Carl Froch should be wary of 'dangerous' Mikkel Kessler

London Evening Standard31st March, 2010

Carl Froch has been warned to expect Mikkel Kessler to be at the most dangerous of his lengthy career when he travels to Denmark next month to defend his WBC super-middleweight title.

Unbeaten Froch, from Nottingham, faces the Dane at the MCH Arena in Herning on April 24 in both fighters' second contest of the 168-pound division's Super Six Eworld Boxing Classic tournament.

Froch came through a split decision victory over American Andre Dirrell in his opening bout at the Trent Arena in his hometown last October to stretch his record to 26-0 (20 KOs) and make a winning start to his Super Six campaign.

Kessler will be coming off a technical decision loss to American Andre Ward, just the second defeat of a 44-fight career that saw his only previous reverse come at the hands of Joe Calzaghe in 2007.

And Froch's promoter Mick Hennessy believes that defeat makes the Dane a very difficult opponent for his fighter.

"Carl's the consummate professional and he knows Kessler is never going to be more dangerous in his whole career than he will be in their fight in Herning," Hennessy said, following a meeting of the Super Six promoters in New York.

"(Kessler's) lost everything and if he loses this fight his career's at stake and he's out of the Super Six.

"So we're expecting the very best Kessler that there's ever been. A hungry Kessler, not the one who's been champion for many years."

The same principle applies to Froch's third Super Six opponent, Arthur Abraham, who lost his unbeaten record last Saturday night in Detroit when he was disqualified for a late punch on Dirrell after the American had slipped in the ring.

Hennessy, who was ringside at the Joe Louis Arena, added: "It's the same with Arthur Abraham, being on the end of his first defeat.

"Boxing-wise he was way behind and the thing about these fighters, they've got warrior mentalities and when something like that happens, if you underestimate them you've got to be crackers.

"They'll be coming back better and stronger."

One of the trends emerging over the first four fights of the Super Six has been that the hometown fighter has held the advantage in those contests.

Aside from Froch's win in Nottingham, Ward beat Kessler in Oakland, California, Abraham knocked out Jermain Taylor in Berlin and Dirrell got the victory over Abraham in Detroit.

Hennessy is confident Froch can buck the trend and prevail in Herning, just as he did on just his second visit to America when he stopped Taylor last April.

"You know the score with Carl," Hennessy said. "He's well travelled now and it doesn't get any harder than it was with Jermain Taylor in Connecticut.

"He learned quite a few valuable lessons from that experience and if anything I feel the pressure's off him because when Carl's in Nottingham he really worries and cares about his fans and everything's going on, whereas now he's going to Denmark and he just has to focus on the fight.

"I know how good Carl Froch is and that will become more and more apparent as this tournament goes on. I know how special he is."

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