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'Godfather' Mogens Palle Brings Showdown With Beyer To Denmark Oct. 14
GOING HOLLYWOOD: KICK IT WITH KESSLER, BOXING'S ANSWER TO football'S BECKHAM HAS THE LOOKS, THE HOOKS AND PERFECT RING RESUME
By NAT GOTTLIEB
Senior Staff Writer
In his second professional fight Mikkel Kessler fought a boxer from Brooklyn named Michael Corleone. Unlike his cinematic namesake, this Corleone was not very good at knocking people off, and in fact lost 17 of his last 20 fights before retiring. Corleone comes to mind because when Kessler, the undefeated WBA super middleweight champ (37-0, 28 KOs), wanted to go to the mattresses with WBC champ Markus Beyer, the German had his eyes on taking over another rival's territory in England, the WBO, IBF Don, Joe Calzaghe.
'We (Team Palle) made him an offer he couldn't say no to,' Kessler said.
At the time, the 35-year-old Beyer (34-2-1) was looking for a big payday before he gets rubbed out of the title picture, so he signed on the dotted line. Beyer will fight the 27-year-old Kessler on Oct. 14 in the 'Viking Warrior's' hometown of Copenhagen in the 42,000-seat Parken Stadium in what is being hailed as the biggest boxing match in Danish history. The power of Team Palle is such that this will mark just the first time Beyer has fought outside Germany in 20 bouts, and only the fifth time in his 37-fight career.
Widely regarded along with Calzaghe as one of the two best super middleweights in the world, Kessler is currently in the U.S. on a pleasure/business trip, speaking with TV executives about putting his future fights into American homes.
'This fight is in Denmark, but eventually I want to be in the bigger world, especially America,' said Kessler Saturday night in New York, where he dined with Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. The sit-down with Leonard marked the 25th anniversary of Sugar Ray's hard-fought victory in the Astrodome over Ayub Kalule, who was born in Uganda but lived in Denmark. That fight, also promoted by Team Palle's legendary founder Mogens Palle, was followed three months later by Leonard's historic TKO victory over then unbeaten Thomas Hearns (32-0).
'I asked him (Leonard) about how he trained and prepared for fights,' Kessler said. 'You can always learn something in boxing.'
Leonard gave Kessler advice about what a champion has to do to maximize his earnings and how to conduct himself. The blond Kessler, he of the gal-friendly, drop-dead good looks, is doing quite nicely in both departments right now.
Kessler is already locked on radar for the U.S. boxing networks, and hopes to maximize his earnings by fighting in America soon.
'I want Americans to see what a real champion I am,' Kessler said. 'My goals right now are to unify all four belts, and fight in the U.S.,' Kessler said. 'You have to set goals every time you fight because that's what motivates you.'
Monday in Los Angeles, Kessler himself will be a motivator for up-and-coming prospects when he appears as a guest on NBC's hit reality TV series, 'The Contender.'
Although Kessler's powerful hook and high-energy combos will undoubtedly turn on American audiences just as they have in Europe and Australia, he has other ways to follow Leonard's advice about maximizing earnings.
Often called Europe?s Oscar De La Hoya because of his movie-star good looks and charming demeanor, Kessler has already gotten Hollywood feelers about doing TV movies and commercial gigs. As one noted female TV producer said after meeting Kessler, 'He looks like David Beckham. Find out if he has an older brother.'
But Hollywood will have to wait while Kessler pursues his current spotlight, one that has shone on him from his impressive amateur career (44-3) through to the professional ranks.
'I won the Danish, Norwegian and Scandinavian (amateur) championship, and then won the European Youth Championship when I was 16,' Kessler said. 'That's when I thought maybe I can make it as a pro.'
Three years later Kessler did turn pro at 19 in March of 1998 with a first-round KO of Kelly Mays, who was 6-0 at the time and entertaining his own championship dreams before the Dane shattered them two minutes into the round.
Sparked by a strong belief in himself, Kessler won the biggest 'decision' standing in his way of a future world championship.
