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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. [details]
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. [details]