By Mark Vester

It appears the mouthwatering slugfest between super middleweights Mikkel Kessler and Edison Miranda, scheduled for May 24 and televised by Showtime - is off.

Dan Rafael spoke with Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing, which promotes Miranda and promoter Lou DiBella, who brokered the deal for Kessler's promoter Mogens Palle - and neither had a reason as to why Kessler withdrew from the fight. According to Rafael, both sides agreed to a deal on March 14, and then on Wednesday, Kessler's agent, Michael Marley, told Showtime that the fight was off.

"The Kessler people haven't given me an explanation," Margules said. I'm outraged. If their explanation is that we didn't meet their deal points, I have their points in writing. Everything was in the contract that they asked for. They wanted it to be a 10-round fight. We gave them that because they wouldn't even discuss a 12-rounder. They insisted on all sorts of things and we gave them everything."

Kessler was to be paid 400,000 Euros (approximately $600,000 U.S.) and Palle would retain the television rights in Scandinavia, Germany and other territories.

"They took the fight and then they backed out," Margules said. "We had a deal in writing, and although it was not signed yet, we all said, 'We have a deal.' Showtime even had the fight on its Web site. Everything was worked out and my fighter was in camp. And then, no fight."

DiBella told Rafael that he was equally disgusted with the outcome.

"I was dealing with Mogens Palle and Mike Marley. I should have expected no less," DiBella said. "I found this fight for Kessler at the request of Mogens and I spent a lot of time working on it. We sent them a contract reflecting everything they asked for. But then Mike wouldn't take my calls for a week and Mogens has been ill."

"No one ever came back with comments on the contract and then Mike called [Showtime's] Ken Hershman directly and blamed me, saying the contract didn't reflect the deal. Then Ken asked him why they never came back with comments on the contract and Mike changed his tune and said that Kessler had some other opportunity for a world title fight. Which is it?"

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com