That Mikkel Kessler was going to beat Brian Magee Saturday was never in any real doubt. But how the Dane did it told us something: Kessler remains one of the best few 168 pounders in the world, right behind two fellow grads of Showtime's super middleweight tournament, Carl Froch and division champion Andre Ward. If there was a notion that he was fading after a long injury layoff, this performance ought to have dispelled it.
Kessler took a mere three rounds to decimate Magee, who previously went 11 rounds with Froch and 10 rounds with Lucian Bute — another of the world's top super middleweights — has obviously usually been a sturdy sort, even when he was badly outclassed. Kessler's body punching helped Magee betray his true nature. After a 1st round that some described as a "feeling out" round (I was unable to get a working stream until after the opening stanza), Kessler took his right hand downstairs in the 2nd to ruinous effect. One put him down. Another made him walk away and turn his back like he was going to go vomit in the corner, so the referee also scored that one a knockdown.
The 3rd knockdown was a rare sight: a straight right down the middle that put Magee on his hands and knees. This time, the ref stopped it.
Maybe Magee just got old overnight. Maybe Kessler's just a good student: Froch put Magee away with body shots, too. However he did it, he sure did look good doing it. Kessler still wants rematches with Ward (a loss) and Froch (a close win). I'm still not interested in Ward-Kessler II. But Kessler-Froch II? Oh yeah. Close fight, action fight — that's rematch bait, right there. Too bad we'll have to wait until the summer, what with Froch also owing a rematch to Bute.
