Calzage - Kessler ---£7m / $14m in gate reciepts?! :-o

JJay18y ago

Joe Calzaghe is braced for the greatest challenge of his career when he meets Mikkel Kessler in a superfight promoter Frank Warren has billed as the biggest in the world. Seventy thousand tickets have been made available for the showdown at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on November 3 with the gate receipts alone expected to generate £7million. Calzaghe will put his WBO belt on the line while Kessler's WBC and WBA titles are at stake as the unbeaten super-middleweight rivals clash to determine who rules the division. High-profile Americans Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins had been mooted as possible opponents but Calzaghe insists heavily-tattooed Dane Kessler is the most dangerous adversary. And while bookmakers have made Calzaghe 1/2 favourite - the 35-year-old Welshman is fighting on home soil - he knows he will have to reproduce his brilliant display against Jeff Lacy if he is to triumph. "On paper Mikkel is excellent. His record is 39-0 and he has two world titles. It's the biggest and only fight out there for me," he said. "Maybe it's the most difficult fight too. Jermain Taylor is a middleweight while Bernard Hopkins is 42 and just living on his name. "But Kessler is at his peak. Just like Jeff Lacy he's young, hungry and wants to be the best in the world. "I think he's a better fighter than Lacy - he's taller, bigger and stronger. "I'm 35 and he'll be hoping I'm slipping - well we'll see about that on November 3. "There's no way I'm going to lose the fight because I'll be in the best shape of my life. When I'm at my best no one can beat me. "At this stage of my career it's all about my legacy. I want to be recognised as maybe the greatest super-middleweight there has been. "Beating Kessler would go some way to cementing my legacy." Kessler's record lacks the big names that are dotted throughout Calzaghe's 43-fight career with last October's third-round demolition of a fading Markus Beyer his finest moment. The 28-year-old possesses power in both hands, a ramrod jab and is in his prime, but Calzaghe has warned he must be ready for a significant step up in class. "Kessler's style suits me. He's a very solid European-style fighter. He's quite upright and comes in straight lines," he said. "He's knocked 29 people out but has never been in the ring with a southpaw with my hand speed, awkwardness or slickness." Calzaghe took a swipe at Hopkins' superfight against Ronald 'Winky' Wright, which is being staged in Las Vegas on Saturday, by branding it a non-event. "Kessler and me will be the fight of the year - forget Hopkins and Winky Wright and that rubbish that's on at the weekend," he said. "That's a 42-year-old man against someone from two weight divisions lower. "Kessler and I are two of the best fighters in the world coming up against each other. Everyone's in for a treat." Calzaghe has taken criticism for fighting overseas just twice in his career but the Newbridge boxer insists his willingness to meet Kessler in Copenhagen proves he is not afraid to travel. "I've got the fight in Wales. People have called me 'Stay at home Joe', but I made it public that I was willing to go to Denmark," he said. "Unfortunately Kessler's people couldn't produce the numbers. Frank has backed it up and Kessler is coming to Cardiff. "It's a great bonus to fight him at home, but I could beat him anywhere."

Comments (20)

0094

Joe have you been in those fields again! lol, soz if i sound stupid my head is spinning. this is sooo hard 2 type lol

18y ago

0094

Is Hopkins vs Winky a superfight for UK fans, no. It's just American snobery, thinking any superfights have to have americans in. There both superfights in each others regions, its good for boxing that these fights are happening. TBH all my friends (in the UK yea) dont know anyhing bout the US fighters, because they arnt broadcast on normal tv, cum'on even David Haye isnt that well known to the casual fan caus they arent on itv (the uk free channel lol) but everyone in the uk knows Amir Khan which is sick, this is why boxing is on the decline, US fight are awsome, but noone "normal" know them so they dont watch them. Easy as, if you know about a fighter u will watch them, serious. If u know about their life u will watch them, simple as. My friends who arnt into boxing watch Amir Khan because hes from the Olympics and thats it and they love it. More boxing documentarys should be shown in the uk! Sorry if i sound stupid ive had a few too many drinkks 2nite

18y ago

Technical_Skill

get real you say, and go on to mention hopkins vs winky.. because thet are p4p fighters.. is it the same hopkins that ruled a weak era, just a calzaghe did.. is this the same hopkins that lost 2 to taylor, and yet is still ranked top 5 p4p.. give me a break and why dont you get real.. the ring p4p rankings are blinded by the amercian fighters balls.. as for kessler, well he has beaten 2 champs, an has 2 belts, what more could he do. to get the belts??. and if you dont know it, when he steps in the ring in his last 5 fights, with the exception of eric lucas, has been ranked in the ring top 6.. thats since becoming a champ.. to me taht sound like a pretty good matchmaking just because usa doesnt have a contender, it doesnt mean that the boxers in the div are without talent.. So, supermiddleweight is poor so the ranking dont mean as much, thats my whole point, on paper any idiot can declare this a superfight, 2 unbeatean fighters, unification etc. But when you actually watch both fighters and look at thier resume you see that both havent fought many big names, both have questionable resumes and that Calzaghe should be a heavy favorite to win. Who has Kessler beat???? lol. I would adivise you to go into the thread created for this, saves me having to reply in two different threads. As i said before, for Kessler and Calzaghe fans, its probably a superfight, for me personally, no. Leonard Haggler a superfight? Yes Tyson - Lewis a Superfight? Yes (Even though tyson was shot, cos lewis was seen as chinny and both had been in with serious fighters) Calzaghe vs Kessler a superfight? not in my opinion.

