There are still two days to go before it truly gets serious for the protagonists of Saturday´s event in Oldenburg. But before things get going inside the ring, the rivals for the WBA super-middleweight title and cruiserweight European title demonstrated a lot of mutual respect. “My preparation has gone well – better than usual,” revealed Mikkel Kessler ahead of his title defence against mandatory challenger Danilo Haussler. He is prepared for a fight which goes the distance of 12 rounds. “Haussler has a big heart, but I am convinced that I will remain world champion,” added Kessler..
Kessler’s manager Mogens Palle was equally confident. He said: “I did not want this fight, but I don’t want to talk about that here. I have seen a few of Danilo Haussler’s fights. If he fights like he has done up to now, it will be very tough to hit him. I don’t want to predict the outcome, but a points decision would be enough for us.”
Danilo Haussler made it clear that getting a fight for the WBA world title is a dream come true. Although he is aware that his opponent will be the favourite, he still fancies his chances. “The longer the fight goes on, the better my chances are,” said the 33-year-old challenger. That is the way Haussler’s coach Manfred Wolke sees it too. “Obviously, Mikkel Kessler is physically strong, but you cannot under-estimate his boxing qualities either. It will not be easy. We want to start picking up big points from the beginning and then hope for a good ending,” said the 65-year-old coach.
The European cruiserweight title fight between title-holder Marco “Captain” Huck and the Italian challenger Fabio Tuiach (28) promises just as much tension. Although both rivals come into the fight with practically the same records of 22 to 23 wins, the 23-year-old European Champion feels he is well-prepared for the fight. “I did not expect to fight again so soon after winning the European title against Jean Marc Monrose, but then the coach called me and I began preparing immediately,” he revealed. “I am delighted to be fighting again in Oldenburg and I want to defend my European belt with all my might,” he added.
Challenger Fabio Tuaich paid respect to his opponent, but made it clear that he had not travelled all the way to Oldenburg only to return empty-handed. “Marco Huck is a strong fighter, but I did not come here to lose. I want to take the European title back to Italy with me,” said the cruiserweight fighter from Trieste.