Now this is what I am talking about! Four elite boxers, fighting on the same night, with divisional and pound-for-pound rankings on the line. 
And as it should be, all fights are "pick 'em" contests, in which either figher can make a strong case for being the favorite.
Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO's) vs. Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO's) II (Super Middleweight Unification Bout)
When I predicted the outcome of Froch-Kessler I, I got the prediction right, but didn't necessarily agree with the decision. It was a fight that could have gone either way and was likely tipped in Kessler's favor based on the fact that he was fighting in his native Denmark. You know, that whole "home ring advantage" thing?
This time around, he will not have the home ring advantage. In fact, the fight will take place in London, England. It's not the lovely city of Nottingham (U.K.), but Froch will nonetheless have a huge advatange fighting in his home country.
However, this time around I do not think the location will make the difference. The major difference here is that Froch is fighting at perhaps the highest level of his career. He's coming off of a competitive, albeit slightly one-sided loss to Andre Ward (arguably the best boxer in the world). And there's no shame in that.
But most recently, Froch is coming off a domination (TKO 5) of the highly-touted Lucian Bute and an easy victory over the shopworn Yusaf Mack (KO 3).
Kessler, on the other hand, has been winning but not necessarily against the most stellar competition, unless you consider the disappointing Allan Green a top-notch boxer at this point of his career.
Simply put, I'll take the current form of Carl Froch by late stoppage over Mikkel Kessler on May 25.
Jean Pascal (27-2-1, 16 KO's) vs. Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO's)
This fight can be billed the Battle of Quebec since both men call the city their adopted boxing home. Or maybe we should coin it the Battle of the Froch Victims since both men lost to Carl Froch. I'll go with the former. And based on the fact that neither fighter will be able to rely on favorable hometown judging, I expect this backyard brawl to be more exciting than many would assume.
Both men are boxer-punchers, with Bute seemingly having more natural boxing ability, better technique and a much more fluid boxing style. But for what Pascal lacks in these departments, he makes up for in terms of physical strength, fight resume (including Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson), and his ability to take a punch.
So what gives?
Although I am not totally sold on Lucian Bute, especially given his recent shallacking at the powerful hands of Carl Froch, I stll pick him to outhustle and outlast the unorthodox Jean Pascal over 12 brisk rounds in a few weeks.
