Froch pushes past Kessler; Wins hard-fought decision to unify.

Carl “The Cobra” Froch (31-2-0 22 KO’s) was a man on a mission Saturday night as he bashed his way past then-WBA Super Middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-3-0 35 KO’s) of Denmark.

While the winner was clear; this bout showed much appeal to all fans of the fight game. Froch, age 35, held his ground through the vicious attacks of the 34 year old Kessler. Most noteworthy was round 11, Kessler’s blistering speed and unconventional style allowed for him to slice the defense of the British fighter. A quick right hand stunned Froch and left him fighting to survive through an amazing final round.

The French, American, and Venezuelan judges scored the contest 115-113, 116-112, and 118-110 for Froch. Corey Quincy of MMAartMartial.com scored it 115-113 Froch.

Froch bossed the fight – outlanding Kessler almost two-to-one in the rushing exchanges. Many competitive rounds came about and scorecards greatly differed. When the final bell had by rung we all marked off the same victor – Carl Froch.After the topping of Kessler, perhaps Carl Froch needs some guidance. He has shown strong interest in rewriting his only other defeat to American pound-for-pound star Andre Ward and giving Kessler a return opportunity at a rubber match. The Ward duel looks unsure due to disagreements on location. Kessler, as stated before the Froch fight, is iffy on resuming his own career, even after a good showing against Froch.

Carl Froch may be 35, much past the average physical peak of a world class athlete, but he remains at his very best. He has marked three straight victories since the loss to Ward. On May 26th of last year Froch scored a career-reviving upset – beating down Romanian-Canadian Super Middleweight Lucian Bute to take the reigning champion’s IBF title. He followed up with a November stoppage of fringe-contender Yusaf Mack – Crushing the lesser known boxer with a revolting third-round finish.

Mikkel Kessler is also at well, he is 3-1 in the the last two years. Before the Froch defeat he scored a brutal knockout victory over top ten rated Irishman Brian Magee. One of his chopping body shots closed the show. Kessler also got up from a first round knockdown against American Allan Green to close the show with a quick right hook in round four. Making his return after eye-surgery Mikkel Kessler fought past Frenchman Mehdi Bouadla to close the show in six. This alone is enough to warrant another run in the sport he has competed in for nearly fifteen years. He has much to contemplate.

While a third fight seems practical to settle a 1-1 rivalry, which featured two thinly contested scraps, this isn’t a sport of political correctness. The bank wouldn’t be defective in this one – just ask the emotional crowds which arrive to see Froch and Kessler fight in their respective nations. Froch wants Andre Ward. Although he’d have to budge on some details it is a fight to be made to prove himself as the true 168lb kingpin.

Follow Corey Quincy on Twitter @Quincyboxingfan.