In October, a long wait will come to an end for Danilo Haussler. The 33-year-old German will finally make his first world title fight, challenging Danish super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler. To be in top shape for the biggest bout of his career, Haussler has been training extremely hard in Manfred Wolke´s famous gym in Frankfurt/Oder. “I came close to world title fights a couple of times,” Haussler said. “Four or five years ago, I did not get my shot because Sven Ottke and Markus Beyer were first in line. After that I got close several times but it did not happen due to various reasons. That is why I am very happy to finally get this chance.”
Part one of his preparation is already over. “Training is no different from the preparation for the other fights,” he said. “But the motivation is much, much bigger. Everybody knows that I have worked all my life to get a world title fight. After winning the WBA and IBF intercontinental titles and also becoming European champion, this is the challenge I have been waiting for.”
With Manfred Wolke on vacation at the Baltic Sea, Haussler (29-3, 7 KOs) had worked out on his own in the last couple of weeks. On Monday, his mentor returned. “I am happy that he is back,” Haussler added. “I guess the intensity will be higher in the next weeks but it has to be like that in the build-up to such a big fight.”
Haussler will not enter the clash with Kessler, who has won 40 of 41 fights, as the favourite. “Prior to my first European title fight against Andrej Shkalikov I was just given an outsider´s chance to win, too,” he stated. “Yet I left the ring victorious. Being the underdog suits me well. Kessler can be beaten. Everyone could see that last year. I will be in top shape and will make the most of this opportunity.”