Denmark Oakland, California, U.S.
Pre-fight record 42–1 (32 KO) 20–0 (13 KO)
Age 30 years, 8 months 25 years, 8 months
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 167 lb (76 kg)166+12 lb (76 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA
Super Middleweight Champion
The Ring
No. 1 Ranked Super Middleweight
WBA
No. 6 Ranked Super Middleweight
The Ring
No. 9 Ranked Super Middleweight
Result
Ward defeated Kessler by 11th round technical decision

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward was a professional boxing match contested on 21 November 2009, for the WBA super middleweight championship. [1] The bout was the final match in the first group stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a tournament staged by Showtime to crown a unified world super middleweight champion and took place at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Contents

Background

Mikkel Kessler was making the third defense of the World Boxing Association championship he entered the tournament with. Kessler defeated Dimitri Sartison in June 2008 for the title Joe Calzaghe had defeated him for the previous fall; after defeating Kessler, Calzaghe vacated his super middleweight titles to campaign at light heavyweight. Ward was fighting in his first world title bout, after a victory against former two-time world title challenger Edison Miranda.[ citation needed ]

The fight

Despite Kessler's status as the overall favorite, Ward was able to outpunch the champion and won a unanimous technical decision to win his first world championship. [2] The fight was halted in the eleventh round after Kessler, who suffered cuts due to two controversial headbutts, was ruled unable to continue by the ringside doctor and as per the rules the final score was tabulated at the time of the stoppage. Ward was ahead 98–92, 98–92 and 97–93 at the time of the stoppage. Ward joined Calzaghe as the only fighters at the time to defeat Kessler. [3] [4]

Aftermath

Following the victory, Ward led the Ring Magazine's rankings for super middleweights.[ citation needed ]

Fight Card

The fight card included the following fights: [5]

Weight ClassWeightVs.Result
Super Middleweight 168 lbs. Andre Ward def. Mikkel Kessler (c) Rnd 10 TD
Super Welterweight 154 lbs. Karim Mayfield def.Francisco SantanaRnd 5 TKO
Super Lightweight 140 lbs.Stan Martynioukdef.Anthony MartinezUD
Super Middleweight168 lbs.Tony Hirschdef. José Celaya UD
Super Featherweight130 lbs.Mel Crosstydef.Carlos HerreraUD

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcaster
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Super Channel
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany MDR
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Sport 1
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Primetime
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Showtime

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References

  1. "Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  2. Gonzalez, Edgar (29 November 2009). "Ward defeats Kessler". MyBoxingFans. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  3. "Ward dominates Kessler". ringtv.com. The Ring. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. King J (22 November 2009). "Andre Ward Defeats Mikkel Kessler To Win WBA Title". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  5. "Fight Card". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
Preceded by Mikkel Kessler's bouts
21 November 2009
Succeeded by
Preceded by
vs. Shelby Pudwill
Andre Ward's bouts
21 November 2009
Succeeded by