Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler makes his American television debut tonight when he defends his WBC/WBA titles against undefeated challenger Librado Andrade live from Copenhagen, Denmark. “HBO: Boxing After Dark” will be televising the main event, which includes a replay of last weeks Barrera-Marquez explosive championship fight.
With thirty-eight straight victories at the young age of 28, Kessler has been seemingly unstoppable and looks to add to his impressive record against Andrade. Kessler (38-0, 29 KO’s) and fellow European champion Joe Calzaghe have been competing for domination of the Super Middleweight division for last three years. Kessler has been calling out Calzaghe for the last year, but Calzaghe’s refusal to accept has left Kessler without a big fight for the last year. This fight on HBO could force Calzaghe to finally step into the ring and fight the “Viking Warrior”.
Andrade (24-0, 18 KO’s) is a young, dangerous fight who can spoil Kessler’s big plans. With his last five fights ending in knockout, Andrade has the strength to end Kessler’s night early. The biggest factor will be whether or not he can handle the pressure of a big time championship fight in foreign territory. Andrade will definitely be focused, because a win could set him up for a big payday fight against WBO Champion Joe Calzaghe later this summer.
Make sure to tune into HBO tonight live at 9:45 ET/PT for this “Boxing After Dark” event. As mentioned above, the Barrera-Marquez championship fight will be shown before the Kessler-Andrade fight.
