by David P. Greisman
Mikkel Kessler’s right side is adorned with ink – a tribal design extends up his arm, a snarling Viking covers much of his back – but it was Librado Andrade who ended up getting tattooed on Saturday.
With accuracy – and quite adamantly – Kessler penciled his name in under the “W” column, all but putting pen to paper for a future megafight against his division’s other top star, Joe Calzaghe.
Getting to that super middleweight showdown will take more than Calzaghe triumphing in a triviality – Peter Manfredo Jr. is an upstart, Calzaghe is on the down slope. But beyond that, there is the matter of ego. Kessler and Calzaghe play to packed partisans, and leaving the comfort of one’s den could mean giving up the lion’s share of money.
Those dogs will eventually have their day.
In the meantime, Kessler did his part by pitching a thrilling shutout over a willing mandatory contender in Andrade. And his triumph didn’t just occur in front of his hometown crowd. It played on Boxing After Dark, a coming out party for a man whose only previous HBO exposure had been a brief highlight of his October kayo of Markus Beyer – footage that played underneath Calzaghe’s decision over Sakio Bika.
Calzaghe-Bika did little to further the former’s star. April’s Manfredo match serves to save the Pride of Wales from further squandering the momentum he gained by routing Jeff Lacy. But Kessler-Andrade proved similar to Calzaghe-Lacy – though Andrade, admittedly, was a far less accomplished contender than Lacy. Kessler staked his claim and showed that he doesn’t necessarily need HBO’s favor in building his legend one round at a time.
Not when Kessler is already two-thirds of the way to being a legend in his own country.
The list of boxers from Denmark includes enough Danish pastries to stock a Krispy Kreme. So many boxers have stayed far too long in the cushy confines of careful matchmaking and limited opposition, only to find themselves stuck in the deep end once they finally test the waters elsewhere.
The undercard of Kessler-Andrade included the return of Thomas Damgaard – a long protected prospect who stepped up last year against Arturo Gatti and got knocked down and out – and the first-round rejection of Reda Zam Zam, who went from undefeated to underachiever at the hands of his designated opponent.
Something, however, is not rotten in the make of Kessler. This great Dane is also a good pug.
Kessler peppered Andrade all night with stiff jabs, landing more lead lefts than he did power punches. That lance cut through Andrade’s guard, opening him up for Kessler rights and concussive combinations, shots that made one wonder how Andrade could take such punishment – until one remembered that his trainer is Wayne McCullough.
Kessler could’ve worked to end the night earlier – the body of Andrade was oft ignored in favor of his head, and unseen uppercuts may have chipped into an otherwise granite chin. But Kessler stayed focused, never letting his guard down against an opponent who never gave up. He was effective both on offense and defense, landing an average of 29 punches per round while keeping Andrade off-balance and off-target.
As the shutout mounted, Andrade’s lone hope was a Hail Mary haymaker. It neither would come, nor could it. For of the 533 power punches lobbed by Andrade, only 55 landed. Kessler could have gotten a tattoo of a bull’s-eye on his forehead, but it still wouldn’t have done Andrade any good.
The contracts are yet to be signed, but Kessler awaits the chance to write himself in as the top super middleweight. That dog will eventually have his day. This great Dane – this good pug – can become a champion boxer.
The 10 Count
1. It’s a moot point – considering that Kessler took every round on every card – but where was the World Boxing Council’s vaunted open scoring system? Could it be that the voices of wisdom have finally broken through?
2. Then again, would Marco Antonio Barrera have fought any differently against Juan Manuel Marquez had he known that the scorecards were piling up against him? Could he have? Barrera-Marquez – like Kessler-Andrade and O’Neil Bell’s rematch against Jean-Marc Mormeck – had a WBC belt on the line, yet only the cruiserweight slugfest heard the judges’ tallies every four rounds.
3. Lorenzo Parra – who lost his WBA flyweight title due to his inability to lose enough weight – proceeded to lose last week to Takefumi Sakata.
Parra initially came in six pounds over the limit, dropping down to 116.75 two hours later. The fight went on, but the damage was done – both men had to check in at no more than 118 pounds at a weigh-in four hours before the bout, leaving a drained Parra little opportunity to replenish his system.
