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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 magazine champion Joe Calzaghe, this Saturday in front of a European indoor record of boxing fans at Millennium Stadium.
HBO World Championship Boxing will televise it live to the U.S. at a special time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I’m glad Kessler finally appeared. I was afraid I was going to have to place a missing fighters report with Scotland Yard,” said Calzaghe, boxing’s current longest-reigning world champion, who celebrated 10 years as champion last month.
“It’s as if he’s been training with H.G. Wells! There will be no hiding on Saturday night. I’m glad Mikkel likes tattoos because I’ll be tattooing him plenty once the bell rings.”
Calzaghe, 43-0 (32), from Newbridge, Wales, will be looking to successfully defend his title for a division-best 21st consecutive time when he meets Kessler, 39-0 (29), from Copenhagen, Denmark.
A victory for Calzaghe would tie him with super middleweight champion Sven Ottke at fourth place on boxing’s all-time title defense list behind heavyweight champion Joe Louis (25), light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalczewski (23) and strawweight champion Ricardo López (23).
Promoted by Frank Warren in association with International Entertainment, the Calzaghe-Kessler world super middleweight championship has already sold over 40,000 tickets, 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, in which over 35,000 tickets were sold for that fight.