18y ago

gigogreco

The backstory behind the opinion you criticize is very ugly. TS you forlorn, hopless creature! care to explain what you exactly mean.?

18y ago

gigogreco

Lol, how is this a superfight when Kessler just isnt that good, who has he fought to get this reputation??? Please tell me. His skills are good, but they dont justify the hype, and 168 is not a great divison which is why guys like Beyer and Kessler became champs, get real. And People werent saying DLH was old when they were saying he would KO floyd, lol. De La Hoya mayweather was a nearly a pick em fight, it was clearly a fight that could have gonna either way, thats what made it exciting, certainly in terms of hype. This is totally different, calzaghe is gonna have to lose this fight himself, i been saying it for a while, unless Kessler seriously improves his footwork within the next few months, he's gonna get found out. If Calzaghe easliy Ud's Kessler dont be suprised. Its all about perception, to me, no its not a superifight Bernard hopkins VS Winky Wright, thats a superfight, two p4p's going at it in what is expected to be the purest form boxing skill seen in a while. Kessler vs Calzaghe is a big fight to me, not a superfight tho. get real you say, and go on to mention hopkins vs winky.. because thet are p4p fighters.. is it the same hopkins that ruled a weak era, just a calzaghe did.. is this the same hopkins that lost 2 to taylor, and yet is still ranked top 5 p4p.. give me a break and why dont you get real.. the ring p4p rankings are blinded by the amercian fighters balls.. as for kessler, well he has beaten 2 champs, an has 2 belts, what more could he do. to get the belts??. and if you dont know it, when he steps in the ring in his last 5 fights, with the exception of eric lucas, has been ranked in the ring top 6.. thats since becoming a champ.. to me taht sound like a pretty good matchmaking just because usa doesnt have a contender, it doesnt mean that the boxers in the div are without talent..

18y ago

Technical_Skill

Is Hopkins vs Winky a superfight for UK fans, no. It's just American snobery, thinking any superfights have to have americans in. No its two p4p fighters and two modern day legends fighting, thats a super fight. If its just american snobbery...... I now delcare Enzo Mac vs Wayne Braithwaite this saturday a superfight also. lol.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

what a 42 year old vs a blown up junior middleweight? Yep its more of a superfight then Kessler vs Calzaghe, thats obvious to me, Ill ask again, Who has Kessler beat??? He is just a beltholder in a mediocre divison, he isnt a p4p fighter and isnt in the league of hopkins and wright. Again the man does have some good skills, but i dont buy his hype right now, sidestepping and jabbing a shot markus beyer doesnt= a win over calzaghe. If he gets stopped or wide ud'd lets see how many people talk about a superfight after that lol.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

Hopkins vs. Wright? Now you're completely lost. You dont consider two p4p fighters and arguebly two of the greatest fighters of the last 20 years meeting a superfight? But Kessler Calzaghe is a superfight? LMAO.

18y ago

kayjay

Hopkins vs. Wright? Now you're completely lost.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

its actually funny.. every boxing fan is screaming for the divisions to have undisputed champs.. and what does some boxing fan do, cry out and say, this isnt a superfight.. fucking retards-- had this been 2 undefeated americans, the amount of pr and hype sorrounding the fight, would be immense.. 1. two undefeated champs.. 2. 3 belts, had cal not dropped the ibf, all the belts worth mentioning would be involved 3. and mostimportantly, we will have 1 guy, who is the undisputed champ. its without a doubt the 2 best fighters in the div, and for one just to claim, this isnt a superfight, because joe will win easely, is pretty stupid if you ask me.. nobody is going to have a field day, this is going to be one tough fight for both of them,, now the last so called superfight, was pbf vs dlh, if i were to use the logic from earlier, i would say... well the p4p nr 1, against and old and retired dlh, thats easy to predict, of course the p4p nr 1 should win, therefore that wasnt a superfight.. Lol, how is this a superfight when Kessler just isnt that good, who has he fought to get this reputation??? Please tell me. His skills are good, but they dont justify the hype, and 168 is not a great divison which is why guys like Beyer and Kessler became champs, get real. And People werent saying DLH was old when they were saying he would KO floyd, lol. De La Hoya mayweather was a nearly a pick em fight, it was clearly a fight that could have gonna either way, thats what made it exciting, certainly in terms of hype. This is totally different, calzaghe is gonna have to lose this fight himself, i been saying it for a while, unless Kessler seriously improves his footwork within the next few months, he's gonna get found out. If Calzaghe easliy Ud's Kessler dont be suprised. Its all about perception, to me, no its not a superifight Bernard hopkins VS Winky Wright, thats a superfight, two p4p's going at it in what is expected to be the purest form boxing skill seen in a while. Kessler vs Calzaghe is a big fight to me, not a superfight tho.