Sakata – who lost majority decisions to Parra in 2004 and 2005 – must make his next defense against WBA interim titlist Roberto Vazquez (who defeated Sakata for said trinket).
4. The improbable run of Jesse Feliciano continued last week on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, with the one-time measuring stick coming from behind to upset welterweight prospect Delvin Rodriguez.
All three judges had Rodriguez comfortably ahead as the bout entered the eighth. Feliciano, however, kept working to get inside, where he could test Rodriguez’ questionable chin. Ultimately, Feliciano’s right hands asked questions that Rodriguez couldn’t answer.
At one point in his career, Feliciano looked to be destined toward little beyond acting as a measuring stick for up-and-coming fighters. In 2004 and 2005, Feliciano lost by decision to Oscar Diaz and by knockout to Muhammad Abdullaev, Mike Arnaoutis and Demetrius Hopkins.
In the past year, however, Feliciano has raised his stock with the Rodriguez win, a draw with Alfonso Gomez and a majority decision over an aged Vince Phillips. Feliciano is not yet ready to contend, but he’s virtually guaranteed future ESPN2 appearances against quality foes.
5. Indonesian boxer Anis Dwi Mulya died last week of a brain hemorrhage, five days after he lost via sixth-round stoppage to Irvan Bone, according to multiple overseas news reports.
Mulya, who collapsed after the fight, was taken to Jakarta’s Christian University Hospital for emergency surgery. The lead surgeon told local reporters that Mulya was also suffering from low blood-platelet levels, a condition that hospital officials believe might have been caused by dengue fever.
Mulya was 27.
6. UFC star Tito Ortiz never showed up for his scheduled exhibition boxing match against UFC president Dana White, according to the Los Angeles Times.
White, a former amateur boxer, tipped the scales at 197 pounds at a weigh-in presided over by Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Ortiz, however, never arrived for a bout that he himself had negotiated into his most recent UFC contract.
The only clue to Ortiz’ whereabouts? A message reportedly left by Ortiz on White’s voicemail: “I decided to let you off the hook.”
7. Dancing with the Stars update: Laila Ali and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy impressed the judges on last week’s season premiere, performing a foxtrot “oozing [with] sex appeal and allure.” One judge couldn’t resist, quipping that he saw Ali “float like a butterfly, glide like a swan.”
With 23 points, Ali and Chmerkovskiy are in second place behind the couple of Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson. Unlike in previous seasons, the contestants will dance a second time before the eliminations begin.
8. Ali isn’t the only boxer currently involved with a reality show. Former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman will be one of four judges on the second season of American Inventor, according to the Associated Press.
American Inventor premieres on June 6. No word on whether the producers have banned contestants from coming in with lean, mean, fat-grilling machines.
9. “Duva Drama, Minto Mess,” part five: The public disagreement between heavyweight prospect Brian Minto and promoter Dino Duva continues.
Six months ago, Minto and his publicist issued press releases that mentioned the fighter’s supposed upcoming free agency. Duva, meanwhile, insisted that Minto’s contract would not be ending in the near future.
When Minto signed to fight a comebacking Axel Schulz, Duva threatened legal action against all involved parties. The fight went on, with Minto stopping Schulz and forcing the former heavyweight contender back into retirement. Afterward, Duva again broached the topic of litigation, while Minto told interviewer Brad Cooney that his promotional contract is “in breach and no good,” and that any lawsuit would be met with a countersuit.
Minto fought again on March 17, dropping a decision to Luan Krasniqi. A few days later, Minto told Cooney that he thinks Duva “pretty much is just cutting his loss, and it’s over and done with.”
Duva responded quickly.
“If Brian ever has the decency to sit down and try to work things out, I would be open to discussions, but I’m not forgetting about anything,” Duva told writer Andre Courtemanche. “You’re going to be paying me a lot of damages, Brian. I still have an enforceable contract.”
10. New nominees for Knockout of the Year: Colton Orr of the New York Rangers flooring Todd Fedoruk of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Jordin Tootoo of the Nashville Predators playing Kermit Washington to Stephane Robidas’ Rudy Tomjanovich.
David P. Greisman may be reached at dgreisman@aol.com