Tweet
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."
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."
Comment