Sauerland has verbal agreement for Kessler to fight the winner of the Super Six tournament next year

By Boxing News - 08/27/2010 - Comments

Image: Sauerland has verbal agreement for Kessler to fight the winner of the Super Six tournament next yearBy Dan Ambrose: Promoter Kalle Sauerland, who promotes World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KO’s), says he has a “verbal agreement” for Kessler to fight the winner of the Super Six tournament, according to Skysports.com. Kessler, 31, had to drop out of the Super Six tournament on Thursday due to an eye injury. If Kessler elects to take that agreement and fight the tournament winner, he could be facing Andre Ward, the fighter that caused Kessler his eye problems because of his hard punches in their fight last year in November.

That may not be a wise fight for Kessler to take coming off an injury. Kessler wasn’t even remotely competitive with Ward, and it was more than just Ward’s style. It was his advantage in speed and athleticism. I don’t know that Kessler can ever make up for his lack of physical tools. I see him getting beaten even worse in a rematch with Ward. Kessler might be better off telling Sauerland, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’

Kessler needs to go after winnable fights and that would mean someone like WBO super middleweight champion Roberto Stieglitz or a rematch with Carl Froch. Those are fights that Kessler would do well against. The Froch wouldn’t be easy, because Kessler would likely take a lot of punishment in a rematch with Froch, but it’s a fight where Kessler would be able to make a lot of money, generate a lot of fans interest and get a lot of credit if he were to beat Froch for a second time.

Kessler is expected to be out of action for nine months at the very least. He’s tentatively expected back in April or May 2011 and that’s if his injury has healed. It may not have healed by then but that’s why he’s going to have to wait and see and hope for the best.

Speaking about his injury, Kessler says “I have a few problems when I go down the stairs and when I close one eye. I don’t see double. It means that I had to give up my big dream, but I am not throwing the towel in the ring.” Kessler may have to throw in the towel if his injury doesn’t heal or if he continues to have problems in the ring in terms of taking punishment. Right now, Kessler needs a lot of rest for his injury to heal if it ever does.



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