Kessler Video Blog


Check out our video blog from the Kessler-Froch Super Six press conference in Nottingam.







WBA Super-Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler today attended a special press conference in Nottingham to promote SHOWTIME´s Super Six World Boxing Classic in the UK. The Viking Warrior, who will face unbeaten American Andre Ward in the first round on November 21, wished fellow champion Carl Froch good luck for his opening clash with Andre Dirrell. Froch, who holds the WBC Super-Middleweight Title, faces the American hopeful on October 17 in front of his home fans in Nottingham. On the same night, King Arthur Abraham locks horns with Jermain Taylor at Berlin´s o2 World before Kessler and Ward wrap up the first round one month later. “The Super Six is a great tournament,” Kessler said when speaking in front of dozens journalists at the historic Nottingham City Council. “For me it is like a dream coming true to participate. I wish Carl good luck for his first fight – Dirrell is a tough opponent.”

After the official part was over, Kessler was interviewed in great detail by the British press. “I take one step at a time,” he said. “Now all my focus is on Ward. It will be tough to fight him in his backyard in Oakland but I look forward to it. I can´t wait to get the Super Six started. Of course I also want to win the second title during the course of the tournament.”

Details about the second-round fights will be announced shortly.



"THE VIKING WARRIOR" Kessler

BOX REC of the Fighter



Jermain Taylor http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=31056&cat=boxer



Arthur Abrahamhttp://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=208432&cat=boxer




Andre Direllhttp://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=291903&cat=boxer



Carl Frochhttp://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=97570&cat=boxer



Andre Ward http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=281958&cat=boxer



Mikkel Kesslerhttp://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=16951&cat=boxer

I find it hard to give Taylor much chance. He may be able to beat any of these guys the first 8 rounds, but can he beat any of them the last 4 rounds? I think not.

Why then does he have three votes in the poll?? I out my vote for Kessler, three people picked Taylor and none picked Abraham? Am I missing something?

Winner of Kessler vs Ward is taking this whole thing. We can all stop guessing after that.

Abraham-Taylor Workout


Wegner: “I Already Feel Sorry For Taylor”

Dozens of reporters and camera teams attended today´s public workout in the heart of Berlin as “King” Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor gave a taste of their class. The two former champions will open the hotly-anticipated Super Six World Boxing Classic in front of what will be a sell-out crowd at the o2 World Arena here on Saturday night (SHOWTIME®, 8 p.m. ET/PT, tape delayed).

Not just the German capital, but the international press and fans around the world are buzzing with anticipation. Camera teams from Russia, Denmark, Italy, Germany and America, amongst other nations, were deployed to cover today´s training session.

King Arthur believes his opponent will be in for “an unpleasant surprise”. He said: “Taylor is good, he is a proven champion, but he has never been in the ring with someone that punches as hard as I do. He will find out on Saturday. I have a lot of respect for him, but he will not beat me in my hometown. The Super Six is the biggest challenge of my life and I want to be a star in America once the tournament is over.”

Coach Ulli Wegner guided Abraham through a light work-out that featured stretching and pad work. “I already feel sorry for Taylor,” he said. “He does not know how hard Arthur punches. Once he finds out, it will be too late. Once Arthur lands, Taylor will wish to go back to America very quickly.”

Taylor also took a lot of time to speak to the reporters. "I have a lot of respect for Arthur as a fighter and I know he will be prepared,” he said. “You can expect a lot of fireworks in the ring on Saturday night. I had a good training camp in Houston and I'm well prepared. I'm expecting to deliver a good performance which will lead to victory. I know exactly how Arthur plans to fight me, it's no secret. I will be ready to counter anything that he presents."

Meanwhile, Lou DiBella, Taylor´s promoter, believes Saturday will be a sad day for German boxing fans. “There will be a lot of disappointed fans in Berlin on Saturday night after Jermain has beaten Arthur,” he said. “Arthur is a good boxer but he has never been in the ring with someone of Jermain´s class. Jermain will definitely win.”

Abraham-Taylor Conference Call


King Arthur and Jermain Taylor caught up with the international press on Tuesday night.

[Translate to en:] Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs), of Germany, and Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., and their promoters participated in an international media conference call to discuss the first fight in a Super Six World Boxing Classic doubleheader Saturday, Oct. 17, live on SHOWTIME® (8 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

ARTHUR ABRAHAM

“I’m very excited to be in this monumental event. I’ve never been in the ring with someone like Taylor. He’s a good boxer and a very strong boxer. I don’t know what else to say about it. Everything else we will see in the ring on Oct. 17.

