Time To Revisit Plan A, Mikkel Kessler

[JakeNDaBox]

While I agree with the general sentiment, that Kessler should fight Miranda, I think there are a few faulty conclusions in the article. First of all, I don't see a Mundine fight for a title as being the path of lesser resistance compared to a Miranda fight for not very much money. That is just good business. The Mundine fight would probably be a lot harder, I'm pretty convinced Miranda will end up on his back if he fights Kessler, Mundine probably won't, in fact he might have a shot at winning if it takes place in Australia. The problem, that makes it bad business, is that they can't seem to get the Mundine fight.

Secondly, I don't see why Miranda has even deserved a fight against Kessler. What has he done at SMW? Why is everybody convinced that Kessler is ducking Miranda, when, in fact, his manager just doesn't want him to fight in the US, for no title, and a small fee of 400.000 Euro's? As a writer who is supposed to know how this business works, I think you're forgetting that this is not Kessler calling the shots. He's got a manager who is way past his expiration date, who has squandered away his entire promotional outfit, that has had firm control of pro boxing in Scandinavia for fifty (!) years. He can't even put on a show in Denmark anymore, because no Danish TV station will work with him. And this is at a time where he's got the best boxer Denmark has ever had! The bottom line here, is that Palle is too old and too greedy to make the decisions that are right for Kessler. As a serious writer, you should know these things (if you don't, doing research before writing a piece might be a good idea?), and put them in your article, instead of coming of as a slightly more eloquent version of the average forum rat, saying nothing more than "Kessler's scurred! Coward!", which would be a much shorter and more precise way of saying what you just spent a whole article saying.

In the words of one of my favorite fictional characters Snoop Pearson "Deserve got nothin' to do with it." The fact is, the Miranda fight was offered to Kessler. His team made every ****in' concession under the sun, to which Miranda/Warriors willingly agreed for the sake of making the fight. To go through that whole song and dance and then suddenly stop taking phone calls is not good business, it's very poor business, unless your goal is to burn bridges, which is exactly what they did. Honestly, if they were that offended by the offer, then why accept it in the first place?

Also, and maybe I need to re-read my own work, but I've made several references to Team Kessler throughout the article. I'm not solely placing all of the blame on Kessler, but at the same time, he can't be completeley absolved either. Much like people got sick and tired of Cotto's "I fight who my promoter puts in front of me" defense, Kessler has to have at least some say in who he fights.

On his "only" making 400,000 Euros: he just lost to Calzaghe, and has nothing else going on. He received such a big payday for that fight because of the magnitude of the event. To make $600,000 coming off of a loss, against someome most dismiss as the Super Middleweight version of Mayorga, isn't exactly standing in line for food stamps and government cheese.

His handlers pulled him out of one fight while trying to break up another (Mundine-Soliman III). No, I don't think that fight should happen, either. But guess what, it is. So is Froch-Inkin. What else does Kessler have going on? Why idly waste away waiting for a shot at an alphabet title?

Also, remind me again who Mundine beat to become a "champion." Last I checked, the belt he held was a lesser version of the one Kessler owned prior to fighting Calzaghe. Not to mention that Kessler already beat Mundine (and in Australia, for the poster who likes Mundine's chances should the rematch land there). Yes the fight was his toughest defense - I mentioned in my article that Mundine was the only challenger to win a few rounds against Kessler prior to the Calzaghe fight.

As a writer, judge, and former manager and promoter, yes I'm well aware of how the business works, and quite frankly, it sickens me. Even more so when people elect to look the other way and allow it to fly as an excuse. "It's part of the game." Bad officiating is part of basketball and (American) football; it doesn't mean people should stop citing it when it occurs.

If all you got out of my article was my insisting that Kessler is a coward, then I'm not sure you and I read the same column. I find it odd that you cite Palle's unprofessionalism throughout your post, yet not come to the same conclusion that I'm shouting about the same damn issue.

[CottoOverrated1]

In the words of one of my favorite fictional characters Snoop Pearson "Deserve got nothin' to do with it." The fact is, the Miranda fight was offered to Kessler. His team made every ****in' concession under the sun, to which Miranda/Warriors willingly agreed for the sake of making the fight. To go through that whole song and dance and then suddenly stop taking phone calls is not good business, it's very poor business, unless your goal is to burn bridges, which is exactly what they did. Honestly, if they were that offended by the offer, then why accept it in the first place?

