By Scott Gilfoid: It seems that former super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler didn’t want to fight the hard hitting American Allan Green at the full weight for tonight’s clash for the WBC Silver light heavyweight strap in Copenhagen, Denmark. Green is saying Kessler didn’t want to fight at the full weight, so he’s forced to lose weight in order to make the fight.

Green told Eastsideboxing.com’s On the Ropes Boxing Radio Program “The fight is taking place at 172, because Kessler didn’t want to do 175! He’s parading around like this fight is at a full-fledged 175, but no it’s not. It’s at 172.”

That’s pretty sad. I mean, I’d be really bothered with a catchweight under normal circumstances in a fight like this, but when you add in a catchweight with a title on the line, even a lowly one like the WBC Silver light heavyweight strap, then I’m really bugged that this fight will be at a catchweight. So in essence, Kessler is being given a handicap against a fighter that has already proven to have problems making 168lbs.

By having Green squeeze down to 172, which is only four pounds above the weight Green said he couldn’t make without being weakened dramatically, Kessler is likely getting a big advantage because Green won’t be quite as strong as he would normally be if the fight were held at the full weight of 175. I think we’re seeing some of that weakening when looking at how drained Green appeared at Friday’s weigh-in. Although he didn’t look like a skeleton like he was in his two fights in the Super Six tournament against Glen Johnson and Andre Ward, Green still looked painfully thin, especially around the face. Man, that is sad that he had to fight at a catchweight.

I wonder why Kessler didn’t want to fight Green at the full weight of 175? Do you think he was worried that Green might be too strong for him at this weight? Why take the fight if he can’t fight Green at the full weight?

Green says this about his fight with Kessler tonight: “They [boxing fans] can expect me to win the fight in dominationg fashion. They can expect me to dominate Mikkel Kessler.”