Froch will find out this week who his next opponent will be

09/14/201601/08/2013 ESB

froch3232 By Michael Collins: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) will learn this week which guy he’ll be facing next – Mikkel Kessler or Adonis Stevenson. Froch, 36, has made it no secret that he wants the rematch with Kessler next, as he lost to the Dane by a 12 round unanimous decision in April 2010 and he’s been bugged about the loss ever since.

Froch thinks he should have won the fight but boxing fans as a whole disagree and saw Kessler as the rightful winner. The Kessler rematch, if it can be made, will give Froch and Kessler a $2 million payday. That’s good money for super middleweight. It’s obviously not even close to the kind of cash that superstars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. rake in each time they fight, but then again Kessler and Froch aren’t on the radar screen in terms of worldwide popularity like those two talented fighters.

Froch told the Nottingham Post “We should know something in the next few days. If the Kessler fight is finalized we can apply for an exemption from the IBF. If we have to give up the belt to fight Kessler, so be it.”

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Adonis Stevenson will have to step aside for Froch/Kessler II

01/03/201301/02/2013 ESB

stevenson34 By Joseph Herron: On October 12th, 1012, Super Middleweight contender Adonis “Superman” Stevenson knocked out Donovan George in spectacular fashion in the final round of a very entertaining twelve round slugfest to become the IBF mandatory opponent for current 168 pound title holder Carl “The Cobra” Froch.

According IBF bi-laws, Froch was given 90 days to negotiate a title defense with the number one contender after dispatching Yusaf Mack in three rounds on November 17th, 2012, in Nottingham, England.

But now, according to a spokesperson for the IBF, Adonis will have to step aside and wait until a unification bout between WBA title holder Mikkel Kessler and the incumbent IBF champ takes place.

“Usually, a mandatory defense is required of the reigning IBF Champion ninety days after a voluntary title defense,” stated a spokesperson for the International Boxing Federation. “But a unification bout always takes precedence over a mandatory defense upon request from the reigning champion.”

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Froch: I’ll be at my best when I face Kessler in 2013

12/28/201212/26/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch doesn’t believe he was at his best when he was beaten by Mikkel Kessler in 2010, and Andre Ward in 2011. Something got in the way of both fights that kept Froch from being 100%. However, Froch believes he was firing on all cylinders when he stopped IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute in May of this year to grab his IBF title. Forch also thinks he was 100% when he beat Yusaf Mack recently in Nottingham.

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Kessler defeats Magee: Herning with Desire

12/13/201212/12/2012 ESB

By Padraig Ivory: Denmark’s sole remaining Viking Warrior, Mikkel Kessler, laid siege on Brian Magee’s World championship belt last Saturday night. Unlike his seafaring ancestors, Mikkel enjoyed the comfort of familiar terrain as he looted the Belfast man’s crown in front of a mob of blood thirsty Danish boxing fans.

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Mikkel Kessler destroys Magee, wins WBA super middleweight strap

09/15/201612/08/2012 ESB

Mikkel Kessler destroys Magee, wins WBA super middleweight strap By Michael Collins,, photo: Wende / Team Sauerland – Using a fierce body attack, Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) chopped down WBA World super middleweight champion Brian Magee (36-5-1, 25 KO’s) in a third round TKO on Saturday night to capture his World Boxing Association 168 pound title at the BOXEN, in Herning, Denmark.

Kessler started off slowly but once he figured out that Magee couldn’t handle it to the body, he dropped him with a nice right hand in the 2nd and then another time in the 3rd round. After the knockdown at the start of the 3rd, the fight was halted because Magee was in no shape to continue fighting.

Kessler landed probing shots in the 1st round as he looked for areas to attack the 37-year-old Magee. Kessler landed some nice jabs and a few single right hands but nothing special. The southpaw Magee charged Kessler and hit him with a few nice shots at the end of the round but for the most part it was all Kessler.

In the 2nd round, Kessler noticed that Magee was wincing when he hit him to the body. He then loaded up with a big right hand to the midsection of Magee that put him down. Kessler then continued to hammer Magee to the body, causing him on two occasions to crouch down in pain but not hitting the canvas.