Also, and maybe I need to re-read my own work, but I've made several references to Team Kessler throughout the article. I'm not solely placing all of the blame on Kessler, but at the same time, he can't be completeley absolved either. Much like people got sick and tired of Cotto's "I fight who my promoter puts in front of me" defense, Kessler has to have at least some say in who he fights.

On his "only" making 400,000 Euros: he just lost to Calzaghe, and has nothing else going on. He received such a big payday for that fight because of the magnitude of the event. To make $600,000 coming off of a loss, against someome most dismiss as the Super Middleweight version of Mayorga, isn't exactly standing in line for food stamps and government cheese.

His handlers pulled him out of one fight while trying to break up another (Mundine-Soliman III). No, I don't think that fight should happen, either. But guess what, it is. So is Froch-Inkin. What else does Kessler have going on? Why idly waste away waiting for a shot at an alphabet title?

Also, remind me again who Mundine beat to become a "champion." Last I checked, the belt he held was a lesser version of the one Kessler owned prior to fighting Calzaghe. Not to mention that Kessler already beat Mundine (and in Australia, for the poster who likes Mundine's chances should the rematch land there). Yes the fight was his toughest defense - I mentioned in my article that Mundine was the only challenger to win a few rounds against Kessler prior to the Calzaghe fight.

As a writer, judge, and former manager and promoter, yes I'm well aware of how the business works, and quite frankly, it sickens me. Even more so when people elect to look the other way and allow it to fly as an excuse. "It's part of the game." Bad officiating is part of basketball and (American) football; it doesn't mean people should stop citing it when it occurs.

If all you got out of my article was my insisting that Kessler is a coward, then I'm not sure you and I read the same column. I find it odd that you cite Palle's unprofessionalism throughout your post, yet not come to the same conclusion that I'm shouting about the same damn issue.

I am not 100 percent familiar with your work, but you, sir, kick ass.

[edgarg]

JAKE- Maybe "Snoop Pearson" too, but it's really a plagiarism of of Mae West. In a 1932 movie, in which when the cloakroom girl, admiring her diamond ring, said "GOODNESS, what lovely diamonds", Mae, with her little twitchy swagger, replied.."Goodness had nothin' to do with it"..........

As you probably know, she wrote all her own material, and was already a huge Broadway star for many years before she came to Hollywood. Since this was her first film, however, I'm not certain that these lines were actually written by her.

[PunchDrunk]

In the words of one of my favorite fictional characters Snoop Pearson "Deserve got nothin' to do with it." The fact is, the Miranda fight was offered to Kessler. His team made every ****in' concession under the sun, to which Miranda/Warriors willingly agreed for the sake of making the fight. To go through that whole song and dance and then suddenly stop taking phone calls is not good business, it's very poor business, unless your goal is to burn bridges, which is exactly what they did. Honestly, if they were that offended by the offer, then why accept it in the first place?

Also, and maybe I need to re-read my own work, but I've made several references to Team Kessler throughout the article. I'm not solely placing all of the blame on Kessler, but at the same time, he can't be completeley absolved either. Much like people got sick and tired of Cotto's "I fight who my promoter puts in front of me" defense, Kessler has to have at least some say in who he fights.

On his "only" making 400,000 Euros: he just lost to Calzaghe, and has nothing else going on. He received such a big payday for that fight because of the magnitude of the event. To make $600,000 coming off of a loss, against someome most dismiss as the Super Middleweight version of Mayorga, isn't exactly standing in line for food stamps and government cheese.

His handlers pulled him out of one fight while trying to break up another (Mundine-Soliman III). No, I don't think that fight should happen, either. But guess what, it is. So is Froch-Inkin. What else does Kessler have going on? Why idly waste away waiting for a shot at an alphabet title?

Also, remind me again who Mundine beat to become a "champion." Last I checked, the belt he held was a lesser version of the one Kessler owned prior to fighting Calzaghe. Not to mention that Kessler already beat Mundine (and in Australia, for the poster who likes Mundine's chances should the rematch land there). Yes the fight was his toughest defense - I mentioned in my article that Mundine was the only challenger to win a few rounds against Kessler prior to the Calzaghe fight.

