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 with very different results. Calzaghe struggled against hard as nails but largely unknown challenger Sakio Bika while Kessler utterly destroyed one of the top men in the division, reigning WBC Champion Markus Beyer, in three devastatingly one sided rounds.

While Calzaghe talked after his win over Bika of fighting a retired Bernard Hopkins, the whole world is calling for Joe to step up to the plate and face Mikkel Kessler next, even one of the top trainers on the planet, Joe’s father Enzo Calzaghe.

ANT EVANS, SECONDS OUT.COM: HBO MUST KNOW MIKKEL BEST FOR CALZAGHE

“Kessler has earned the right to have his challenge answered by division leader Calzaghe.
“One hopes Calzaghe’s new bankrollers HBO have the sense and understanding of boxing to realise that Kessler – young and powerful – is best challenger for Calzaghe at 168lbs, not yesterday’s news Hopkins and Jones, who would try to pickpocket a win over the Welshman in a boring fight.

GREG LEON, BOXINGTALK.COM: RESOUNDINGLY CLEAR, CALZAGHE-KESSLER ONLY SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT THAT REALLY MATTERS

“It’s resoundingly clear that the only super middleweight fight that matters is Calzaghe-Kessler. Hopefully the fight can take place in the US or on neutral turf. In my opinion, it should take place.”

DAN RAFAEL, ESPN.COM: FORGET HOPKINS, MAKE CALZAGHE-KESSLER NOW

“But come on — the obvious fight, and one of the most significant in the sport, is for Calzaghe to finish his business at super middleweight by facing Danish star Mikkel Kessler, who unified the two other belts in the division with a crushing third-round knockout of Markus Beyer at about the same time Calzaghe was doing his thing against Bika.
A Calzaghe-Kessler clash is the only really meaningful fight in the division, and it would be a terrific fight that would bring undeniable clarity to the division. Forget Hopkins. The powers that be need to make Calzaghe-Kessler happen.”

BOXING FAN “JP” ON MAXBOXING BOARD: KESSLER IS BEYOND LEGITIMATE

“Mikkel F__KING Kessler. Dude I got to see the full 3 rounds (not just HBO’s highlights). Kessler is beyond legit. The guy is a physical specimen. He dominated Beyer. I expected him to win, but not like that. Just my opinion, but I think Kessler vs. Calzaghe would look a lot like Kessler vs. Mundine. Kessler is just too young, too fast, too strong, too smart. He doesn’t let you get inside on him EVER, and he just punishes you with that jab. I’m not sleeping on Calzaghe. I think he’s damn good. But this kid from Denmark is something special. Which is why I say No way Calzaghe goes near Kessler. HUGE RISK, LITTLE REWARD. But damn I hope it happens. For boxing fans. – JP”

DOUG FISCHER, MAXBOXING.COM: CALZAGHE-KESSLER MAKES PERFECT SENSE

“I was disappointed in the brevity of the Kessler-Beyer highlights, but I was glad they showed the money shot of the Viking flooring the German (and Beyer basically calling it quits while sitting on his ass) because now the network has to acknowledge the Dane’s existence. Any time Calzaghe and the super middleweight division is brought up on air the HBO broadcasting crew has to mention Kessler’s name. So it’s a start in the right direction.

I (like you and most of the hardcore fans who have emailed me since Saturday) have very little interest in seeing Calzaghe challenge the old man of boxing. Kessler, who is 27 years old and 38-0, makes perfect sense as the next big fight for Calzaghe–DOUG FISCHER, MAXBOXING.COM

TERRY DOOLEY, BOXING SCENE.COM: KESSLER HAS CHASED JOE C. DOWN

“Kessler now has the WBA/WBC belts and is arguably at this moment the Number One super-middleweight in the world. So Joe must now take the name Hopkins from his mouth, Kessler is his legacy fight, a quadruple title dust-up, how great would it sound to hear Michael Buffer say that? Kessler is young and hungry and has chased Joe down. Joe cannot use the Get out of Fighting Sven card he has used in the past. Calzaghe cannot come out and effectively say: “I do not rate Kessler highly, I think I am better than him and would destroy him, therefore I will not fight him but I will still rank myself above him.”