'When I first started out as a professional boxer, I was in training school with Mercedes Benz to become a mechanic,' Kessler said. 'It was a four-year course, but I had to drop out after three years because it was too much to work eight hours at the school and then train.'
Trading a life spent in grease-stained overalls for silky shorts was not all that hard at the time, since Kessler already had plowed through his 19 opponents and was on everybody's list as a blue-chip prospect.
Kessler came to boxing as a kid after unsatisfying detours through football and the martial arts.
'Those sports didn't do anything for me,' Kessler said. 'In boxing, you have to train hard all the time, and you can't be the best in two or three months. So I turned to boxing, which was the biggest challenge I could find.'
While the sport itself has fulfilled his need for challenge, Kessler has had very little problem conquering every one that has come his way. Unlike Calzaghe, Kessler also has no compunctions about racking up a few frequent-flyer miles to do it. Calzaghe seems to have been on permanent house arrest since winning his WBO championship in 1997 by beating Chris Eubank in England. In Calzaghe's last 19 fights, only once has he ventured beyond his British island, that being a short hop to Parken Stadium to defeat American journeyman Will McIntyre on a fourth round TKO.
Kessler has already gone much farther in pursuit of fresh worlds to conquer, jetting to Australia in June of last year to make just his second title defense against one of the division?s best in Anthony Mundine ? and doing it in the challenger?s hometown of Sydney.
Kessler ignored a unanimously hostile crowd and eventually earned their respect by winning an overwhelming and impressive decision.
What was remarkable about Kessler?s triumph was not just the wide margin on all three of the judges' cards -- 116-112, 120-108 and 117-113 -- but the fact that due to back problems the Dane was only able to get in 30 rounds of sparring beforehand. In contrast, before his most recent fight, a 10th round TKO of former world title holder Eric Lucas, Kessler sparred 160 rounds.
Mundine made Kessler's victory look even better when he went on to win his next three fights, including his last over Top Ten boxer Danny Green. Kessler?s 'W' was also enhanced by the fact that it was only the second experience he had fighting outside Denmark. In his 16th pro fight, Kessler knocked out Israel Ponce in the second round at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on March 4, 2000 on an off-TV pay-per-view card.
'There were not many people who were there to see it,' Kessler said. 'In Denmark, I have a huge crowd rooting for me.'
Huge won?t do justice to his fight against Beyer. With the buzz building, the fight is already threatening to eclipse its only two rival fights in the country's history. It was 34 years ago that the great middleweight champion Carlos Monzon traveled to Copenhagen to fight European champion, Denmark's Tom Bogs at the Idraetsparken. Bogs had a 63-4-1 record, but was no match for Monzon, suffering a 5th round TKO.
The most recent fight in Denmark to gain world-wide attention came on Oct. 13, 2001 when a 35-year-old Mike Tyson, four years removed from a championship belt, drew 21,000 fans to Parken Stadium for a fight with hometown hero, Brian Nielson, who was 62-1 at the time, including victories over past-their-prime heavyweights Tim Witherspoon, Larry Holmes and Tony Tubbs in non-title affairs.
Nielson, by local accounts, gave it a game try, but was retired on his stool after seven grueling rounds. Most who have seen both Kessler and Beyer fight don?t expect a similar result for the new hometown hero, with the Dane the likely betting favorite.
Kessler, who is trained by the legendary Richard Olsen -- his first and only coach since he walked into a gym at age 13 hopes to use a victory over Beyer as a breakout onto the world stage.
'I would like to fight Calzaghe, and do it here in the United States,' Kessler said . 'But I am taking the fights one at a time.'
Kessler said Team Palle tried to seal a deal with Calzaghe both before and after the Brit's stunning demolition of Jeff Lacy. 'We made him a big offer, but he didn't want to fight me. I think he is afraid,' Kessler said.
Should Kessler beat Beyer, he would like to pursue Calzaghe again in what would amount to a four-belt unification fight. No other weight division is so unified, and such a match would likely land on American TV and play to a world audience.
