By Per Ake Persson
Team Palle announced on November 12, that WBA 168 lb champ Mikkel Kessler will defend the title on January 14 against Canadian Eric Lucas at the Brondby Hall, located on the outskirts of Copenhagen.
It´s a voluntary defense by the champion. The ex-WBC titlist was in line for an eliminator against Otis Grant, WBC # 1, and another possible shot at current WBC champ Markus Beyer, but views a fight against Kessler as his best chance to become champ again. Danish news agency, Ritzau, writes "the low ranked" Lucas will be given a rating by the WBA - that is not really the case. Lucas, # 3 in the WBC ratings, is indeed not ranked by the WBA, but it is more a case of boxing politics than anything else.
He will get a special rating by the WBA. The mandatory challenger for Kessler will be decided on November 18 in St Dizier, when EBU champ Vitaly Tsypko defends the title against Jackson Chanet. But it must be said that Eric Lucas comes across as a tougher challenger for the champion than either of these two - possible the toughest fighter outside of the champions at 168.
WBC super middleweight champion Markus Beyer is currently in rehab after the knee injury that scratched the planned December 10 defense. Beyer, ringside for Sam vs Maskaev, is likely to be ready for Sauerland Event´s first show in 2006; January 28 in Berlin. Opponent? Italian Alberto Colajanni, WBC # 21, was the one for December 10 and is likely to get the chance in January.
