By Cliff Rold

On Saturday in Germany, 29-year old WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler (41-1, 31 KO) exhibited why it is that most regard him as the best Super Middleweight in the world. 

Note the word exhibited rather than proved. 

After all, nothing was there to be proved in a fight with woeful Danilo Haussler (29-4-1, 7 KO) beyond the impotency of sanctioning bodies, a flaccidity easily assumed after decades of evidence.  Haussler had last won a fight in 2006, drew in his only 2007 outing, and waited ten months for his severance package home turf title shot.  To Kessler’s credit, he treated Haussler like the Ricky Frazier he was, landing one of the best left hands of his career to finish matters in round three.  Look it up on YouTube; it’s a hell of a shot.

It just landed against the wrong guy, resulting in a win that held his place rather than moved him forward.  Kessler’s biggest victory of the weekend came from a fight he wasn’t even in.  Friday night’s war in Montreal between IBF titlist Lucien Bute (23-0, 18 KO) and Librado Andrade (27-2, 21 KO) saw both men gain a measure of victory, Bute on the cards and Andrade from a standing position in the closing seconds as Bute struggled to his feet to survive.  It was a poor-man’s Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor, enriching to the eyes of all who saw it.

Prior to and after the fight, Bute was regarded as no worse than the third best fighter at 168 (#2 in the last BoxingScene ratings) with some arguments giving the nod at #2 (Ring Magazine for instance) to Anthony Mundine.  Mundine lost a wide decision to Kessler in 2005 and has talked of moving down to 160 lbs.  He’s shown little interest in a Kessler rematch.  If Mundine does move down, Bute’s claim to number two improves.  While it’s often wrong to do so, comparison shopping is inevitable in Boxing, and Kessler’s dominance of Andrade one year ago puts serious distance between he and Bute.

Those are all positives for the presumed world’s best Super Middleweight…the negatives start with the caveats of the distinction.  Kessler might be the man at 168 right now, but only because Joe Calzaghe left.  It’s not a spot he earned in the ring in 2008; it was bequeathed him by a man who defeated him less than a year ago.  Beating Haussler, and before him the undefeated but unproven Dimitri Sartison, don’t make the case.  Failing to make the fight with Edison Miranda, on Shwotime, in the spring of 2008 didn’t help either.  While stories that Team Kessler turned the fight down were ultimately untrue more complicated than that, his team was outmaneuvered by the team of IBF Middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham who got the fight, got a highlight reel knockout win, and will probably get Kelly Pavlik in 2009.

Kessler needs a big fight, and big win, to make his claims at 168 matter, to make Calzaghe’s exit his arrival.  There is no shame in having his sole loss be to a man going the Hall of Fame with a bullet but he can’t assume Joe’s role without a violent declaration.  His team knows it, but does the fight even exist right now?

In speaking with a member of Team Kessler this weekend, the message was clear.  Kessler wants a moneyed fight on U.S. TV sooner than later, preferably next.  The rhetoric was familiar, indicating Kessler is ready for anyone.  However, pressed for names, the options issue was unavoidable.  Common sense can explain why without any help from the Denmark native’s handlers.

Bute-Kessler?  Not worth enough for the moment and unlikely immediately after the rough night with Andrade.

Kessler vs. the winner of Jermain Taylor-Jeff Lacy?  It’s probably the best, and easily the wealthiest, idea in the division for all concerned but the winner of Taylor-Lacy will be a WBC mandatory to the lesser regarded winner of December’s Carl Froch-Jean Pascal vacant title tilt.  The winner of Taylor-Lacy would be favored over either man and so, even if Kessler were possible, it would probably make sense to wait for two belts to be on the line to increase the deposit slips.

Kessler vs. WBO titlist Denis Inkin?  What network would buy it?

Kessler vs. anyone in the WBA top ten isn’t going to get any blood pumping (look it up; uugh), at least not for the U.S. fans Kessler wants to ply his trade in front of again.  Thankfully, the idea of a possible fight, as reported at this site, with Gusmyl Perdoma (who?) was dismissed out of hand, at least until Perdoma is declared a mandatory.

Kessler is between a rock and a hard place, out of sight and mind for U.S. fans and networks in 2008 and low on options for 2009. 

There are options though, even if many hinge more on others than Kessler.

Bernard Hopkins stands tall, again, after dismantling World Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.  If Roy Jones beats Calzaghe on November 8th, Hopkins-Jones II is too obvious and rich not to finally happen.  However, if Calzaghe wins and retires, a Hopkins still looking for mountains might just look at Kessler.  It doesn’t seem the most likely scenario, but Hopkins has never won a belt at Super Middleweight and the lure of fighting the perceived best at the weight might work.

There might be a better scenario, even if it might not pay as much.

There is another fighter right now who wants to stamp his place but doesn’t have the best line-up of options.  He’s not a Super Middleweight.  Divisions be damned.

WBC Light Heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KO) is in a place similar to where Kessler was before the Calzaghe fight.  He’s beaten a string of solid older names and established contenders.  Unlike Mikkel, he probably won’t get a chance to tangle with Calzaghe much less Jones or Hopkins and he has been limited in exposure beyond hardcore fans.  His looming mandatory, Tavoris Cloud, is every bit the risk Kessler would be but for likely less money and prestige. 

A growing number of fans on various message boards are openly speculating about a Dawson-Kessler fight already.  There’s something about it that makes sense.  Two guys who need a big win, without a big opponent, within a division of each other?  It might not be rich, but it’s the sort of ballsy choice the winner could parlay into enriched respect and future earnings.  Kessler’s team might be wary of moving up, but why? 

Up until the birth of Super Middleweight in the mid-1980’s, weighing 168 meant being a Light Heavyweight.  Billy Conn fought Joe Louis weighing a pound more than that for the Heavyweight championship of the World and made himself a legend in defeat.  Moving up to fight Dawson is much less a risk than Conn took and, frankly, the money of the moment is at 175 lbs. anyways.  If Kessler is better than Dawson, or vice versa, it won’t rest on size.

It would rest on quality.

And it’s a quality match. 

The teams of Kessler and Dawson aren’t calling for it right now.  Boxing fans are beginning to call it out for them.  This scribe has already mentioned it in passing previously, and now is a time to turn the volume up. 

Kessler remains one of the world’s best fighters even with a defeat in his biggest fight.  He needs another big fight if he wants to remind the skeptics.  Chad Dawson needs a big name foe for early 2009 to maintain the momentum that has him creeping into the Pound-for-Pound debate. 

Chad Dawson-Mikkel Kessler.

It’s big risk for big reward on both sides.  That’s what Boxing can be all about on its best days and this is a match that has best days written all over it.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com