18y ago

kayjay

18y ago

gigogreco

18y ago

SHB

Anyone who thinks this isn't a superfight is an idiot. How often do we get these sort of unification fights any more?

18y ago

El_Jesus

You're an african porch monkey. Slave. African Booty Scratcher. Big Lipped Bonehead. But I didn't say the N-word. You need to flood my PM box, then try to flood my profile comments, then fill my karma bar with racist shit, then call my girlfriend a whore, then i might think about getting a little irritated. Either way the moment for that has passed. And seeing as how you love Nas so much, its going to definately take alot more convincing than that.

18y ago

Unseen

people in the UK will never pay in the thousands for a ticket to watch boxing matches. there are too many other sports that people would be willing to spend their money on. i personally think that it is a super fight because they both hold world titles. WBC AND WBA with Kessler. WBO with Calzaghe (although he decided not to retain his IBF). but belts don't make fights for me. fighters make the fight for me and i enjoy calzaghe's style and the fact that both are number 1 and 2 should hopefully mean it's a close fight. Kessler is a decent fighter with a good right hand and jab. he's a lot younger than joe aswell. It all depends on what you call a super fight. i think a super fight is about the heart and punches being thrown. i think the eubank benn fights were super fights for what they threw and took. yeah these guys arent from america and will not get the attention from the american public as some of the even slightly big US/Mexican names will get, but i hope that they give a good fight and that it allows people to realise that there are big fights across the world.

18y ago

Chipp3r

Nope im from London/Surrey, Schumacher is a legend, thus why he is in my sig, who was better Schumacher or senna, now there's a question. No its not a superfight to me, and like $in said, the american certainly wont see it as a superfight........will it be on HBO ppv, or free to view, me thinks it could be the latter. lets see. Schumacher is the tits - i hope Kimi follows in his direction... and Hamilton too of course :) I agree with your prediction of the fight, i've always said Kessler is robotic and Calzaghe should dance around him, but Kessler is highly rated by many and this fight has been talked about for years, many American's suggesting Kessler can beat Calzaghe. It IS a superfight. Not just in Europe but boxing fans worldwide will be taking notice. It doesn't have to be in America or on American PPV to be a superfight - the fight however is only a victim of American's not giving enough TV exposure to both fighters, particularly Kessler who they seem to have ignored. It seems they only really give a toss about boxing and big fights when it's their own American/Mexican fighters.

18y ago

El_Jesus

with about $10k from Mayweather fans that was the seat he got his dad, to which he never sat in.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

#2 and #3 were your opinion. ANd your opinion sucks. So yeah, it's a superfight. I applaud the logic you used here, was simply outstanding, should be proud of yourself, remember that when you wait for the special needs bus to take you to school tommorow.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

So because you have the opinion that it is an easy win for Calazaghe, then it is not a superfight. Get your head out of your ass you self absorbed twit. #1 BOTH FIGHTERS ARE AT THE TOP OF THERE DIVISION #2 BOTH FIGHTERS HAVE ARE UNDEFEATED #3 BOTH FIGHTERS ACTUALLY 'FIGHT', WE DONT HAVE TRACK STARS FIGHTING #4 THE WINNER WILL UNIFY THE BELTS #5 BOXING FANS HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR THIS FIGHT FOR YEARS So, this isn't a superfight, how???? #4 Ok one more time, then lets hope you finally understand, I dont think its a superfight, if you do, fine. Here is why i dont thinks its a superfight to me And Lol at 'track stars' comment, mayweather may be a track star, but here is an example of a superfight Mayweather vs De La hoya i dont think Calzaghe Kessler is anywhere near that league, i mean, is it even on PPV or is it free to air? As for the rest, read my earlier post...properly. Why is it guys get so worked up about an online opinion? hilarious shit. 1) Super Middleweight divison is one of the poorest in boxing. 2) Kessler is a robot, minimal footwork, too orthodox to cause calzaghe problems, you think a couple of those jab are gonna be able to stop joe coming in with his multiple combos. 3) It should be a one sided fight imo, im no calazaghe fan, but Kessler isnt anything different to what calzaghe has faced before and beaten, a shot chris eubank had better movement than kessler and calzaghe beat him. So there you go, now are you gonna tell me what makes this a superfight, with a proper reason other than 'they are one and two in the divison' ? Thats retarded, would Klitchshko vs Valuev have been a superfight? no. Wlad would have murdered him yet were they not ranked 1 and 2 in their divison at some stage? Regardless you get the point, ranking dont always tell the whole story. And dont forget to turn the gas off after you use it, those fumes will have you thinking all kinds of stupid shit if you leave it on long enough.

18y ago

Technical_Skill

I agree with your prediction for the fight but there isn't a bigger fight to be made in the weight division, it's one of the biggest fights in boxing. Schumacher in your sig? you german or just boring? Nope im from London/Surrey, Schumacher is a legend, thus why he is in my sig, who was better Schumacher or senna, now there's a question. No its not a superfight to me, and like $in said, the american certainly wont see it as a superfight........will it be on HBO ppv, or free to view, me thinks it could be the latter. lets see.

18y ago