The 34-year-old Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs), having pulled out of his scheduled American TV debut on HBO, July 8, because of a training injury, has been looking in vain for a major pay day or two before he calls it a career, and this time might be agreeable to an offer -- especially one he can't refuse
GOING HOLLYWOOD: KICK IT WITH KESSLER, BOXING'S ANSWER TO football'S BECKHAM HAS THE LOOKS, THE HOOKS AND PERFECT RING RESUME
By NAT GOTTLIEB
Senior Staff Writer
In his second professional fight Mikkel Kessler fought a boxer from Brooklyn named Michael Corleone. Unlike his cinematic namesake, this Corleone was not very good at knocking people off, and in fact lost 17 of his last 20 fights before retiring. Corleone comes to mind because when Kessler, the undefeated WBA super middleweight champ (37-0, 28 KOs), wanted to go to the mattresses with WBC champ Markus Beyer, the German had his eyes on taking over another rival's territory in England, the WBO, IBF Don, Joe Calzaghe.
'We (Team Palle) made him an offer he couldn't say no to,' Kessler said.
At the time, the 35-year-old Beyer (34-2-1) was looking for a big payday before he gets rubbed out of the title picture, so he signed on the dotted line. Beyer will fight the 27-year-old Kessler on Oct. 14 in the 'Viking Warrior's' hometown of Copenhagen in the 42,000-seat Parken Stadium in what is being hailed as the biggest boxing match in Danish history. The power of Team Palle is such that this will mark just the first time Beyer has fought outside Germany in 20 bouts, and only the fifth time in his 37-fight career.
Widely regarded along with Calzaghe as one of the two best super middleweights in the world, Kessler is currently in the U.S. on a pleasure/business trip, speaking with TV executives about putting his future fights into American homes.
'This fight is in Denmark, but eventually I want to be in the bigger world, especially America,' said Kessler Saturday night in New York, where he dined with Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard. The sit-down with Leonard marked the 25th anniversary of Sugar Ray's hard-fought victory in the Astrodome over Ayub Kalule, who was born in Uganda but lived in Denmark. That fight, also promoted by Team Palle's legendary founder Mogens Palle, was followed three months later by Leonard's historic TKO victory over then unbeaten Thomas Hearns (32-0).
'I asked him (Leonard) about how he trained and prepared for fights,' Kessler said. 'You can always learn something in boxing.'
Leonard gave Kessler advice about what a champion has to do to maximize his earnings and how to conduct himself. The blond Kessler, he of the gal-friendly, drop-dead good looks, is doing quite nicely in both departments right now.
Kessler is already locked on radar for the U.S. boxing networks, and hopes to maximize his earnings by fighting in America soon.
'I want Americans to see what a real champion I am,' Kessler said. 'My goals right now are to unify all four belts, and fight in the U.S.,' Kessler said. 'You have to set goals every time you fight because that's what motivates you.'
Monday in Los Angeles, Kessler himself will be a motivator for up-and-coming prospects when he appears as a guest on NBC's hit reality TV series, 'The Contender.'
Although Kessler's powerful hook and high-energy combos will undoubtedly turn on American audiences just as they have in Europe and Australia, he has other ways to follow Leonard's advice about maximizing earnings.
Often called Europe?s Oscar De La Hoya because of his movie-star good looks and charming demeanor, Kessler has already gotten Hollywood feelers about doing TV movies and commercial gigs. As one noted female TV producer said after meeting Kessler, 'He looks like David Beckham. Find out if he has an older brother.'
But Hollywood will have to wait while Kessler pursues his current spotlight, one that has shone on him from his impressive amateur career (44-3) through to the professional ranks.
'I won the Danish, Norwegian and Scandinavian (amateur) championship, and then won the European Youth Championship when I was 16,' Kessler said. 'That's when I thought maybe I can make it as a pro.'
Three years later Kessler did turn pro at 19 in March of 1998 with a first-round KO of Kelly Mays, who was 6-0 at the time and entertaining his own championship dreams before the Dane shattered them two minutes into the round.
Sparked by a strong belief in himself, Kessler won the biggest 'decision' standing in his way of a future world championship.
'When I first started out as a professional boxer, I was in training school with Mercedes Benz to become a mechanic,' Kessler said. 'It was a four-year course, but I had to drop out after three years because it was too much to work eight hours at the school and then train.'