As a writer, judge, and former manager and promoter, yes I'm well aware of how the business works, and quite frankly, it sickens me. Even more so when people elect to look the other way and allow it to fly as an excuse. "It's part of the game." Bad officiating is part of basketball and (American) football; it doesn't mean people should stop citing it when it occurs.

If all you got out of my article was my insisting that Kessler is a coward, then I'm not sure you and I read the same column. I find it odd that you cite Palle's unprofessionalism throughout your post, yet not come to the same conclusion that I'm shouting about the same damn issue.

I find it odd that you choose to ignore the fact that I've said repeatedly that I think Kessler should take the fight as well.

Maybe you should re-read your own work. You do make a few references to "Team Kessler," however, you also hold Kessler personally responsible (in your headline amongst other places) for "trying to pass around Edison Miranda." I find it odd that you claim to be "shouting" (?) about Palle's unprofessionalism, yet you don't mention his name at all?
You start your column (another word for article without research in my book) like this:

Then unified super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler was given a pass when he remaining tucked away in Denmark while his promoter demanded more money for a superfight with linear super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe last summer.

To me that clearly reads that Kessler was just hiding behind his manager, and that you're holding him, not his manager responsible. If not, it would be Palle who was given a pass, not Kessler.

It's now time to stop giving Mikkel Kessler a pass.

At least until he stops trying to pass around Edison Miranda.

You're shouting about Palle's mismanagement?

Whether Kessler should have some say in who he fights, it's pretty clear that he doesn't to the people who know a little bit about how Palle works. It's no big secret, really. I guess you don't know much about that, and obviously something like that goes swoooooosh over the heads of the average forum rat, so maybe you should have done some research and written an article that brought something new to the table, instead of just stating your, in this case, not quite informed opinion. Anybody can do that, and waste less space doing it.

Your column is not about Palle's unprofessionalism, it's not about you wanting them to fight. It's about placing the blame personally on Mikkel Kessler. Your headline states it (if you're a real writer, you should know that the headline is a summary of the main message in a journalistic piece of work), and you continually put the blame on Kessler personally throughout. Read it again.

[SHB]

I suppose in a world where Alfonso Gomez merits a shot at Cotto then anything is possible, because that's the best comparison I can think of when comparing what Miranda has done to merit a shot at the #1 contender spot at SMW.

In a way I'd like the fight to happen. It'd be a carbon copy of the Andrade fight, but probably not going the distance.

Now, Andrade vs Miranda. That'd be a fight I'd like to see, although I know he's got Bute lined up somewhere down the line.

[PunchDrunk]

To clarify what I meant when I asked what Miranda had done to "deserve" a shot at Kessler: I simply meant that Kessler is not a champion, and Miranda is not his challenger, so Kessler can fight anybody he (or rather Palle) wants. If there's a fight he'd rather have, then they're entitled to go for that instead. If there was a signed contract, that's another story, but there is not.

[Pugilistic™]

i would like to see kessler vs miranda but its all up to kessler in the end

[JakeNDaBox]

I find it odd that you choose to ignore the fact that I've said repeatedly that I think Kessler should take the fight as well.

Maybe you should re-read your own work. You do make a few references to "Team Kessler," however, you also hold Kessler personally responsible (in your headline amongst other places) for "trying to pass around Edison Miranda." I find it odd that you claim to be "shouting" (?) about Palle's unprofessionalism, yet you don't mention his name at all?
You start your column (another word for article without research in my book) like this: To me that clearly reads that Kessler was just hiding behind his manager, and that you're holding him, not his manager responsible. If not, it would be Palle who was given a pass, not Kessler.

Yes, you're right, it's exactly what I'm accusing Kessler of. Honestly, at this point, what does Kessler have to lose by saying something not 100% in unison with Palle? How long does a fighter go into his career before you can't blame EVERYTHING on his manager/promoter?

If Kessler were some unknown that didn't have any interest among the networks, I could see his blindly putting faith in Palle every step of the way. But the fact is that if Kessler expressed interest in breaking away from him, HBO would probably personally front the cash to buy himself out of the contract.

So yes, so long as Palle burns bridges and attempts to sabotage fights on his behalf, Kessler has to accept at least partial blame. If he's going to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else fight and not say a word about it, and continue to allow Palle to speak for him... how else would you phrase it? I honestly have a hard time accepting anything short of Kessler doubling as a Danish slave as a valid explanation.

