WBC/WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler may think he's the new sheriff in town, but WBO/The Ring magazine super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe is ready to lay down the law in arguably the biggest world title unification showdown of non-heavyweight champions since the Sugar Ray Leonard-Tommy Hearns welterweight rumble of 1981.

Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KOs), from Newbridge, Wales, and Kessler (39-0, 29 KOs), from Copenhagen, Denmark, collide next Saturday, November 3. Promoted by Frank Warren in association with International Entertainment, the Calzaghe-Kessler world super middleweight championship will be broadcast live to the U.S. from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on HBO World Championship Boxing at a special time: 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT.

Over 40,000 tickets have already been sold, shattering the European indoor record for a boxing event, which was set at Calzaghe's last title defense, a third-round TKO victory over Peter Manfredo, Jr., on April 7. Over 35,000 tickets were sold for that fight.

Having held the WBO title since October 11, 1997, Calzaghe will be looking to successfully defend his title for a division-record 21st consecutive time -- tops among active world champions -- which would tie him with super middleweight champion Sven Ottke at fourth place on boxing's all-time list behind heavyweight champion Joe Louis (25), light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalczewski (23) and strawweight champion Ricardo López (23)

Click to read more boxing articles by Boxing Press

Discuss in Boxing Forum

---

Related Boxing Articles...

• Massive Calzaghe - Kessler Showdown Heating Up!

  WBC/WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, has finally emerged from his self-imposed exile to pose for the media this week in Cardiff, Wales, where he will face undefeated WBO/The Ring >
  
  

• Calzaghe vs. Kessler Live Tonight On HBO!

  A super middleweight title fight is scheduled from across the pond when Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler is seen live Saturday, November 3 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT, from >
  
  

• Boxing World Opinion Demands Calzaghe Face Mikkel Kessler Next!

  While the whole world was watching last weekend, the two top super middleweights in the world, WBO/IBF Champion Joe Calzaghe and WBA/WBC Champion Mikkel Kessler were both in action but >
  
  

• Calzaghe Hottest Ticket Seller In World On Tenth Anniversary Of Title Reign

  Just a day past his tenth anniversary of winning the WBO Super Middleweight title against Chris Eubank in 1997, the world's longest reigning world champion is also the biggest ticket >
  
  

• Team Kessler Rips British Boxing Promoter Frank Warren

  Mogens Palle, who is coming up on his 50th anniversary as Europe's leading boxing promoter, has put British promoter Frank Warren "on blast" for what Palle said are complete lies >
  
  

• Kessler Retains Against Mundine.

  The WBA super middleweight championship of the world is still in the grasp of Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler thanks to his unanimous decision win over Australian former champion Anthony Mundine. >
  
  

• Boxing Champion Joe Calzaghe: “I want to go out at the top”

  By Simon Jackson Joe Calzaghe has expressed his desire to hang up his gloves after three "super fights" which will enable the unbeaten Welshman to step away from the ring while >
  
  

• Boxing Preview: Mikkel Kessler vs. Gusmyr Perdomo

  Denmark's favorite son laces up the gloves tonight as Mikkel Kessler defends his WBA super middle crown against unheralded challenger Gusmyr Perdomo at The Messecenter in Herning, Denmark. The highly accurate >
  
  

• Calzaghe - Kessler Boxing Showdown Heating Up!

  Promoter Frank Warren says more than 17,000 tickets have already been sold for Joe Calzaghe's WBO/WBA/WBC/The Ring World Super-Middleweight title unification fight against Mikkel Kessler on November 3. Together, >
  
  

• Calzaghe Handles Kessler To Reaffirm Pound For Pound Status

  Shattering his own European indoor record by drawing 50,000 fans to Cardiff's Millennium Dome, WBO Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe annexed the WBC and WBA titles of Denmark's Mikkel Kessler >
  
  

---