Trading a life spent in grease-stained overalls for silky shorts was not all that hard at the time, since Kessler already had plowed through his 19 opponents and was on everybody's list as a blue-chip prospect.
Kessler came to boxing as a kid after unsatisfying detours through football and the martial arts.
'Those sports didn't do anything for me,' Kessler said. 'In boxing, you have to train hard all the time, and you can't be the best in two or three months. So I turned to boxing, which was the biggest challenge I could find.'
While the sport itself has fulfilled his need for challenge, Kessler has had very little problem conquering every one that has come his way. Unlike Calzaghe, Kessler also has no compunctions about racking up a few frequent-flyer miles to do it. Calzaghe seems to have been on permanent house arrest since winning his WBO championship in 1997 by beating Chris Eubank in England. In Calzaghe's last 19 fights, only once has he ventured beyond his British island, that being a short hop to Parken Stadium to defeat American journeyman Will McIntyre on a fourth round TKO.
Kessler has already gone much farther in pursuit of fresh worlds to conquer, jetting to Australia in June of last year to make just his second title defense against one of the division?s best in Anthony Mundine ? and doing it in the challenger?s hometown of Sydney.
Kessler ignored a unanimously hostile crowd and eventually earned their respect by winning an overwhelming and impressive decision.
What was remarkable about Kessler?s triumph was not just the wide margin on all three of the judges' cards -- 116-112, 120-108 and 117-113 -- but the fact that due to back problems the Dane was only able to get in 30 rounds of sparring beforehand. In contrast, before his most recent fight, a 10th round TKO of former world title holder Eric Lucas, Kessler sparred 160 rounds.
Mundine made Kessler's victory look even better when he went on to win his next three fights, including his last over Top Ten boxer Danny Green. Kessler?s 'W' was also enhanced by the fact that it was only the second experience he had fighting outside Denmark. In his 16th pro fight, Kessler knocked out Israel Ponce in the second round at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on March 4, 2000 on an off-TV pay-per-view card.
'There were not many people who were there to see it,' Kessler said. 'In Denmark, I have a huge crowd rooting for me.'
Huge won?t do justice to his fight against Beyer. With the buzz building, the fight is already threatening to eclipse its only two rival fights in the country's history. It was 34 years ago that the great middleweight champion Carlos Monzon traveled to Copenhagen to fight European champion, Denmark's Tom Bogs at the Idraetsparken. Bogs had a 63-4-1 record, but was no match for Monzon, suffering a 5th round TKO.
The most recent fight in Denmark to gain world-wide attention came on Oct. 13, 2001 when a 35-year-old Mike Tyson, four years removed from a championship belt, drew 21,000 fans to Parken Stadium for a fight with hometown hero, Brian Nielson, who was 62-1 at the time, including victories over past-their-prime heavyweights Tim Witherspoon, Larry Holmes and Tony Tubbs in non-title affairs.
Nielson, by local accounts, gave it a game try, but was retired on his stool after seven grueling rounds. Most who have seen both Kessler and Beyer fight don?t expect a similar result for the new hometown hero, with the Dane the likely betting favorite.
Kessler, who is trained by the legendary Richard Olsen -- his first and only coach since he walked into a gym at age 13 hopes to use a victory over Beyer as a breakout onto the world stage.
'I would like to fight Calzaghe, and do it here in the United States,' Kessler said . 'But I am taking the fights one at a time.'
Kessler said Team Palle tried to seal a deal with Calzaghe both before and after the Brit's stunning demolition of Jeff Lacy. 'We made him a big offer, but he didn't want to fight me. I think he is afraid,' Kessler said.
Should Kessler beat Beyer, he would like to pursue Calzaghe again in what would amount to a four-belt unification fight. No other weight division is so unified, and such a match would likely land on American TV and play to a world audience.
The 34-year-old Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs), having pulled out of his scheduled American TV debut on HBO, July 8, because of a training injury, has been looking in vain for a major pay day or two before he calls it a career, and this time might be agreeable to an offer -- especially one he can't refuse