You're shouting about Palle's mismanagement?

Whether Kessler should have some say in who he fights, it's pretty clear that he doesn't to the people who know a little bit about how Palle works. It's no big secret, really. I guess you don't know much about that, and obviously something like that goes swoooooosh over the heads of the average forum rat, so maybe you should have done some research and written an article that brought something new to the table, instead of just stating your, in this case, not quite informed opinion. Anybody can do that, and waste less space doing it.

Your column is not about Palle's unprofessionalism, it's not about you wanting them to fight. It's about placing the blame personally on Mikkel Kessler. Your headline states it (if you're a real writer, you should know that the headline is a summary of the main message in a journalistic piece of work), and you continually put the blame on Kessler personally throughout. Read it again.

Again, all of this comes down to how you interpret it. I don't post here enough to know any given forum member's likes and dislikes. But judging from your vested interest in this topic and that your IP address comes from a Danish hosting site, I'm led to believe that you're going to take this more personal than others.

In the end, what you want is for me to have instead written about the Palle's, and leaving Kessler free from any blame. I can't give you that. Not when Kessler is rounding 30, and is 10 years/40 fights into his career. If he were five years in and seeking his first title shot - maybe. But as established a fighter as he is, SOME of the blame has to fall on his shoulders.

Kessler's letting Palle do all of the talking, and not saying anything about it, at least not in public. Saying nothing while others burn bridges on your behalf is just as bad as doing the deed yourself. It's not like the fighter is some insignificant member of Team (fill in the name) - without Mikkel the fighter, there is no Team Kessler.

I'm sorry if this topic hits too close to home. You can continue to insult me/my writing and try to educate me on the finer points of journalism. I just find it odd that you wait until a Mikkel Kessler article (an editorial, at that) surfaces before you begin preaching, given that I'm 1 year and over 100 articles into my career as a B-Scene contributor. Maybe it's a coincidence that it was my first piece on Kessler.

[PunchDrunk]

Yes, you're right, it's exactly what I'm accusing Kessler of. Honestly, at this point, what does Kessler have to lose by saying something not 100% in unison with Palle? How long does a fighter go into his career before you can't blame EVERYTHING on his manager/promoter?

If Kessler were some unknown that didn't have any interest among the networks, I could see his blindly putting faith in Palle every step of the way. But the fact is that if Kessler expressed interest in breaking away from him, HBO would probably personally front the cash to buy himself out of the contract.

So yes, so long as Palle burns bridges and attempts to sabotage fights on his behalf, Kessler has to accept at least partial blame. If he's going to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else fight and not say a word about it, and continue to allow Palle to speak for him... how else would you phrase it? I honestly have a hard time accepting anything short of Kessler doubling as a Danish slave as a valid explanation.

Ask Rudy Markussen how breaking away from Palle is going for him. Ask Reda Zam Zam. I could give you a long list of fighters who've had their had their careers ruined by this mans, but I don't think that would matter much to you, you've already given your expert opinion on the matter. Well, without knowledge, your opinion is worth little.

Again, all of this comes down to how you interpret it. I don't post here enough to know any given forum member's likes and dislikes. But judging from your vested interest in this topic and that your IP address comes from a Danish hosting site, I'm led to believe that you're going to take this more personal than others.

In the end, what you want is for me to have instead written about the Palle's, and leaving Kessler free from any blame. I can't give you that. Not when Kessler is rounding 30, and is 10 years/40 fights into his career. If he were five years in and seeking his first title shot - maybe. But as established a fighter as he is, SOME of the blame has to fall on his shoulders.

Kessler's letting Palle do all of the talking, and not saying anything about it, at least not in public. Saying nothing while others burn bridges on your behalf is just as bad as doing the deed yourself. It's not like the fighter is some insignificant member of Team (fill in the name) - without Mikkel the fighter, there is no Team Kessler.

I'm sorry if this topic hits too close to home. You can continue to insult me/my writing and try to educate me on the finer points of journalism. I just find it odd that you wait until a Mikkel Kessler article (an editorial, at that) surfaces before you begin preaching, given that I'm 1 year and over 100 articles into my career as a B-Scene contributor. Maybe it's a coincidence that it was my first piece on Kessler.

