To flesh out group stage one, Andre ” S.O.G. ” Ward faced off against early tournament favorite and 168 lb. kingpin, WBA Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel “The Viking Warrior” Kessler on November 21, 2009, in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California.
Ward began the fight landing good jabs and left-hooks using lateral movement, while Kessler stalked but couldn’t find Ward. Kessler was cutting off the ring well in the beginning but every time he would trap Ward against the ropes, he would allow Ward to sneak away by throwing flurries then stepping out.
At the end of the second, Ward catched Kessler with a good left-uppercut and hard straight right prompting Andre to give the “Viking Warrior” a nice long stare after the bell as if to say “I’m beating you”. Ward easily out boxed Mikkel through the middle rounds.
Ward mixed his punches up very well using different uppercuts, hooks, a beautiful straight right and good bodywork. Ward was faster, busier, stronger and a better conditioned fighter, often switching to southpaw which seemed to confuse Kessler.
The middle rounds saw Ward begin to jump in leading with his head, head butting Kessler. The referee did nothing to stop this and Kessler could not make the adjustments to stop it either. In the fourth, right after Kessler lands his best punch so far, a big left hook, Ward lands a huge straight right up top that rocks and hurts Kessler, moments later he buckled Kessler with another big right upstairs.
All night Ward was landing shots and then was in and out before Kessler could get set and punch and when Kessler did get punches off, he wasn’t very accurate. Ward showed good power in this fight and all the tricks of an old pro using rough house tactics in a way that kept the referee from warning him often.
By the end of the fight Kessler was a bloody mess from Ward’s punches and best billy-goat impression. Kessler complained of elbows and head butts which there were certainly a few of and claimed he could not see but had there been less or no butts and elbows, it would not have changed the outcome, Kessler was outclassed and seemed to be looking for a way out of the fight in a flat performance.
In the eleventh round the referee halted the action to have the doctor look at a vicious cut over Kessler’s left eye suffered from a Ward head butt in round eight. The doctor called off the fight and Andre “S.O.G.” Ward became the WBA Super Middleweight Champion winning his first world title and scoring two points, ending the group stage-one fights.