Team Kessler Skeptical About Joe Calzaghe’s Next Fight

Mogens Palle is wondering whether WBO super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe, who now admits he broke his left hand in his “cartoon fight” with no-hoper Peter Manfredo Saturday night in Wales, will actually face any credible or capable opponent in London July 21.

“Where can promoter Frank Warren find a doctor who would advise a boxer who breaks his hand to fight on two month’s rest? I find Calzaghe and Warren to be like “Alice In Wonderland” as things just get “curiouser and curiouser” with them. Maybe I should say it’s “Joe In Warrenland,” Palle said.

“We know now that Warren has another punch bag, cartoon type opponent in mind for July. Warren’s next trick will be Dennis Inkin or someone of his limited ilk who Joe can beat up with his injured left hand tied behind his back,.” Europe’s leading promoter for 50 years said. “Warren comes up with one novelty act after another but this would be a classic British Panto show. Warren does not mind stinking up all of London with Inkin.”

Palle repeated his constant assertion that his undefeated WBC-WBA super middleweight champ Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler stands ready to go to the United Kingdom in September for a unification bout against the unbeaten Calzaghe. Palle said he and Kessler will accept terms and conditions of “complete parity” or a 50-50 all revenue split for the much-anticipated showdown.

“Kessler left Denmark in his first title defense, going to Australia to face their Anthony Mundine in a real fight, not a fantasy, cartoon fight against an actor playing a role as a boxer on a reality TV show,” Palle said. “No one argues that it is Kessler and Calzaghe who are the two best 168-pounders in the world.

“On HBO’s Calzaghe-Manfredo telecast, the great American trainer, Emanuel Steward, said it without hestiation and added that Kessler-Calzaghe is the only super middleweight fight that fight fans worldwide want to see now.”

Palle and Kessler just concluded a brief but successful USA media trip, during which Kessler was in studio guest for ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and huddled with HBO officials. Palle said Americans should get used to seeing Kessler in their country.

“He is not a stay at home like Calzaghe. He is a Viking Warrior and they travel to other lands without compunction,” Palle said. “Mikkel was well received by all the TV executives and, in a phone interview by boxing legend Roy Jones.

“It was a good trip and, coupled with HBO’s March 24 airing of Kessler’s brilliant performance in defeating rugged Librado Andrade, Kessler is now known across America and getting more well known each passing day. Andrade is a tough guy and that’s a reality. He’s no actor from a well-scripted fantasy program. He threw heavy punches at Kessler for 12 full rounds.”

Finally, Palle said that a check of the Internet boxing chat and discussion groups worldwide shows a constant thread of fans who want to see Calzaghe and Kessler settle the super middleweight supremacy debate in the proper place, the boxing ring.

“Kessler has now invaded America and he dearly wants to fight there. He makes no bones, broken or otherwise, about wanting to fight the world’s best–Calazaghe, Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright. If the American fighters won’t travel, Kessler will come to the USA and it’s the same with Calzaghe. If he wants to face Mikkel in his Cardiff backyard, he can pay for this home ring advantage,” Palle said.

“We know the public badly wants this fight. I think Joe and Enzo Calzaghe, being sportsmen, really want it also. The burr in the saddle, the unreasonable man, stopping this from taking place is Fearless Frank Warren. I guess that, when it comes to Kessler’s skills, he is not fearless but my phone, my fax machine and my email remain open to a reasonable offer.

“If he turns into Fair Frank Warren, it will be a done deal. In the meantime, let Joe and Frank keep stinking with the Manfredos and the Inkins. Public be damned, that’s Warren policy. He is putting the “con” in consumer when it comes to fooling fight fans.”