by James Slater – With just over two months to go until the hugely intriguing Carl Froch Vs. Mikkel Kessler “Super Six” clash that will be fought in the former two-time champion’s homeland of Denmark, both men have spoken about how ultra-important the fight, and a victory, is, and both warriors have also made it clear how they expect a great fight to take place.
Both men have hinted at how they plan on scoring a KO on April 24th in the fight that will see Britain’s Froch defend his WBC 168-pound crown, and most recently Kessler has spoken of how he feels this upcoming fight is “a last chance” for him to get his career back to where it was before he lost in an upset to Andre Ward.
Kessler, beaten only by Joe Calzaghe and then Ward, has made it clear he plans to bounce back from the technical decision loss he suffered at the hands of Ward the same way he did from the points loss he succumbed to when he met the now retired Welshman a few years back.
“It was two belts I lost that night to Calzaghe but he threw them away and the fight after, I won the WBA one back,” Kessler is quoted as saying by thisisnottingham.co.uk. “What makes a champion is losing and standing back up again and winning it back. I intend to do that again..
“Carl Froch is the (WBC) world champion so it is a big challenge for me. This is a last chance, a big chance. The Super Six means it is now or never. I will do my best but I still feel like I am the best super-middleweight in the world.”
This is the big question: is the 30-year-old Dane still up there with the very best, his loss to Ward simply a bad night at the office; or is Kessler past his best and about to be beaten again? Froch says he is ready for either version of “The Viking Warrior” and he has promised his fans a “great British victory.” One thing does look a certainty, this fight will not be in any way boring. How could it be with so much on the line for both men? Expect a real war on April 24th.
Kessler does feel his homeland support will give him a definite edge when fight time comes.
“He [Froch] is going to be in for a big surprise with my following in Denmark,” Kessler stated. “It is big pressure in front of them and you never want to disappoint anyone. My training is going well, so it is up to me to show people I am the best fighter.”
Despite his upset loss to Ward, many experts still feel, as they always have done, that Kessler will prove to be too much for the quite hittable “Cobra.” As I’ve written before, I see the fight as about as close to a 50-50 affair as you could think of today. Both men have strengths and weaknesses – with Kessler being the better, more polished boxer and Froch being one of the toughest men in the sport today, both mentally and physically – and anyone who tells you they know for sure who will win is lying!
April 24th can’t come around fast enough!