Promoters agree to Calzaghe v Kessler summit

http://www.secondsout.com/usa/

By Ant Evans: Promoter Frank Warren has agreed to meet with Danish counterpart Mogens Palle to see if a deal can be hammered out to make the Joe Calzaghe v Mikkel Kessler a reality for later this year.

With Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather Junior due to fight next weekend, the biggest bout in boxing will soon be the fight between the two unbeaten super-middleweight champions.

Welshman Calzaghe, 35, is enjoying an incredible decade long championship reign but his status as the No.1 in the 168lbs (12stone) division has been put in the dock as Kessler, the reigning WBC and WBA champion, continues the blitz superior opponents to the handpicked foes Calzaghe has faced over the last year.

Boxing fans around the world are demanding this bout to take place and, for once, the know-nothings at HBO are throwing their weight behind a genuine sporting contest as opposed to the pathetic glorified muggings they’ve arranged over the last months.

Perhaps in response to HBO’s wishes, Palle and Warren have called a ceasefire in their public spat over which champion is “avoiding” the other and have agreed to a face-to-face meeting.

It is a start, at least.

Palle told SecondsOut: “I don’t know if I am flying to London or if Frank Warren is coming here, but, certainly, in the next week we will sit down and see if we can make this fight.

“It is the biggest fight in boxing, it is the best fight that can be made.”

A huge ticket-seller in Denmark, Kessler nevertheless has proved himself well prepared to travel if the money is right and Palle said that ‘the Viking’ would be happy to traverse the North Sea for the biggest fight of his life.

“We could do it in Denmark, Wales or even England,” he said.

Not so easily solved, though, are the issues of purse parity and co-promotion.

Palle said he still thinks the two champions should split the purse 50/50 while Warren believes, with some justification, that Calzaghe is the established No.1 in the division and has earned the right to a bigger purse than Kessler who, despite, his two gold belts will be perceived as the young ’challenge’ in this super-fight.

However, Palle will put an interesting proposition to Warren.

“We could do 60-40 for the winner,” he said. “Or it could be 55-45, it doesn’t matter. I am confident Mr Warren and I will make every effort to make this happen.”
Let’s hope every effort is enough.