I don't take this personal, but I think it's perfectly legitimate that I take an interest in the matter, since I am a Kessler fan, and since I obviously know a little bit more about what's going on in "Team Kessler." In Denmark it's known as "Palle's Stable" for instance. That should give you sort of and idea of what the situation is...

By the way, I don't like the way you insinuate that I'm somehow disqualified from thinking rationally about this whole thing, just because I come from the same country as Kessler. That would mean that every one of your articles that are about an American fighter are irrational ravings because they are about your countrymen, which would be ridiculous of course.

I didn't attack you personally, I critiqued some points in your article, (after which you demonstrated that you hardly knew what you actually wrote. Of course I'm gonna call you on that)and now you pull the "your opinion doesn't count because you're Danish" card? Try answering the points I actually made instead of avoiding them and getting personal.

P. S. the fact remains that you haven't made a legitimate piece of journalism here, that means seeking information from the parties involved, and you clearly haven't done that. I guess that's all my fault for being Danish? It's time to stop giving Jake Donovan a pass.

[JakeNDaBox]

I don't expect a pass, and you are taking this personal. I never said your opinion doesn't matter - if it didn't, I never would've responded to your posts. All I said was that you're taking this more personal than others. And the fact that each post you make is more insulting than the preceding one is proving that point.

But let's start over, I'll address every nook and cranny of your last post as a starting point, since you claim I'm not addressing any issues.

Ask Rudy Markussen how breaking away from Palle is going for him. Ask Reda Zam Zam. I could give you a long list of fighters who've had their had their careers ruined by this mans, but I don't think that would matter much to you, you've already given your expert opinion on the matter. Well, without knowledge, your opinion is worth little.

And I can guarantee that of all of the names on the list, a grand total of zero had a major American network willing to showcase them on a regular basis. I can name hundreds of fighters whose careers suffered while arguing contracts and the law with Don King. But so long as I can also name a couple who succesfully moved on beyond his clutches, then what does any of that matter?

I don't take this personal, but I think it's perfectly legitimate that I take an interest in the matter, since I am a Kessler fan, and since I obviously know a little bit more about what's going on in "Team Kessler." In Denmark it's known as "Palle's Stable" for instance. That should give you sort of and idea of what the situation is...

It's very legitimate. And there are some instances in which you will have far more knowledge than others. I never stated otherwise. If you were waiting for me to say "agreed" or "co-sign", then i'm sorry. I chose to pick the spots that I disagreed with, to avoid offering the message board equivalent of War and Peace. but as I mentioned earlier, the points you made in previous posts is what prompted me to respond. I didn't disagree with your post(s) as a whole, just chose the spots for which I felt offered another side to the argument.

By the way, I don't like the way you insinuate that I'm somehow disqualified from thinking rationally about this whole thing, just because I come from the same country as Kessler. That would mean that every one of your articles that are about an American fighter are irrational ravings because they are about your countrymen, which would be ridiculous of course.

I didn't insinuate anything other than you taking the article more personal than others. But yes, just as most American writers can't help but show bias toward fighters with whom they are more familiar, it's not out of line to suggest you're reading this column with a biased viewpoint, however subtle or glaring it may be. Like I said in my previous post, I don't know most posters here from a hole in the wall. The conclusion I reached was a viewpoint from the outside looking in, not an official FBI profile analysis or anything.

I didn't attack you personally, I critiqued some points in your article, (after which you demonstrated that you hardly knew what you actually wrote. Of course I'm gonna call you on that)and now you pull the "your opinion doesn't count because you're Danish" card? Try answering the points I actually made instead of avoiding them and getting personal.

I'm all for constructive criticism, in fact I prefer it to empty back-slaps because you learn far more from the former. The points you critiqued, I offered a response. If there are others I've failed to address, then list them in a reply and I'll answer each and every one, even the ones I already agree with. But now you're saying I'm getting personal when in nearly ever post since my reply, you **** on my work (claiming it to be misinformed and a waste of space that could've been limited to a message board post) and keep making assumptions of how I view your opinion. To once again clarify, I never said your opinion doesn't count. That's YOUR interpretation of what's being said, much like my claim that you read this editorial and walk away with a different feeling than, say someone who's not from Denmark and/or a Kessler fan (since not all Kessler fans are from Denmark, nor are all Danish fight fans necessarily Kessler fans).

Whatever points you believe I've failed to address, list them and I promise to offer a response.