“I want to make the really big fight in America. I want to win the title and have a big fight like Sugar Ray Leonard, Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in the States because I love America and it’s my goal to make a big fight like in Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden in New York. This Super Six Tournament will only help me get that big fight in America.

"The thing I know about Taylor is that he’s beaten Hopkins. I know he’s a good boxer. There’s nothing really else I can say about him. I don’t really think I should praise him anymore here. So we’ll just see what happens on Oct. 17.

“In the past my biggest fight was to make weight but not anymore. I’m just so happy when I go work out that I don’t have worry about that. I’m a happy man being a super middleweight.

“I always think the fight will go the distance. I’m never thinking the knock out. I’m just thinking about going the distance.

“I take every fight seriously. This is no different than any other fight. Losing is not an option for me.”

KALLE SAUERLAND

“Everybody in the country of Germany and the city of Berlin is excited about hosting opening night of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. We’re having great ticket sales and we’re going to have a full house at the O2 Arena in Berlin.

“Arthur looks amazing in training and we think the move up in weight is only going to help him and the power will be there for all to see on Oct. 17.

“We have 10,000 tickets sold. We’ll have a full house in Berlin on Oct. 17.”

“Arthur is kind of like a young Mike Tyson. The way he draws you into the ring and can end the fight with both hands if it’s with a hook or an uppercut. He’s knocked down people in many different ways.”

JERMAIN TAYLOR

“I feel like I’m going to win the fight. I’ve done everything there is to do in boxing. I’m not ready to go yet. I feel like there is more to accomplish.

“I feel like I’m the bigger fighter. I’m a lot stronger. As long as I don’t get tired I’m going to win the fight.

“I don’t have a prediction on how long the fight will go. I don’t care how I do it. I just want to win.

“I know Arthur is a big hitter. I know what I’m going to do and I know what needs to be done on Oct. 17.

“I don’t worry about the crowd. The crowd doesn’t get in the ring. It’s just me and the other guy. If you hit the guy the crowd goes, ‘Ooh and ahh’ but it never gets to the point where it matters in the fight.

“I’ve fought the best of the best in boxing. I’ve won some and lost some. I just want to win this tournament. There ain’t nothing else to it. It’s not about the money or anything but that I want to win. I plan to just leave it all in there. That’s all I got. That’s my state of mind right now. No excuses. Just go in there and fight.

“The only reason I lost to Carl Froch was because I got tired. I wasn’t prepared. The best fighter lost because he didn’t train right.”

LOU DiBELLA

“Jermain is I think more focused on this fight than I’ve ever seen him focused on any fight. It’s been all business. He’s lean and mean and already on weight which is a great thing this far out.

“We have a great amount of respect for Arthur Abraham. Anybody that can sustain a broken jaw early in a fight and fight through that and win the fight and retain his title has to get a tremendous amount of respect. But we don’t think that Arthur’s ever been with anybody who’s athletically gifted or big or fast as Jermain. We feel Arthur has the home crowd behind him but we have the better horse, the better fighter in the ring.

“We feel like we’re going to shock some people in Berlin when Jermain Taylor reestablishes himself as the king of 168-pounders.

“By any measure Jermain has had a tremendous career. I tend to think Jermain is really underappreciated. The level of fight that Jermain has fought since his first Hopkins fight there’s no champion or top fighter in boxing who can claim back-to-back-to-back-to-back big kind of fights. Literally everyone he’s fought has had championship pedigree. He will not back down from anyone. Jermain has always had the attitude of whoever you put in front of me I’ll fight them.”

OZELL NELSON

“We know Arthur is a big hitter so we’ve been working on a bunch of different ways to take away some of that power. Jermain’s in excellent shape and had his weight down for the first time in years. It’s not like his last fight where he was losing 20 pounds in a couple of weeks.

“His head is on right. He’s had his fun. It’s time to get down to business. This man loves to eat. He’d eat a Big Mac any day but this kid right here he won’t have a Big Mac.”

Kessler PR Tour

“I know I Will Be Up Against 20.000 Americans”

WBA Super-Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler toured Denmark last week to promote his Super Six World Boxing Classic debut on November 21. With SHOWTIME airing the tournament in the US, Viasat, Yousee and TDC TV will broadcast the Kessler fights in Scandinavia. During the two-day press tour, the Viking Warrior stopped in Odense, Rudkøbing, Kolding, Skanderborg, Hjørring, Aalborg and Copenhagen to catch up with thousands of fans. Apart from signing countless of autographs, he answered plenty of questions about the tournament, his opponents, his training and his preparation. He will be in Berlin for the start of the Super Six tournament this Saturday when Arthur Abraham takes on Jermain Taylor in front of a packed o2 World in Berlin.

