Mikkel Kessler

At 45 years old, Mikkel Kessler has this physical status:

Mikkel Kessler (born 1 March 1979) is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013.

He is a multiple-time super-middleweight world champion, having held the WBA title three times between 2004 and 2013, and the WBC title twice between 2006 and 2010. He also won the IBA World Title back in 2002.

Early life

Kessler was born to a Danish father and an English mother, Ann, who hails from Salisbury, Wiltshire. He began his vocation early, training in boxing gyms at age 13.

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Amateur career

Kessler played for five years as an amateur (2/93-1/98). With a record of 44 victories and three losses, he had a fruitful career. He won the 1995 European Cadet (15-16 age group) Championship, 1996 and 1997 Danish Junior Championships, the 1996 Nordic Amateur Championship, and in his last amateur match, he defeated all 3 of his opponents.

Professional career

Kessler started his career as a light middleweight and then middleweight for the first 22 fights of his career. He won 16 of his first 22 fights by knockout (KO).

Kessler settled in the super middleweight division after 3 years and 22 fights. Kessler's good run continued, defeating 6 of his first 7 opponents by KO, raising his overall record to 29–0.

Kessler competed for his first title and defeated former WBC Super Middleweight Champion Dingaan Thobela over twelve rounds to become the International Boxing Association Champion on November 29, 2002. On April 11, 2003, he gave up this belt to fight for the more coveted WBC International title against Craig Cummings. In the third round, Kessler defeated by a knockout.

He defended his name on three occasions before finally winning the big on November 12, 2004. Mads Larsen, another Danish World Class champion, would face Manny Siaca in the WBA Championship in Copenhagen. Larsen was injured in preparations and Kessler took the title after only a short notice.

In June 2005 and Eric Lucas in January 2006, Kessler defended his crown against Anthony Mundine in Sydney.

After winning the WBC championship in a unification match against WBC World Champion Markus Beyer at the Parken Stadium on October 14, 2006, Kessler was promoted to WBA Super Champion status. In round 3, he was defeated by a knockout at 2:58.

On Saturday, Kessler defended his WBA (Super) and WBC titles against WBC absolute challenger Librado Andrade, who fought at Parken Stadium. Both three judges declared the contest a shutout (120–108).

With Calzaghe's WBO and The Ring titles, Kessler met with fellow undefeated champion Joe Calzaghe in a match that would unify his WBC and WBC super middleweight championships. The match took place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on November 3rd, drawing over 50,000 supporters (then the biggest indoor boxing event in Europe), but Kessler lost the unification match by unanimous vote, with the judges determining the fight: 117–111, 116–112.

Kessler was put in a match with Dimitri Sartison on June 21, 2008, after Calzaghe vacated the WBA title to move up to light heavyweight. In the final round, Kessler defeated Sartison to regain his position.

Kessler won his title against Danilo Häussler by a third-round knockout on October 25th and against Gusmyl Perdomo (16–2, 10 KOs) by third-round knockout on September 12, 2009, just one minute into the round.

The WBA promoted him to Super Champion once more in November 2009, this time prior to separating any Super Middleweight titles.

In the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Kessler's first fight was against Andre Ward on November 21, 2009. Kessler lost his championship to Andre Ward on November 21, 2009. The fight was called off in the eleventh round due to cuts on Kessler's face caused by Ward's unintentional headbutts, five in total. In the post-fight interview, Kessler admitted that he couldn't get out of first gear due to Ward's headbutts and overspending clinching, and that he was eventually blinded by one of Ward's headbutts, which on the post fight replay showed Ward ramping his forehead directly into Kessler's eye. The war came to an end, with Ward well ahead by scores of 98–92, 92, and 97–93 at the time of the stoppage.

Kessler was back in action on April 24th, 2010 against Britain's undefeated WBC Champion Carl Froch, a match that was described as "a masterpiece" and "one of the best matches in Danish boxing ever." The contest went the distance, with Kessler ruled to a unanimous decision of 115–113, 116–112 and 117–111. Kessler became a two-time WBC champion after winning, handing Carl Froch his first defeat in the process. Froch later admitted that he suffered a minor ear injury while preparing and that he might have won the battle if it had been held in his home country of England, but congratulated Kessler on his victory.

In an interview, Andre Ward praised Kessler "skill wise... the most difficult I've faced so far." Ward continued to express admiration for Kessler's career while dismissing any criticism after his own victory over Kessler. "People want to put down Mikkel Kessler because of our war, but he's proved himself." He's shown that if he loses a title he's going to return and become the champion once more, he'll do it again. So now he's a three-time world champion. A lot goes into a person who has won three times but has only two wins in the process. He's a natural fighter, and I give him a lot of credit and a lot of respect for him."

Kessler announced on August 25 that he was withholding from the Super Six tournament due to the severeness of the eye injury he suffered in his fight against Ward. Kessler wrote twice in the Ekstra Bladet newspaper, according to a newspaper published in the Czech Republic. Doctors told him he should take a nine-month break from boxing.

Mikkel Kessler had just announced his return from retirement and battled Mehdi Bouadla, who won by TKO. Mikkel said that if he had lost this fight, he would have resigned. At Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, he was supposed to fight Robert Stieglitz, but the match was called off due to a hand injury sustained in preparation.

Kessler's weight class increased to a light heavyweight in 2012 in 2012. In May 2012, he defeated Allan Green for the vacant WBC Silver Light Heavyweight title. After being dropped by a hard right hand in the first round, Kessler won by knockout in the fourth round.

Kessler took the WBA Super middleweight crown against Brian Magee of Northern Ireland late in 2012. Brian Magee was shot on the ground twice by hard body shots from Kessler, and in the third round, it was all over when Kessler struck Brian Magee in another hard body shot to Brian Magee.

On January 15, 2013, it was revealed that a match between Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch would take place at The O2 Arena in London on May 25. Two belts will be on display, including Kessler's WBA- and Froch's IBF titles. In Herning, Denmark, Kessler won the last showdown between the two boxers. By that time, Froch was the undefeated WBC champion, and the two teams were competing in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. After Kessler's first fight against Andre Ward, and Froch defeated Andre Dirrell in a close fight, they met together on stage 2.

Froch defeated Kessler by unanimous vote on 25 May 2013 by 118-110 115-113 as he ruled Kessler with his jab for major portions of the fight. In the 11th round, Kessler stung Froch with a big right hand, but it was too late in the game.

Kessler revealed on social media on February 1 that he was in a "state of repose" on February 1st. On March 31, 2017, Kessler came out of retirement. Kessler could be included in the World Boxing Super Series, according to the magazine on June 21. Kessler skipped the Super Series and was on the verge of facing Roamer Angulo on November. Kessler revealed on October 16th that Lyme disease had struck him, and his return would be postponed until 2018. Kessler said in February 2018 that he would not find the energy to continue doing it all."

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