HOLLYWOOD, FL, March 26 – Apparently, it was too good to be true – a super middleweight showdown between a former world champion, Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler, and one of the sport’s brightest young stars, Edison Miranda, to be held on May 24th and aired on Showtime. But it’s not to be after Kessler pulled out of the bout today, giving no reason for his withdrawal. Miranda, a former middleweight title challenger who is unbeaten with two knockouts in his first two super middleweight bouts, isn’t surprised..
“I didn’t get my hopes up because I know Kessler is afraid of me,” said Miranda. “We gave him everything he wanted to make this fight and he still wouldn’t take it. In fact, the only thing we didn’t give him is the opportunity to tie my hands around my back while we fought, but at this point I’m willing to even give him that because I know if I yelled ‘boo’ at him in the ring he’d turn and run. I said it before and I’ll say it again – he should be ashamed to call himself a Viking Warrior.
Among the concessions Miranda and his promoter made to Kessler were that the bout would not be held on any Native American owned property, including the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Florida or any other Hard Rock property, and that it wouldn’t even be held anywhere in the state of Florida. Financially, Kessler’s demands kept rising throughout negotiations, but due to a substantial offer by Showtime, all these demands would have been met if the fight came to fruition. Unfortunately, at this point it won’t.
“I am outraged by the behavior of the Kessler camp,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing. “We sent them a contract with everything they asked for and then told Showtime we changed things. Please read their written deal point memo sent to us by them. We gave them everything they wanted. Showtime even moved the date form May 10th to May 24th to accommodate them. And then I did not receive the courtesy of a phone call but I had to hear from Showtime the fight was off. It is hard to believe that any person would do business this way. I guess the Kessler is really afraid of Miranda and they are covering for him. They must believe the only place they can win a fight against a real fighter is in Denmark.”
“If Kessler isn’t man enough to fight me, that’s okay because now the world knows that we gave him everything he asked for and still wouldn’t take the fight,” said Miranda. “I know that there has to be someone out there willing to fight me, and sooner or later, we’ll find him.”
The search for a high-profile opponent for Miranda continues. Stay tuned.
See Below:
1–DATE OF BOUT TO BE MAY 24, 2008.
2–SCHEDULED FOR TEN ROUNDS.
3–KESSLER PURSE: FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND EUROS (400,000) UNDER A PROVISION OF SERVICES AGREEMENT IN WHICH PROMOTER PAYS THIS TOTAL AMOUNT TO INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT OF DENMARK. FULL PAYMENT MADE THROUGH IRREVOCABLE LETTER OF CREDIT TO IE’S DESIGNATED BANK BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS LOCAL TIME (AT BANK LOCATION) FOURTEEN DAYS BEFORE THE BOUT.
4–KESSLER TRAINING EXPENSES; $50,000 FIFTY THOUSAND US DOLLARS TO BE PAID UPON SIGNING OF CONTRACT TO IE BY BANK WIRE TO IE DESIGNATED BANK. KESSLER WILL TRAIN IN UNITED STATES FOR ONE MONTH PRIOR TO BOUT.
5–FIGHT MUST TAKE PLACE IN ANY OF THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT FOR FLORIDA. FIGHT VENUE CANNOT BE AT ANY VENUE OR PROPERTY OWNED IN PART OR IN FULL OR OPERATED IN PART OR IN FULL BY THE SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA OR SEMINOLE WARRIORS BOXING. FIGHT CANNOT TAKE PLACE ON ANY TRIBAL LAND OR AT ANY TRIBAL OWNED HOTEL OR CASINO WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF KESSLER.
6–BOTH BOXERS MAY CHOOSE ANY BRAND OF GLOVES ACCEPTABLE TO LOCAL COMMISSION.
7–KESSLER TO WEIGH IN SECOND, TO ENTER THE RING SECOND AS HIGHER RANKED FIGHTER.
8–WEIGHT FOR ! FIGHT IS 168 POUNDS LIMIT.
9–FIGHT TO BE TELEVISED ON SHOWTIME.
10–AIR TRAVEL: IE TO RECEIVE EQUIVALENT AMOUNT TO PAY ROUNDTRIP THREE BUSINESS CLASS AIR TICKETS FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES AND THREE ROUNDTRIP COACH TICKETS FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES. PROMOTER PAYS THIS AMOUNT TO IE, IE WILL PURCHASE AIR TICKETS ON ITS OWN. PROMOTER TO SUPPLY THREE BUSINESS CLASS TICKETS, THREE ROUND TRIP TICKETS FROM KESSLER USA TRAINING SITE TO VENUE
11–PROMOTER TO PROVIDE FIRST CLASS GROUND TRANSPORTATION UPON ARRIVAL OF KESSLER TEAM IN UNITED STATES AND UPON ARRIVAL AND FOR EVERY DAY REQUIRED TO BE AT VENUE.
12–FIRST CLASS QUALITY HOTEL: ONE SUITE, FIVE REGULAR ROOMS FOR KESSLER TEAM FOR EACH DAY REQUIRED TO BE AT VENUE.
13–FOOD PER DIEM: ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER DAY FOR EACH DAY AT VENUE FOR TWO PEOPLE, AND SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS PER DAY FOR EACH DAY AT VENUE FOR FOUR PEOPLE.
14–BOUT TICKETS/CREDENTIALS: TEN ALL ACCESS, INCLUDING IN THE RING ACCESS CREDENTIALS TO BE GIVEN TO IE PRIOR TO FINAL PRE FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE. TWENTY RINGSIDE TICKETS, 10 IN FIRST ROW AND 10 IN SECOND ROW OF RINGSIDE, ALL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO KESSLER’S CORNER.
15–TV/RADIO/INTERNET RIGHTS: EXCLUSIVE LIVE RIGHTS PLUS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN PERPETUITY FOR IE FOR NORDIC COUNTRIES OF DENMARK, SWEDEN, NORWAY, FINLAND AND ALSO FOR GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, AUSTR! IA AND LUXEMBOURG.
16–BOUT TO BE CONDUCTED, NO MATTER THE VENUE, UNDER UNIFIED RULES OF THE ABC.
MICHAEL L. MARLEY
CC: BETTINA PALLE
MOGENS PALLE