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Kessler vs. Magee tomorrow night for WBA 168 lb title

09/15/201612/07/2012 ESB

Kessler vs. Magee tomorrow night for WBA 168 lb title (Photo credit: Sauerland Events) By Michael Collins: Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KO’s) and Brian Magee (36-4-1, 25 KO’s) weighed in earlier today for their fight on Saturday with Kessler coming in at 167.8 pounds and Magee at 168 for their bout at the BOXEN, Herning, Denmark. Kessler, 33, is a huge favorite in this fight, as he has the bigger power, better hand speed, bigger size and the much bigger talent than Magee. Kessler also four years younger than the 37-year-old Magee, and that’s something that will help as well.

Magee has been fighting well lately and has won his last two fights, but he’s traditionally crumbled when stepping it up against quality opposition in losses to Lucian Bute, Carl Froch, Robin Reid and Vitaliy Tsypko. He’s got good power but not the kind of power that will get him past Kessler unless Kessler has really gone downhill since his last fight.

Kessler was knocked down in the 1st round in his last fight by Allan Green last May. Kessler came back to stop Green in the 4th round with a tremendous left hook, but it does cause you to wonder what would have happened to Kessler had he fought someone that was throwing a lot of punches at him. Green only threw a few punches in the entire fight, and yet he had Kessler hurt and on the deck. If Magee can land a decent amount of shots on Kessler’s chin we could see an upset tomorrow night.

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The life of Brian – Magee vs. Kessler

09/14/201609/28/2012 ESB

The life of Brian - Magee vs. Kessler By Frank Walsh: Born and raised in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Brian Magee’s journey began as an amateur boxer, representing Holy Trinity boxing club in Belfast. A highly successful amateur career saw Magee bag four Ulster senior titles, a Commonwealth bronze medal and a place on Ireland’s boxing team at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Turning professional in March 1999, Magee’s boxing career would ascend to the upper echelon of the super middleweight division. Defeating Britan’s Neil Linford of Britain, provided him his first professional title, the IBO intercontinental super middleweight strap in January of 2001.

Magee successfully defended the title on eight occasions before lifting the British super middleweight title, beating the previously undefeated Scot, Stevie Maguire.

Returning from a thirteen month absence from the ring, and showing no signs of ring rust, Magee defeated Mads Larsen to be crowned the European super middleweight champion.

Last year proved what would be a standout year for Magee when on the 9th of March he entered the ring to wage war, for the WBA super middleweight title against Lucian Bute in front of a partisan crowd in Canada.

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Kessler vs. Magee on December 8th

09/24/201209/23/2012 ESB

By Marcus Richardson: Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KO’s) will be taking on WBA interim super middleweight champion Brian Magee (36-4-1, 25 KO’s) in a very winnable fight for Kessler on December 8th at the Boxen, in Herning, Denmark. It doesn’t get any easier than this for the 33-year-old Kessler. Magee, 37, is an okay fighter, but he was recently stopped by former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute by a 10th round TKO last year in March in a one-sided fight and that fight showed pretty clearly where Magee is in terms of talent.

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Carl Froch Eyes Fights With Mack, Bute, Kessler, And Then Possible Retirement – If “The Cobra” Goes 3-0 From Here, Will He Be Hall Of Fame-Worthy?

09/14/201608/30/2012 ESB

Carl Froch Eyes Fights With Mack, Bute, Kessler, And Then Possible Retirement - If “The Cobra” Goes 3-0 From Here, Will He Be Hall Of Fame-Worthy? By James Slater: British warrior and reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-middleweight Carl Froch has not in any way said he will definitely retire after his planned rematches with Lucian Bute and Mikkel Kessler, but the 35-year-old will not be around forever and “The Cobra” has hinted that he would look at going out, on top, if he were to avenge his loss to Kessler next year, after having first taken care of next challenger Yusaf Mack and then, in a contractually-bound return, Bute.

Froch, who says he will not neglect serious training duties for the Nov. 17th defence against former light-heavyweight title challenger Mack, said in an interview with The Sun that a 2013 hometown win over Kessler would be “the pinnacle for me,” and that to finish his career in such a way would be “unbelievable.”

If this is the way Froch goes out, with three more bouts (which he of course feels would be wins) and then retirement at age 36 or 37, would the Nottingham man be Hall of Fame worthy should he quit with a 32-2 record?

Let’s look at Froch’s list of achievements:

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Exclusive Interview with Boxing Photographer Tom Casino (Rare Photos Inside!)

02/20/202308/13/2012 Geoffrey Ciani

“In every Tyson fight you could feel the electricity in the air” – Tom Casino Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – I recently had the … continue