Boxing: Calzaghe in happy mind to polish off Kessler

Nov 3 2007 by Phil Blanche, Western Mail

SURVEYS apparently show that happiness is being Danish. Though they are taxed more than any other country, the Danes consistently score highest when the social scientists measure personal contentment.

Whether those readings are turned upside down in the early hours of tomorrow morning will depend on what happens in a foreign field in Wales.

Mikkel Kessler is a hero back home in his native Copenhagen, the Great Dane rightly proud of his unbeaten 39-fight record and his WBA and WBC super-middleweight titles.

But, as the clock ticks into the wee small hours (it will be 2.30am in Copenhagen when the first bell sounds at the Millennium Stadium) there might be a large sense of foreboding of what their man has taken on.

The common school of thought has been that Kessler, at 28 and seven years Calzaghe’s junior, has waited for the Welshman to grow old and tired.

It has been said that he has dodged and ducked like a flyweight in avoiding Calzaghe all these years, gazing from the sidelines as the WBO champion has dismantled the likes of Byron Mitchell and Jeff Lacy.

Has Kessler picked the right moment? We will know the burning answer to that question tomorrow morning, but what is certain is Calzaghe has retained his hunger – and we are not talking about the pre-fight revelations over the contents of his fridge.

While food – “at this stage the only thing that matters is what you can eat out of your fridge” – dominated his thoughts before successfully being inside the 12st limit yesterday, it is Calzaghe’s appetite for glory which Kessler should be troubled by.

“People think I haven’t got the hunger for this fight, but, believe me, you must have tremendous hunger to be able to train like I’ve trained,” said Calzaghe.

“This is only my second unification fight and seeing those two shiny belts (belonging to Kessler) is motivation enough.

“It’s great fighting someone else who has other belts because I’ve got so much to gain from winning this fight.

“It’s not as if I’m just here again to defend my belt.”

For the record, Calzaghe will be doing that for the 21st time tonight – four short of the great Joe Louis’ mark.

But it is titles and his lasting legacy which drives Calzaghe on, the 12-round pounding of Lacy 20 months ago might ultimately be regarded as his career-defining fight, but he believes there is still more to come.

Freely confessing that he can’t motivate himself against the likes of Evans Ashira and Peter Manfredo, he knows that he has to be at his best to subdue Kessler. And the southpaw’s honesty hits you like one of those hallmark snaking jabs.

“I haven’t fought anyone better than Kessler,” he said. “He’s technically better than Lacy, he has got more to his arsenal than Lacy.

“I prepared for a war against Lacy and I’ve done exactly the same again. Fear drives me on to be the best I can be.

“I’m under no illusions to how tremendously hard it’s going to be, but this is what it’s all about. To use a Ricky Hatton phrase, it’s not going to be a tickling contest.

“But this fight has only been made because I’ve been a pain in the backside begging for it. I would have gone to Denmark for the tax-free sums that were being suggested on websites, but that never happened.

“I’m just grateful that it’s being put on in Wales. Of course, it is an advantage fighting at home, but I will block the crowd out of my mind when I step into that ring.”

Kessler might be the younger man, but where will he reach to if the going gets tough for him? What will he cling onto if he toils with 50,000 Welsh fans screaming at the top of their voices?

The Dane has never been dropped to the canvas, Calzaghe has got off the floor twice to ensure he has remained unbeaten in 43 fights, and believes what he has been through could prove the deciding factor.

“I proved in the Lacy fight what level I can fight at,” he said.

“There were so many doubters before that, so many hurtful comments against me. But the way I dismantled Lacy no one can doubt me. It takes the pressure off me because I’ve had a career-defining fight, and not all fighters can produce a masterclass when it matters.

“To perform like I did on that night gives me confidence because I’ve been there, done it, and know what I can do.

“As you get more mature and get the big fights, you get more comfortable and more relaxed.

“I’ve been through the mill before, I’ve been in this kind of atmosphere and it’s a big deal. Kessler hasn’t.”

I take Calzaghe to exert his superiority over 12 rounds, though Kessler’s technical ability is capable of stretching him to the limit.

Both men will seek to dominate the centre of the ring and look to offload crisp punches as doing as much damage on the judges’ scorecards as well the recipient.

But if the battle turns brutal will the brittle hands of either man hold out? Kessler insists his problems are a thing of the past (though he wasn’t punching a bag in public this week), while Calzaghe has had his own well-documented difficulties.

He has won title fights with broken bones, but knows he won’t get away with that against an opponent of Kessler’s class.

“Sometimes I go into fights with bad hands and there’s a problem,” said Calzaghe.

“But, believe me, I’ve got two good hands and I will be punching with power to hurt this guy.

“We both like to counter-punch and, though he is a very good technical fighter, he can punch.

“But then people under-estimate my punching power. No one puts Chris Eubank on his backside if he can’t punch.

“It’s amazing that I’ve been here 10 years since beating Eubank, and I probably should have had 30 defences, not 20, because of my hand injuries.

“But this is what it’s all about. I’m going to give 100 per cent – like I always do – and fight my heart out to win.”

As the debate rages over who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world – an argument that will be tediously repeated next month when Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton clash in Las Vegas – it is talk that holds little interest for Calzaghe.

“Banter, which I take with a pinch of salt,” is his verdict. He is more concerned about a future which – if Kessler is taken out – will bring untold riches.

But he insists it will be no five-year deal, driven by the demands of television, taking him past his 40th birthday.

Instead, it will be a few more fights, either remaining at super-middleweight to take on the winner of the Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor middlewight rematch or a lucrative step up to light-heavyweight.

“I’m not going on and on – I want to retire undefeated,” promised Calzaghe.

“I don’t want to get punched and have my nose across my face. I’ve got a life outside boxing, I’ve got kids and other things going on. I want to watch the other champions we’ve got – Enzo Maccarinelli and Gavin Rees – because boxing in Wales for a small country is just amazing.

“Long after I’m gone, for the next 10 or 12 years, it’s going to be like that.”

For now, though, it’s all about Calzaghe and his legacy, his proud attempt to put a smile on the nation.

But how would he celebrate victory tomorrow morning?

“I haven’t had a drink for seven weeks,” he said. “I can’t wait to have a pint of Guinness and blackcurrant on Sunday.”

Now that is real happiness...