Супер дунд жингийн дэлхийн аваргын бүсээ дахин эзэмшихийг зорьж буй 47 настай боксчин Миккель Кесслер арваннэгдүгээр сарын 28-нд Бернард Жозефтэй тулалдана.
Дани улсын Брондби хотод болох энэхүү тулаан нь Кесслерийн хувьд 2013 оны тавдугаар сард Карл Фрочид ялагдсанаас хойшхи анхны тоглолт юм. Карьераа 46 ялалт, 3 ялагдалтайгаар өндөрлөсөн тэрээр дэлхийн аварга болох амбицтай байгаа ч 13 жил гаруй хугацаанд рингнээс хөндийрсөн нь эргэлзээ төрүүлж байна. Кесслерийн хуучин өрсөлдөгч асан Карл Фроч боксчны эрүүл мэнд болон насны онцлогийг харгалзан үзэхэд түүнийг эргэн ирж буй шийдвэрт эргэлзэж буйгаа илэрхийлжээ.
Бернард Жозеф нь 4 ялагдал хүлээсэн сул өрсөлдөгч тул энэхүү тулаан нь Кесслерийг аварга болох түвшинд байгаа эсэхийг бүрэн нотлох боломжгүй юм. Бэлтгэлийн явцад хүчтэй харагдах нь рингэн дээрх ур чадвар, хариу үйлдэл хурдтай байхын баталгаа биш гэдгийг мэргэжилтнүүд онцолж байна. Кесслер өмнөх карьерынхаа туршид нэр хүндтэй аварга байсан ч өнөөгийн нөхцөлд дэлхийн аваргын бүсийн төлөөх тулаанд оролцох нь өндөр эрсдэлтэй алхам болно.
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Mikkel Kessler wants to win world titles again at 47, but beating little-known Bernard Joseph on November 28 would tell us little about whether that ambition is realistic. After 13-and-a-half years out of the ring, the former super middleweight champion has more to prove than whether he can still get himself into fighting shape.
Kessler returns in Brondby, Denmark, having last fought in May 2013 when he lost a hard 12-round decision to Carl Froch. Injuries troubled him during the later stages of his career, making this a difficult comeback to understand when he is talking about reaching championship level again.
Froch, now 49 and friends with his former rival, questions the decision.
“He is fit, he is strong, and he is healthy, but he is 47 years old,” Froch said on his Froch on Fighting channel.
That is the issue. Kessler can look strong in training and feel good hitting the bags, but neither proves his reactions or timing will hold up against an opponent who can push him. Those questions could remain unanswered against Joseph, even if Kessler wins comfortably.
There is also a big difference between returning for one fight in front of his Danish supporters and trying to become a world champion. The second requires beating opponents who won’t give him time to settle into a comfortable rhythm.
“Maybe he didn’t want to leave the boxing game on a loss,” Froch said. “His last fight was against me and he went the distance, he did himself proud, he lost on points and it was a great fight.”
Froch acknowledged that he hasn’t spoken to Kessler recently, so that explanation remains his guess. Kessler’s stated ambition is to regain titles.
“I would rather not see him back in a professional boxing ring at 47 years old, but all the best to him,” Froch said.
Kessler finished his original career with a 46-3 record and 35 knockouts. He already gave fans plenty to remember. A successful November return would add another win, but it would take considerably more to make his world-title plans believable.
The financial motive does make you wonder if he saw the money flowing from Riyadh and convinced himself that a couple of wins might get him noticed. The reality is that the big purses go to marquee names with modern market value or heavyweight star power.
Kessler was a respected champion in his prime, but he was never an international pay-per-view attraction, and nobody in Riyadh is clamoring to drop millions on a near-50-year-old Danish super middleweight who last competed in 2013.
Putting him in with Bernard Joseph proves nothing. Joseph has already lost four times, meaning Kessler will likely look comfortable, work behind his jab, and collect a routine victory. The danger comes right after that. If he takes that win as proof he is ready for championship-level operators, reality is going to hit fast and hard.
