Mikkel Kessler

Mikkel Kessler, currently the WBA supermiddleweight champion of the world, was born on March 1, 1979 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He made his pro debut in 1998 at the age of 19 in a match against Kelly Mays, a fight which he won with a KO.

Kessler’s first championship was on November 29, 2002, where he defeated former World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Dingaan Thobela to win the International Boxing Association title after 12 rounds. He gave up the title in order to fight Craig Cummings for the WBC International title on April 11, 2003, a fight which the Danish boxer won by a KO after three short rounds. He would defend this crown three times before finally landing a chance to fight for the WBA championship title. After stablemate Mads Larsen, who was supposed to challenge Puerto Rican boxer Manny Siaca for the title in Copenhagen was injured, Kessler stepped in and won the match. He defended his new title in Sydney in 2005 and in 2006. He was given the ‘super champion’ status after he won the WBC title after defeating World champion Markus Bayer at the Parken Stadium, a fight which he again won by a KO after three rounds. He successfully defended his super/WBC titles on March 24, 2007 in a mandatory match against Librado Andrade.

Kessler’s next match was one of the largest indoor boxing matches in European boxing history. Kessler faced fellow champion Joe Calzaghe at Cardiff’s Millennium stadium on November 3 , 2007 for the WBO/WBA/WBC/Ring Magazine Super Middleweight titles, a match which the Danish champ unfortunately lost by unanimous decision. Kessler’s most recent match was against Dimitri Sartison for the vacant WBA Supermiddleweight title in Copenhagen, a fight which he won after 12 rounds and which landed his opponent in the hospital. However, in 2009, he lost his title to Andre Ward after their fight was stopped due to the cuts Kessler suffered on his face.

Kessler, however, fought against Carl Froch and won the WBC world title in the super middleweight division which he currently holds.

While boxing as an amateur Kessler fought a total of 47 matches and lost three on points. He has fought a total of 45 fights in the course of his professional boxing career and has won 43, with 32 fights by KO, and 2 losses.