Here are a few quotes from the Viking Warrior:

“I´m in training and preparing for my fight against Andre Ward, but I´m happy to do this PR tour through Denmark to visit and say thanks to my many fans. I know I will be up against 20.000 Americans on November 21 but knowing that many Danes will follow the fight on TV makes me confident – I will bring this into the ring on that night.

“I have big ambitions. I have earned good money before. But if you ask me whether I am in this tournament for the money, the answer is no. Let me tell you one thing: After the Calzaghe fight I would have changed my purse for a victory right away.”

“Super Six is a great opportunity for me. I think this format will truly show who is the best super-middleweight in the world, and I am confident it will be me. I am grateful for getting this chance in a unique tournament which I think will be copied in other weight-divisions in the future.

“I know Andre Ward is a tough guy. But so am I, and I will give everything in that fight. I want to win the Super Six Tournament.”

Looking forward to the opener this Saturday at the Trent FM and the weigh in on Friday. Gonna be an amazing tournament.

Super Six Round 1

Ward, Kessler make their picks

2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and Oakland native Andre “S.O.G.” Ward and current World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight world champion Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler have to wait until Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., for their first fight in the SHOWTIME® Super Six World Boxing Classic, but that doesn’t mean they won’t sound off on this weekend’s fights from Nottingham, England and Berlin, Germany.

The historic tournament begins on Saturday, Oct. 17, with a split-feed doubleheader live at LIVE 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) on SHOWTIME.

Ward will be rooting for the Americans on Saturday night, and he says his money is on his fellow ’04 Olympian and a former middleweight kingpin against their favored European opponents.

"Overall, of course I’m pulling for the Americans in each bout,” Ward said as he prepares to fight Kessler in his first world title shot. “I don’t think anyone has given any of the three of us much of a chance to get past the first round with a victory.”

In the first fight on same-day-tape-delay, undefeated former middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs) of Berlin, Germany, will face former undisputed middleweight titleholder Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs) of Little Rock, Ark., at the o2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany.

“With Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham stylistically, I don’t think Abraham is going to put a whole lot of pressure on Taylor in the later rounds,” Ward said. “I think Jermain has worked on his stamina problems, and will be well prepared for the later rounds in this fight. I just feel like Jermain is the bigger, stronger man.

“If Jermain fights a disciplined fight, he should also come out of the first round with a victory. But that’s the beauty of boxing and this tournament, you never know what’s going to happen, so everyone is going to have to tune in on Saturday night. “

Immediately following Abraham-Taylor, Carl “The Cobra” Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) of Nottingham, England, will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) title against 2004 Olympic Games medalist Andre “The Matrix’’ Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) of Flint, Mich., LIVE on SHOWTIME from the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

“In the Dirrell-Froch fight, I feel that if Dirrell fights a disciplined fight and continues to do what he’s been doing in the ring, but does it better because this is another level of competition, I don’t see why he won’t walk away with the victory,” Ward said.

The Danish star Kessler is less committal about the first fights in Group Stage 1 of the tournament and seems more interested in just watching some great boxing matches.

"The Super Six tournament will revolutionize the boxing scene,” Kessler said. “The concept only allows the best fighters to participate from the super middle weight division, starting with Abraham vs. Taylor and Froch vs. Dirrell this Saturday. I will at the O2 World in Berlin to see Abraham vs. Taylor."

"I am looking forward to seeing the Abraham-Taylor fight live in Berlin. The key words of the fight are power vs. intelligence as I see it -- Abraham as raw power and Taylor as the smart/intelligent fighter. Hopefully, the fight will promote the Super Six tournament as it should be promoted. That counts as well for the Froch-Dirrell fight later that night in Nottingham."

While Kessler sees Abraham-Taylor as a battle of power vs. intelligence, he’s got a different view on Froch-Dirrell as both fighters have tremendous knockout potential.

"Froch-Dirrell is experience vs. the eager of youth,” Kessler said. “Froch is known for his stamina and ability to return when everything is against him. Dirrell is a super talent -- he is young, but has already proven his position in the division. He is difficult to fight because he is changing styles all the time. Again, this is a fight that is hard to predict."

Regardless of who wins, Kessler just seems to be excited about what this tournament will do for the future of the super middleweight division and boxing in general.

"As a fighter I look forward to be a part of this great tournament, but as a boxing fan also, I am very excited to follow all the other fights in the tournament," Kessler said.

"Hopefully the group stage concept will create even more entertaining fights -- at least I hope so. A K.O. victory will put you close to the semifinals! The tactical dimensions of the fights will be changed with this concept without a doubt."

The Kessler-Ward battle in Oakland for Kessler’s WBA title will be Ward’s first world title fight and Kessler’s third defense.